Why does the top urn have bullet marks?

People shot at it hoping treasure would spill out

Petra Treasury Quiz: Nabataean Rock Carved Facades

This Petra Treasury quiz walks through the narrow Siq to the most famous facade in Jordan. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the Nabataeans, the Arabic name Al-Khazneh, why it is called the Treasury, its height, the sandstone, King Aretas IV, bullet marks on the urn, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, Indiana Jones and Petra's New Seven Wonders status.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
In which country is Petra?
Builders
Who carved the Treasury?
Name
What is the Treasury's Arabic name?
Purpose
What was the Treasury most likely built as?
Path
Which narrow gorge leads to it?
Rock
What kind of rock is it carved from?
Urn
Why does the top urn have bullet marks?
King
Which Nabataean king is often linked with it?
Explorer
Which Swiss explorer reached Petra in 1812?
Film
Which 1989 film featured the Treasury?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which country is Petra?
Answer: Jordan
It is in the south of the country.
Q2: Who carved the Treasury?
Answer: The Nabataeans
They grew rich from trade.
Q3: What is the Treasury's Arabic name?
Answer: Al-Khazneh
It means the treasury.
Q4: What was the Treasury most likely built as?
Answer: A royal tomb
Despite its name, it held no treasure.
Q5: Which narrow gorge leads to it?
Answer: The Siq
The Treasury appears at its end.
Q6: What kind of rock is it carved from?
Answer: Sandstone
Its color glows rose-red.
Q7: Why does the top urn have bullet marks?
Answer: People shot at it hoping treasure would spill out
Legend said gold was inside.
Q8: Which Nabataean king is often linked with it?
Answer: Aretas IV
He ruled around the 1st century.
Q9: Which Swiss explorer reached Petra in 1812?
Answer: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
He traveled in disguise.
Q10: Which 1989 film featured the Treasury?
Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
It played the temple of the Grail.

Petra Treasury Quiz – Nabataean Rock Carved Facades

The Treasury, called Al-Khazneh in Arabic, is the most famous facade at Petra in southern Jordan. The Nabataeans, who grew rich from trade, carved it straight into rose-red sandstone, probably in the 1st century, often linked with King Aretas IV.

Visitors reach it by walking through the Siq, a narrow gorge whose walls open to reveal the facade, which is about 40 meters tall. Despite its name, it was most likely a royal tomb. Legend said gold was hidden in the urn at the top, so people shot at it, leaving bullet marks.

Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt reached Petra in 1812 and told the West about it. The Treasury starred in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, Petra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built it
What it was for
How visitors reach it
Which legends surround it
How it became famous

Did You Know?

The Monastery is another huge facade higher up in Petra.
Petra by Night lights the Siq with candles.
Hidden chambers were found beneath the Treasury in 2024.
Petra was once a busy stop on incense trade routes.
A poem called it a rose-red city half as old as time.