Urn Tomb, was probably constructed around 70 CE, this is one of the most impressive royal monuments in the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. Its grand scale and pivotal location suggest it was the tomb of a major Nabataean ruler, possibly King Malchus II or King Aretas IV… [1280×666] [OC]

…The tomb derives its name from the large decorative urn that crowns the top of its pediment.

The Urn Tomb represents one of the finest examples of Nabataean funerary architecture and is part of the Royal Tombs group—four prominent monumental facades that overlook Petra’s city center. Its sophisticated design, incorporating both burial functionality and ceremonial space, reflects the wealth and power of the Nabataean kingdom at its height in the first century CE.

The tomb features an elegant façade carved deeply into the cliff face (notice the left side wall of the court) at the base of the Khubtha Ridge, commanding over Petra’s central valley. The facade is decorated with engaged columns between pilasters and contains three niches that lead to burial chambers. The central niche is marked by a portrait bust of a man in a toga—the deceased king himself—carved in relief on the stone slab that sealed the burial.

The tomb is preceded by a 17 m deep courtyard flanked by colonnaded porticos on two sides, creating an impressive ceremonial space. This courtyard arrangement demonstrates the Nabataean practice of incorporating gathering spaces for funerary banquets and commemorative ceremonies alongside burial chambers.

The vast interior chamber measures approximately 18.5 m wide, 17 m deep, and about 5 m high (talking from memory, couldn’t find the exact measure), with four burial loculi (burial niches) carved into the rear wall. Additional niches were carved into the side walls above the colonnade, possibly to receive bones of the king’s relatives or officials during secondary burial practices.

The Urn Tomb was converted into a Christian church in 447 CE. During this conversion, the interior was remodeled with three apses (semicircular recesses) carved into the rear wall to accommodate Christian liturgical practices. A Greek inscription inside one of the rooms records this consecration and references “Christ the Savior”. The Byzantines also flattened the floor and installed an altar, completely repurposing the royal tomb as a place of Christian worship.

The Bedouin community called it al-Mahkamah (the Court), believing the underground vaults served as prisons and the structure functioned as a courthouse. These vaults beneath the courtyard are locally known as *as-Sijin* (“the Jail”), though their actual purpose remains unknown.

My apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.