High Place of Sacrifice, Ancient offering site at Jebel al-Madhbah, Petra, Jordan.
The High Place of Sacrifice is an ancient offering site on Jebel al-Madhbah mountain in Petra, marked by two stone obelisks standing about 7 meters tall. A platform roughly 65 meters long stretches across the summit, featuring a central altar and stone benches for those who gathered there.
The Nabataeans built this sacred site between the 1st century BCE and 3rd century CE to conduct ceremonies and offerings to their deities. The location served as the center for religious practices among these desert trade peoples for hundreds of years.
Stone benches surrounding the central altar show how people gathered here to witness religious ceremonies and share communal meals together. The space functioned as a gathering place where the faithful sat side by side to participate in sacred rituals.
The climb to the summit is best started from the Street of Facades and takes about 50 minutes along a steep path. An alternative longer route begins at Qasr al-Bint and can take up to 3 hours to reach the top.
The site features an intricate channel system carved into the rock that directed water rather than sacrificial liquids during religious ceremonies. This hidden engineering work reveals how the Nabataeans carefully managed water in an arid region.
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