Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)

Little Petra: the Nabataean settlement no one charges to enter

At a place as commercially developed as Petra, the existence of a free Nabataean site 9 km away is quietly remarkable. Siq al-Barid — Arabic for “the Cold Canyon,” commonly called Little Petra — is a miniature gorge carved into the sandstone bluffs north of Wadi Musa, lined with rock-cut facades, cisterns, temples, and the excavated remains of a Nabataean trading community.

The Nabataeans established Siq al-Barid as a staging point for caravans approaching Petra from the north — a kind of outer suburb where merchants could rest, store goods, and conduct preliminary business before entering the main city. The canyon is smaller in scale than Petra’s Siq but structurally similar: a narrow sandstone corridor opening into a series of chambers and courtyards, each serving a distinct function in the trading community’s daily life.

The real appeal, beyond the archaeology, is the atmosphere. Visit on a weekday morning and you may share Siq al-Barid with just a handful of other travellers. The light in the canyon is softer than at main Petra, the vendor pressure is essentially absent (the site has no formal infrastructure), and the sandstone colours — amber, rose, cream — are as beautiful as anything in the main city.

The site in detail

The main canyon entrance: Unlike Petra’s grand Siq, the entrance to Siq al-Barid is a modest cleft in the rock, easy to miss without the sign posted at the car park. The canyon runs for about 350 metres and opens into four main areas. There are no tickets, no entrance booths — you simply walk in.

Biclinia (banquet and dining rooms): The most impressive architectural features are the rock-cut biclinia — formal dining rooms carved into the canyon walls, with benches cut from the living rock running around three sides. These were used for banquets, business negotiations, and possibly religious ceremonies. The craftsmanship of the carved doorways is high quality, comparable to some of Petra’s treasury-period facades.

The Painted House (Al-Beid): One chamber in the canyon contains something unique in the Nabataean world: painted plaster frescoes. The Painted House (sometimes marked on maps as Al-Beid) features ceiling and wall paintings in a Hellenistic style, including figures of Eros, grapevines, and birds. The survival of painted plaster in this climate is extraordinary. The chamber is gated (to protect the paintings) but visible through the iron grill. This is the only known example of Nabataean fresco painting still in situ in the Petra region.

Temple and cult area: A larger open area deeper in the canyon includes the remains of a small Nabataean temple and what appear to be sacrificial or ritual installations. The carved niches in the rock face nearby would have held funerary inscriptions and small votive offerings.

Cisterns: Look up and you will notice rock-cut channels carved along the canyon walls. These channelled rainwater into carved cisterns — the Nabataean hydraulic engineering that made their desert city habitable. Several cisterns at Siq al-Barid are among the best-visible examples of this technology outside the main Petra site.

Beidha: 11,000 years of human presence

A 10-minute walk north from the Siq al-Barid car park leads to the excavated Neolithic village of Beidha — one of the earliest settled agricultural communities ever discovered, dating to approximately 9 000–6 500 BC. The excavations here in the 1950s and 1960s by Kathleen Kenyon’s team revealed round and then rectangular structures arranged in a pattern that showed a transition from nomadic to sedentary life.

There is not much to see above ground — foundations of walls, post holes, grind stone emplacements — and the interpretation panels are sparse. But the sense of place is extraordinary: 11 000 years ago, humans were making permanent homes in this valley, farming emmer wheat and barley, and developing the first outlines of what would become settled civilisation.

Beidha is free and open. Budget 30–45 minutes. It is genuinely worth combining with Siq al-Barid if you have an interest in deep human history.

The Petra Back Door trail

Little Petra is also the northern trailhead for the Petra Back Door — a hiking route that connects Siq al-Barid to the main Petra archaeological park via Wadi Muthlim and the Monastery (Ad Deir) area, bypassing the standard Siq entrance.

The trail takes approximately 3 to 4 hours one-way (10–12 km) for fit hikers and passes through beautiful desert landscape with good Nabataean rock art along the way. It arrives at Petra from the high ground near Ad Deir, giving a top-down view of the city that is rarely seen.

