“Little Petra was Petra's caravan suburb, a shaded 'cold canyon' where Silk Road traders were housed and fed, and it hides rare painted Nabataean frescoes on a cave ceiling.”
About Little Petra
Carved by the Nabataeans around the first century CE, Siq al-Barid functioned as an outer staging post for the caravans that supplied and traded with Petra. Its rock-cut dining halls hosted merchants, and the surviving frescoes are among the few painted Nabataean interiors known. Nearby Beidha represents a Neolithic settlement thousands of years older.
Overview Little Petra, or Siq al-Barid, is a smaller Nabataean site a short drive north of Petra, set in its own narrow gorge whose name means 'the cold canyon' because the high walls keep it in shade. It is thought to have served as a suburb and caravan staging post where traders on the Silk and incense routes were housed, fed and resupplied before or after reaching Petra itself.
It is thought to have served as a suburb and caravan staging post where traders on the Silk and incense routes were housed, fed and resupplied before or after reaching Petra itself.
The Painted House Dining halls and chambers are cut into the rock, and one, the Painted House, preserves rare Nabataean ceiling frescoes of vines, birds and figures. Nearby lies Beidha, one of the oldest known Neolithic villages, adding thousands of years to the site's depth.
The Experience
You walk into a narrow, cool gorge lined with carved facades, staircases and chambers, far quieter than Petra. Climbing a few steps into the Painted House reveals faded but rare ceiling frescoes of vines and birds. The whole site takes under an hour, which makes it an easy, rewarding companion to a Petra visit.
Why It Matters
Little Petra illuminates the trade and logistics behind Petra's wealth, showing where caravans were received, and preserves some of the only known Nabataean wall paintings.
Little Petra illuminates the trade and logistics behind Petra's wealth, showing where caravans were received, and preserves some of the only known Nabataean wall paintings.
Why Visit
It offers Nabataean rock-cut architecture and rare frescoes with a fraction of Petra's crowds, and connects to the back route into Petra for hikers. Look up in the Painted House for the ceiling art, and combine it with the Neolithic Beidha site next door.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Step up into the Painted House and look at the ceiling for the rare Nabataean frescoes.
- 2
It takes under an hour, so pair it easily with a full Petra visit.
- 3
Experienced hikers can take the back trail from here into Petra; ask locally about guides.
- 4
Visit the neighbouring Neolithic village of Beidha for far older history.
