Urn Tomb - Petra

Transliterated Name	Source	Name
Urn Tomb
al-Mahkamah	Arabic	الءماهكاماه

Introduction

from Chat GPT 5.2, 14 January 2026

The Urn Tomb is located on the East Ridge (also known as the East Cliff) of Jabal Khubtha. Its elevated position above the Petra Valley gives it a commanding presence within the city’s funerary landscape. The monument is generally interpreted as a royal tomb and is thought to have belonged to a Nabataean king, possibly Aretas IV (r. 9 BCE - 40 CE) or Malchus II (r. 40–70 CE). Its scale and prominent placement distinguish it from many other rock-cut tombs at Petra and support its association with the highest levels of Nabataean authority.

Petra - Introduction Webpage

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Maps, Aerial Views, 3D Imagery, and Photos

Maps and Aerial Views

Location Map from Jones (2021)

Figure 2

Map of Petra with the locations of major excavations marked

Jones (2021)

Basemap: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, USDA FSA, USGS, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, and the GIS User Community
Urn Tomb in Google Earth

Urn Tomb in Google Earth

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Links to 3D Images

3D panorama tour of the Royal Tombs (including Urn Tomb) from Zamani Project - click link to open in a new tab

Photos

Normal Size

Urn Tomb photo by JW

Urn Tomb

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Photo by Jefferson Williams - 21 Jan. 2026
Urn Tomb from wikipedia

The Urn Tomb

Bernard Gagnon - Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 3.0

Magnified

Urn Tomb photo by JW

Urn Tomb

Click on image to open in a new tab

Photo by Jefferson Williams - 21 Jan. 2026
Urn Tomb from wikipedia

The Urn Tomb

Bernard Gagnon - Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 3.0

House II Earthquake - 5th-6th Century CE

Discussion

References

Notes by JW

Jones (2021) argues that al-Zantur I Spatromisch II ceramics, rather than dating from 363 CE - 419 CE, should date to at least a century later. If true, this would negate archaeoseismic evidence for an earthquake reported in 419 CE (i.e. the Monaxius and Plinta Quake) at ez-Zantur and other sites in Petra such as in a structure outside the Urn Tomb, and in Structure I of the NEPP Project. Jones (2021) suggests instead that the causitive earthquake was more likely the late 6th century CE Inscription At Areopolis Quake. Jones (2021) provides a discussion below:

Within Petra, the 418/419 earthquake has been suggested as the cause for the destruction of three structures:

al-Zantur I, specifically the end of Bauphase Spatromisch II

one of the structures outside of the Urn Tomb, House II

North-Eastern Petra Project (NEPP) Structure I

At the Urn Tomb, a 363 earthquake destruction has been suggested for a cave below the tomb (Zayadine 1974: 138) as well as House II, which was partially rebuilt afterwards and by the 6th century was being `used as a quarry' (Zeitler 1993: 256-57). Taking this quarrying as evidence for a 5th century abandonment of House II, Kolb (2000: 230; 2007: 154-55) suggests a second destruction in the 418/419 earthquake, primarily based on analogy to al-Zantur I. As only a preliminary report has appeared for House II, it is not possible to evaluate the archaeological evidence for this attribution, but a 5th century abandonment of House II may instead be related to the modification of the Urn Tomb for use as a church in 446 (Bikai 2002: 271).

House II Earthquake - 5th-6th Century CE

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description/Comments
Destruction (Collapsed Walls)	House II		Within the Urn Tomb complex, earlier interpretations had proposed earthquake destruction in multiple loci, including damage attributed to a 363 event in a cave below the tomb and in House II. House II was then partly rebuilt, and by the 6th century it was reportedly being “used as a quarry” (Zeitler 1993:256–257, as discussed by Jones 2021). Kolb’s proposal of a second destruction in 419 relied largely on analogy with al-Zantur I, but Jones notes that the archaeological evidence for House II cannot be independently evaluated because only a preliminary report has appeared. Jones further raises an alternative historical explanation for a 5th-century shift in House II’s use: it may relate to the modification of the Urn Tomb for use as a church in 446 (Bikai 2002:271, as summarized by Jones 2021), rather than requiring a discrete 419 earthquake destruction horizon.

House II Earthquake - 5th-6th Century CE

Earthquake Archeological Effects chart

Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description/Comments	Intensity
Destruction (Collapsed Walls)	House II		Within the Urn Tomb complex, earlier interpretations had proposed earthquake destruction in multiple loci, including damage attributed to a 363 event in a cave below the tomb and in House II. House II was then partly rebuilt, and by the 6th century it was reportedly being “used as a quarry” (Zeitler 1993:256–257, as discussed by Jones 2021). Kolb’s proposal of a second destruction in 419 relied largely on analogy with al-Zantur I, but Jones notes that the archaeological evidence for House II cannot be independently evaluated because only a preliminary report has appeared. Jones further raises an alternative historical explanation for a 5th-century shift in House II’s use: it may relate to the modification of the Urn Tomb for use as a church in 446 (Bikai 2002:271, as summarized by Jones 2021), rather than requiring a discrete 419 earthquake destruction horizon.	VIII+

The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).

References

Articles and Books

Wadeson, L. (2013), Nabataean Façade Tombs: a New Chronology. Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 11

Zayadine, F. (1973). "Excavations at Petra: April 1973." Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 18.

Websites

Petra at the Zamani Project (includes 3D imagery and plans of the Urn Tomb)

Urn Tomb at Madain Project

The Royal Tombs at Nabataea.net

Royal Tombs of Petra at Universes in Universe

Petra - Urn Tomb