Key practicalities for the Back Door:

• Guide required: The route is not well-marked in all sections. An experienced local guide is strongly recommended — hire one from your hotel in Wadi Musa or at the Little Petra car park.
• Start early: The trail is exposed and can be hot after 10:00. A 6:30–7:00 start is ideal.
• One-way logistics: You will need transport back to Little Petra or arrange to be collected at the main Petra entrance.
• Petra ticket: You still need a valid Petra ticket (from the main visitor centre in Wadi Musa) to exit through Petra. Purchase this the day before to avoid queuing.

A detailed guide to the Back Door route is at the Petra Back Door trail guide.

Organised tours to Little Petra

Little Petra is included as a bonus destination in several Petra day tours from Amman and other bases. Most of these tours visit the main Petra site for the bulk of the day and include Siq al-Barid in the afternoon or on the return.

Amman to Petra full-day trip with Little Petra included

For a private full-day tour that gives more flexibility to linger at each site:

From Amman: private full-day tour to Petra and Little Petra

If you want to spend a proper two days in the area — one day at main Petra, one day with Little Petra, Beidha, and optionally the Back Door trail:

Petra and Little Petra 2-day private tour

Getting to Little Petra independently

From Wadi Musa (the town adjacent to the Petra entrance), Little Petra is about 9 km north on a well-paved road. Options:

• Taxi: 5–8 JOD each way from central Wadi Musa. Ask at your hotel. The fare is negotiable.
• Self-drive: 15 minutes. The site is signposted from the main Wadi Musa roundabout.
• Walking: Possible but long (about 2 hours each way on road) and exposed. Not recommended in summer.

There is a small car park at Siq al-Barid with a seasonal cafe. No facilities inside the canyon.

How Little Petra fits into a Petra itinerary

Little Petra works best as:

1. A half-day add-on on a 2-day Petra visit: Spend day one at main Petra (full day), day two doing Siq al-Barid, Beidha, and possibly Shobak Castle (25 km north).
2. A morning before or after Petra: If you are already at Petra and have a car, drive up to Little Petra before or after your main site visit.
3. A preview for the Dana-to-Petra trekkers: If you are arriving via the Jordan Trail from Dana Biosphere Reserve, you emerge at or near Little Petra — it is the logical end point of the trek before entering main Petra.

See the Petra complete visitor guide for the full Petra planning picture, and the Wadi Rum guide if you are continuing south after Petra.

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FAQ

Is Little Petra actually free?

Yes. There is no entry fee for Siq al-Barid. You walk in from the car park without a ticket. This is unusual in Jordan, where most archaeological sites charge admission. The free entry reflects the site’s status as a relatively minor Nabataean outpost compared to main Petra — though the Painted House fresco alone makes it worth a visit. Beidha is also free.

How long should I spend at Little Petra?

The canyon takes about 45–60 minutes to walk through properly, including time to look at the biclinia, the Painted House grill, and the cistern channels. Add Beidha (30–45 minutes) and the total is 1.5–2 hours. You do not need more than a half-day for both sites combined.

Can you do the Petra Back Door trail without a guide?

Technically possible, but not recommended. The first section near Little Petra is clear, but the middle section loses definition in places. Without local knowledge, navigation errors add time and risk in an exposed landscape. A guide costs around 30–50 JOD for the full trail and is worth the investment. Your hotel in Wadi Musa can arrange one.

Is Little Petra suitable for children?

Yes. The flat canyon floor is easy walking for children of all ages, the scale is not overwhelming, and the painted ceiling fresco genuinely captivates most kids. The walk to Beidha is easy. The Petra Back Door trail is too long and demanding for children under 10.

What is the difference between Little Petra and main Petra?

Main Petra is an enormous ancient city covering around 264 km², with hundreds of rock-cut facades, the famous Treasury (Al-Khazneh), the Colonnade Street, the Monastery, and extensive Roman-era ruins. Entry costs 50 JOD (1 day) and the site takes at least one full day. Little Petra is a small trading outpost — one canyon, about 350 metres long — intended as an outer suburb of the main city. Entry is free. The two complement each other rather than duplicate each other.

Should I visit Little Petra before or after main Petra?

Either works. Some visitors prefer to see Little Petra first (morning of day one), then enter main Petra via the main Siq in the afternoon. Others do main Petra on day one and Little Petra on day two. If you are hiking the Back Door trail, start at Little Petra and finish at the main site — that logically happens on a separate day from your main Petra visit.