Siq Al Barid

(Little Petra)

A suburb of the main city of Petra, Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) provides an atmospheric introduction to Nabataeans tomb architecture.

The area was once a major caravanserai stop for the Nabataeans capital and comes complete with its own mini-Siq, 350 meters in length crammed with tombs, triclinums, water channels, and cisterns.

It is still easy to imagine the sounds and smells of the old days when traders, caravan masters, and drovers lived and traded here.

Near to Little Petra is an area known as Al Beidha (the white one) on account of the color of the rock. Remains of a Neolithic site have been found here, dating back to 7,500 BC.

This makes it one of the earliest known co-operative villages on earth.