Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Jordan Petra District Little Petra

Little Petra

A more chill but no less fascinating version of the famous ancient archeological site.

Petra District, Jordan

Added By
Kieran Edward Eadon Jones
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Little Petra, Jordan.   Gary Bembridge/CC BY 2.0
Mausoleum, ‘Little Petra’ (Siq Al Barid), Jordan.   Paul Mannix/CC BY 2.0
Little Petra, Jordan.   Gary Bembridge/CC BY 2.0
Temple with columns at Little Petra, Jordan.   Daniel Case/CC BY-SA 3.0
Former Nabataean dwellings in the side of the canyon at Little Petra, Jordan.   Daniel Case/CC BY-SA 3.0
Little Petra, Jordan.   Gary Bembridge/CC BY 2.0
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
Outside of Little Petra - there are many ancient dwellings scattered throughout the area   Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
Nabatean frescos   Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
  Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching Little Petra   Crawdie / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Also known as Siq al-Barid, "Little Petra," located about eight miles north of the ruins of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, is a smaller but no less fascinating archeological site.

Like Petra senior, Little Petra was built by the Nabateans, and is widely believed to be a suburb of the ancient city, acting as a post on the silk road.

Within Little Petra is a room dug into the mountainside in true Petra-style commonly referred to as The Painted House. It contains a recently restored 2,000-year old Nabatean fresco, depicting grapes and small, chubby, male children (dubbed Putti in art jargon). While Little Petra is often recommended as a more relaxed version of Petra, this ancient painting has no parallels in its larger neighbour, making the extra trip worthwhile for those interested in art, archeology, or paintings of small chubby children.  

Related Tags

Archaeology Ancient
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Ancient Ruins & Legendary Landmarks of Jordan

Explore Mesmerizing Jordan: From Petra to Greco-Roman Ruins.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

weatherboy

Edited By

Crawdie, Meg

  • Crawdie
  • Meg

Published

November 18, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Petra
Little Petra
Unnamed Road
Petra District
Jordan
30.374125, 35.449748
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Petra

Petra District, Jordan

miles away

Kushi's Pundak 101

Bir el Maliha, Israel

miles away

Dana Village

Bsaira District, Jordan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Petra District

Petra District

Jordan

Places 2

Nearby Places

Petra

Petra District, Jordan

miles away

Kushi's Pundak 101

Bir el Maliha, Israel

miles away

Dana Village

Bsaira District, Jordan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Petra District

Petra District

Jordan

Places 2

Related Places

  • Lagoa Santa Man.

    Lapinha, Brazil

    Lagoa Santa Man

    The skeletal remains of an ancient human were found with the bones of giant ground sloths.

  • An ancient tumulus in a parking lot.

    Ikaruga, Japan

    Funazuka Burial Mound

    Once a heap of dirt with a shrubbery on it, this unassuming mound in a parking lot turned out to be an ancient tumulus.

  • Hegra, Saudi Arabia

    Jabal Ithlib

    Carved into a towering rock mountain in Al Ula, this once served as a religious and political center in Hegra.

  • Behold an ancient forest at this unique museum.

    Sendai, Japan

    Tomizawa Site (Underground Forest Museum)

    A 20,000-year-old fossilized forest is preserved at this unique museum.

  •  A whale skeleton on display outside of the museum.

    Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

    Museo de Historia Natural

    Fossilized remains tell the story of the region’s past inside this small, unassuming museum.

  • Amesbury Archer in Salisbury Museum

    Salisbury, England

    Amesbury Archer

    Pivotal in the research of early British Bronze Age life, found near Stonehenge.

  • Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain

    Poblat talaiòtic de Torrellafuda

    A remarkable prehistoric site featuring well-preserved Talayotic structures offers a glimpse into the ancient civilizations that once thrived on Menorca.

  • Paisley, Oregon

    Paisley Five Mile Caves

    These wave-cut overhangs on ancient Lake Chewaucan contain some of the oldest evidence of human habitation in North America.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.