Petra and the Bible

A few years ago, Harrison Ford, as "Indiana Jones," galloped through the gigantic geological cleft called the Siq, at the entrance of ancient Petra in Jordan, in search of the Holy Grail.

He did not find it, but he came face-to-face with that magnificent royal tomb called the "Treasury of the Pharaoh" and inadvertently participated in one of the many folkloric biblical relationships at Petra.

He had already bumped into another one when he entered the nearby town of Wadi Musa, whose ancient name was El Ji but now renamed for the tourist trade, and he went past the famed "Spring of Moses," which local folklore tells us was a result of Moses striking the rock to bring forth water for the wandering Hebrews in their Exodus from Egypt.

Strangely enough, the cleft through which Indiana Jones passed is also attributed to that same blow by the staff of Moses. "The Treasury of the Pharaoh," which was used in the motion picture, is so-called locally because Bedouin tradition says that the Pharaoh, encumbered by his treasures, was pursuing Moses all the way to Petra. As a result, he magically created a repository on top of that great carved monument into which he placed his gold for safekeeping. Bedouin bullets have attempted to shatter that urn for some generations, as the pockmarks show.

Another biblically related monument is the "Palace of the Pharaoh’s Daughter," also attributed to the hand of the Pharaoh. He had discovered that, along with the encumbrance of his treasure, he had brought his daughter. As a result, the local Bedouin tell us, he again magically created a palace for her and left her there.

Petra and the Bible - by Dr. Philip C. Hammond