<p>The Monastery (Al Deir) is one of the largest monuments in Petra. (It is also one of the farthest from the main gate.) Petra, Jordan
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The Deir received this name from the cave that is known as the Hermit's Cell. No one knows where this name came from, and it may have only come into use after the Middle Ages. The Deir monument is 40.2 meters wide and is carved deep into the side of the mountain. The door itself is 8 meters high. The main inside chamber is huge. It is 11.5 meters by 10 meters, and is lit only by light coming through the 8 meter high doorway. On the far side there is a wide niche with steps leading up to it on either side, and an arch over it. Apparently there was plaster on the walls here. The stairs seem to indicate that there was once an altar here. Later, Christian crosses were carved into the walls. In front of the monument, a huge area was leveled, and seems to have been used for great congregations of people.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/22490717@N02">Dennis Jarvis</a> from Halifax, Canada
CC BY-SA 2.0
<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/2217674430/">Jordan-18C-031 - The Monastery &amp; Inside</a>
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