Petra - Great Temple 11
It is generally accepted in research today that the monumental building known as the "Great Temple" did not serve religious worship, but was built as a representative royal reception hall. Discussions continue as to whether it could have been part of the royal palace, but the residential quarter right next to it is too small for that, and associated functional buildings (kitchen, stables, etc.) are missing. The previous designation "Great Temple" (origin of the name) is still in use, although now often in quotation marks or with the addition of "so-called". Occasionally, "South Building" (south of the Wadi Musa) may be found as well.
In the last quarter of the 1st century BC, as part of the monumental development of the center of Petra, the Nabataeans cut terraces deep into the bedrock of the Katute hill and laid out flat areas, traversed by channels for the drainage of rainwater. On this slope they constructed in several phases this largest freestanding architectural complex in Petra, a structure of 7560 m2 of floor space on three levels, the highest of which rises 25 m above the Colonnaded Street.
Petra - Great Temple 11
It is generally accepted in research today that the monumental building known as the "Great Temple" did not serve religious worship, but was built as a representative royal reception hall. Discussions continue as to whether it could have been part of the royal palace, but the residential quarter right next to it is too small for that, and associated functional buildings (kitchen, stables, etc.) are missing. The previous designation "Great Temple" (origin of the name) is still in use, although now often in quotation marks or with the addition of "so-called". Occasionally, "South Building" (south of the Wadi Musa) may be found as well.
In the last quarter of the 1st century BC, as part of the monumental development of the center of Petra, the Nabataeans cut terraces deep into the bedrock of the Katute hill and laid out flat areas, traversed by channels for the drainage of rainwater. On this slope they constructed in several phases this largest freestanding architectural complex in Petra, a structure of 7560 m2 of floor space on three levels, the highest of which rises 25 m above the Colonnaded Street.