The Siq with the Treasury (al-Khazneh), 1st Century A.D., carved sandstone building

Detail. The Siq with the Khzaneh (the Treasury) on the background; the Siq is the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra, the dim, narrow gorge winds its way approximately 1. 2 kilometres and ends at Petra's most elaborate ruin, the Kazneh; the Khazneh (The Treasury) is one of the most elaborate temples in the ancient city of Petra; this structure was carved out of a sandstone rock face. It has classical Greek-influenced architecture; al-Khazneh was originally built as a mausoleum and crypt at the beginning of the 1st Century AD during the reign of Aretas IV; its Arabic name Treasury derives from one legend that bandits or pirates hid their loot in a stone urn high on the second level; many of the building's architectural details have eroded away during the two thousand years since it was carved and sculpted from the cliff; the sculptures are thought to be those of various mythological figures associated with the afterlife. Al-Khazneh Temple, Bab el-Siq, Petra, Petra, Jordan