The Monastery: A Great Nabatean Temple

The Monastery, also known as Ad Deir, is one of the largest and most impressive monuments in Petra, Jordan. It is a monumental building carved out of the rock in the Nabatean Classical style. The Monastery is located high in the hills northwest of the Petra city center and was probably built as a temple in the early second century AD. The building is believed to have been designed as a tomb, just like most of the other monuments around Petra. The huge facade, the inner chamber, and the other structures next to it or in the wider area around the Deir probably originally served a complex religious purpose and were possibly repurposed as a church in the Byzantine period. The Monastery is a long way from anything, which is why it has fewer visitors and is a great winter getaway. To get to the Monastery, you need to walk up 800 steps on a path from the valley. Along the route, there is the Wadi Kharrubeh, the Lion's tomb, and many other tombs and caves. #christmastrip