Ed-Deir, Petra

The monastery can be reached by ascending a nearly 800-step path (40-minute walking time) from the Basin. The Wadi Kharrubeh, the Lion's tomb, and small biclinia and grottos can be seen en route to the monastery. From the monastery, one can view the valleys of Wadi Araba and the gorges along with the semi-arid territory immediately around Petra. ==Exterior design==

Scholars believe that the flat area in front of the monastery was levelled through human action in order to make the area suitable for social gatherings or religious occasions. Near the entrance of the structure are the remains of a wall and a colonnade. The rock-cut façade of the monastery, high and wide, has a broken pediment, the two sides of which flank a central tholos-shaped element. This element has a conical roof that is topped by an urn. ==Interior plan==

The interior layout of the monastery consists of a single square chamber with a broad niche in the back wall. Each end of this niche contains four steps, and the niche itself is framed by pillars and a segmental arch. The room is thought to have been painted and plastered, even though none of these decorations have survived into the modern day. ==Architectural style==

The monastery is an example of Nabataean architecture. Its blending of architectural styles is a hallmark of the dynamic and hybridised nature of Petra as a whole. These columns are thought to have been included for aesthetic purposes, as the entire structure is carved directly into the sandstone cliff and does not require the support that columns would traditionally provide in freestanding Hellenistic structures. The façade as a whole boasts a Doric entablature (superstructure containing moldings and bands lying above the capitals), but does not have figures in the metope, only simple roundels. Mesopotamian style is evident in the single, large entrance and the plain, window-like depressions of the facade. The door to the main chamber of the monastery is 8 metres high and provides the sole portal for the entry of light into the structure. The presence of square-topped tower structures on either side of the monastery also demonstrate the Mesopotamian influence present in the structure. ==Purpose==

Nabataean The role of the Deir, which was likely built in the mid-1st century CE, An inscription that was found on the wall of a nearby structure while it was being cleaned in 1991, mentioned "the ''mrzh' '' of Obodat the god". After the abandonment of Byzantine Petra with its main churches near the city center, a Christian presence in the form of Greek Orthodox hermits and cenobites living in lavra- or coenobium-type communities of among the ruins of the wider ancient metropolis and its necropoles continued all until the late 19th century. The area around ed-Deir shows a particular density of such communities, who even left an epigraph on the entablature of the monumental facade, observed by Burckhardt in 1812, but which had already disappeared by 1865. (see original Latin text here and its German translation here). ==3D documentation with laser-scanning==

The monastery was spatially documented in 2013 by the non-profit research group Zamani Project, which specialises in 3D digital documentation of tangible cultural heritage. A 3D model can be viewed here. The data generated by the Zamani Project creates a permanent record that can be used for research, education, restoration, and conservation. ==In popular culture==

The monastery has appeared in several Hollywood movies, such as the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. ==See also==