January 19, 2026

Petra, Jordan

There is only one goal today – See the Monastery or Ed-Deir. Ed-Dier is located high in the hill northwest of the ancient city of Petra. It is the second most commonly visited monument in the Petra Archaeological Park. However, it is estimated that only about fifteen percent of the visitors ever see it

The reason why most people don’t make it to the monastery? It is reached by ascending a nearly 850-step path from the Basin. So, you not only get to climb up the 850-step path you ave to get to the Basin first which is on the far side of the park from the visitor’s entrance. It is 1.2 km (.75 miles) from the visitor’s entrance to El-Khazneh (The Treasury) then it is about 3.5 km (a little over 2 miles) to the Basin. Yes, it really is an 850-step climb, but it is also 2.5 km (about 1.5 miles) all of which is up. The elevation gain is about 200 meters (650 feet) from the Basin at 800 meters to the monastery at 1,000 meters.

The internet claims that it is a forty-minute walk, yet another spot says it is an hour-and-a-half climb. We “cheated” and took the “back road” to the monastery. It is supposed to be easier. We started out with breakfast at the hotel at 08:30. Sami joined us a few minutes later, and then we left the hotel and took the “free shuttle” to the cultural park.

The free shuttle was in the parking lot of the museum across the street from the hotel. An easy but up hill walk. Several young men, tourists, and a couple locals had to push start the free shuttle. The free shuttle took us to the Nabatean Cultural Village which is about 7.6 km (4.5 miles) from our hotel. Nabatean Cultural Village is another way of saying tourist trap. From here we took a bus to Little Petra.

Siq al-Barid or Little Petra is a smaller, less crowed archaeological site north of the main archaeological site in Petra. Like Petra is served as an ancient Nabataean trade hub and rest stop for caravans. It also features rock-cut buildings, caves, and tombs. There is a painted dining room (triclinium) with well-preserved frescoes. This part of the this side trip was well worth is as you can get closer to and into some of the caves.

The "back door" trail from Little Petra to the Monastery (Ed-Deir) is said to offer a less crowded, scenic, and less strenuous path to Ed-Deir. It is also longer. The trip is about 6 to 8 km (4 or 5 miles) from Little Petra to the Monastery. Theoretically, you bypass the famous 850-step climb, which is theoretically replaced with a “manageable mix of flat terrain and gradual climbs. It starts with a ride in the back of a converted pick-up. The bed has a tarp or canvas roof, and the bed has “jump seats”.

The ride in the back of the converted pick-up truck was something like 5 km (3 miles). It took about forty-minutes. It was an interesting ride. We saw several Bedouin camps along the way, as well as several caves which were not in the archeological parks. We stopped on an outcropping still some 2.3 km (1.4 miles) from the Monastery. Here we switched to donkeys. We spent the next hour riding up multiples sets of stairs, across narrow paths with very steep cliffs on one side, and occasionally across short “manageable” flat terrain. Now the views of the rift valley were amazing, as long as you looked off in the distance and not over the side of the cliff. We were told that Israel and Palestine were just off in the distance.

The donkey ride ended still some distance from the monastery. For, I am sure, a few more dinar we could have gone all the way, but we were happy to have the opportunity to walk again. Was it “easier” than the famous 850-step climb from the basin? Won’t know until we go down that side. However, the breathtaking views along the way were definitely worth the trip.

When you finally snake your way up to El-Deir you are rewarded with a fantastic view of the huge façade. This façade is prominently features in the 2009 film Transforners: Revenge of the Fallen. In the movie El-Deir serves as the “Tomb of the Primes.” You can look into but not enter the inner Chamber of El-Dier but it is still quite breathtaking. There are other caves and structures next to El-Dier, these probably served as part of a religious complex. The rock-cut façade of the monastery, 47 m (154 ft) high and 48 m (157 ft) wide, has a broken pediment, the two sides of which flank a central tholos-shaped element. This element has a conical roof that is topped by an urn.

El-Deir was probably built in the mid-1st century AD, but it cannot be assessed with certainty. This an ongoing archaeological site and it is hoped that further excavations could offer an answer. It may have served as a Nabataean royal tomb, based on external similarities with the Khazneh and the Tomb of the Roman Soldier. However this is contradicted by the layout of the inner chamber and the apparently related structures in front of the Deir. The interior design does not contain any obvious burial, like in many tombs of Petra. However, the rock-cut chamber has a large central recess, a cella or adyton (innermost sanctuary), accessed by two short staircases, similar to those leading up to the cult podium of the Temple of the Winged Lions, which would be unusual for a tomb, as well as two low benches along the side walls, which suggest that the chamber was built to serve as a biclinium. 

Outside there are remains of a colonnade, a possible altar, and a round enclosure, possibly offering the frame for ritual performances which could be observed from a platform up on the plateau opposite the façade. The Deir can be interpreted as a private palatial complex with mixed residential, funerary and religious function, similar to the Tomb of the Roman Soldier complex. It could also have been, maybe together with the structures on the hill opposite the Deir, the site of large public religious events.

An inscription that was found on the wall of a nearby structure while it was being cleaned in 1991, mentioned "the mrzh' of Obodat the god". Mrzh' is interpreted as a private religious group with a limited number of members. The inscription is located too far from the Deir, but may possibly indicate that the entire Deir complex was dedicated to the Nabataean king, Obodas I, who was deified posthumously

It had just gone noon when we got our first glimpse of El-Deir, and it still took a good twenty-minutes to actually reach it. We took a half hour to rest and enjoy the views of El-Dier and the surrounding area before heading down the 850-steps to the Basin and lunch. On the way down we were rewards with views of the Wadi Kharrubeh, the Lion's tomb, and small biclinia (Benches facing each other for sitting) and grottos.

The hard thing about the steps is that they aren’t flat, they are often broken, and they are uneven in their height. There maybe five or six steps, then a sloped area, or perhaps a semi-flat area, then a few more steps, then maybe some sloped rock cover partially with sand, which makes it slippery, the repeat a whole lot of times. There are also areas where the steps are narrow and there is a cliff edge on one side. You need to take you time, plan your moves and watch your steps.

It had gone 14:00 by the time we reached the Crown Plaza Basin restaurant at the foot of the stairs. We were all hungry and tired by the time we sat down. Lunch is a buffet just like yesterday. After lunch we took a golf cart back to the Treasury, and then another golf cart back to the visitor’s center. V got an Indiana Jones T-shirt which he properly bargained for. Then it was back across the street to the hotel.

Yesterday we covered 8.7 km (5 ¼ miles) and 26 staircases (according to my pedometer). Today, we covered 10.7 km (6.4 miles) and 84 staircases. Note: In Pedometer++, a "flight" or "floor" of stairs is generally constituted by an elevation gain of approximately 3 meters (10 feet), which, in properly constructed equal staircaes heght, usually corresponds to about 16 steps. Additionally, Pedometer++ only counts floors climbed, but it does not count floors descended. So, the 850-steps going down didn’t count.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel is time for a nap and recovery. We had dinner in the bar at 18:30. We ordered a chicken sandwich and a club sandwich. V & Mary each had a double bourbon with 7-up, while I stuck with just 7-up. We got back to the rooms about 20:00.

Yea, at 21:00 it was bed time.

Buonanotte e ciao

Enrico e Maria