Petra Museum
Petra Museum
4.5
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Located at the main tourist street and only three minute walk from the main gate to Petra. Opening Times Location Online bookingOpening TimesWe are open seven days a week throughout the year from 10 AM to 11.30 PM2000 years ago Petra society was described as "half Bedouin, half farmer". The same description was given to Petra society at the beginning of the nineteenth century. A team of partners and specialists have spent almost 10 years developing the idea of this exhibition to create a better understanding of the history and anthropology of the area. No one can deny the fact that the history of Petra is still alive. To explore this idea, we invite you to this new and exciting exhibition where you can see and enjoy a cultural experience:• Petra in the eyes of the first photographers.• Traditional tools and instruments.• An unforgettable cultural experience.• Local produce available to try and buy.We are trying to make our history understandable and to bring it to life. To experience all this, come and visit the new Petra Life Exhibition for Traditional Heritage, which must be seen to be believed! EXHIBITION SECTIONSA: Arabian coffee sectionB: Water and wateringC: Animals dresses and decorative accessories sectionD: Bedouin tent and weaving techniques sectionE: Bread making sectionF: Traditional construction tools sectionG: Peasant house sectionH: Agriculture sectionI: Leather- manufactured items SectionJ: Shepherding sectionK: Traditional costume, jewelry and beautifying sectionL: weights and measures instruments sectionM: Lighting sectionN: Recreation section (games and music)O: Weapons, defense means and hunting tools and techniques sectionP: Photo gallery (Petra in the eyes of the old photographers)Q: Medication, herbal and spices sectionR: Incense and aromatics sectionS: Traditional food sectionT: Cooking pots section Petra's long history stretches back through antiquity, the remains of which can still be seen inside and outside the ancient city. This is confirmed in both historical and archaeological evidence, which is at hand for specialists and far away from ordinary persons. It became evident to the owners of this exhibition, who are native of Petra, that the society of Wadi Musa and tourists should not be isolated and must be incorporated in many cultural activities and events.Recent studies have shown that human patterns of life continued to be almost the same from the Nabataean period up to the end of the Ottoman period. From that time onwards, modern changes related to the globalization and social changes affected the community as well as lifestyles which led eventually to the loose of a considerable part of our heritage and traditions. If the situation continues as it is, the historical memory of the region will be erased gradually.It is a matter of fact that the visitors of Petra do not have full access to the cultural heritage of the region either tangible or intangible. They have access only to the archaeological site and all the information provided are relevant to the monuments of the city itself. Preserving and presenting other cultural heritage elements as tourism products seems to be a necessity since the Petra region lacks such important places. It is clear therefore that creating new attractions in Wadi Musa will help tourists enjoy the Jordanian cultural experience. The establishment of this exhibition will create this opportunity for the visitors of the archaeological site of Petra.We have created this permanent exhibition showing the history and heritage of the greater Petra region which is the only one of its kind in the southern part of Jordan to focus attention specifically on the heritage of our recent past. It represents a unique and valuable source of information and provides the perfect environment for visitors to explore a broad spectrum of topics related to the heritage of this part of the world during the last two centuries.
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4.5
272 reviews
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145
Very good
88
Average
30
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7
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2

vocalmichael
Vancouver, WA10 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Small but excellent museum. It’s really put together very logically and gives you a good understanding of the people that built Petra. If you want to understand Petra this is a must see. And it’s free!
Written 17 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chaitanya A
New Delhi, India340 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
This is a very well made museum, which is free to visit.

It shows in great detail the life of people in Petra, with many artifacts recovered.

With the artifacts displayed it shows what life would have been like.

It gives quite a different perspective than the ruins of Petra themselves.

The Audio Visual presentations are well done, and interesting.
Written 30 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

zuv
Bucharest, Romania26,984 contributions
Mar 2023
A small museum, placed right next to the Visitors Center. Not too much to see, just a few artifacts, not very impressive. In 30 minutes you saw it all.
Written 28 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stuart A
Ramsgate, UK227 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Free to enter and I would recommend going before you visit Petra to get an understanding of the history and evolution of the ancient city before you look through all the sites. All signage is in English as well as Arabic.
Written 2 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Veronica
11 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
Very nice museum! Highly recomend to visit. Interesting artefacts.
Entrance is for free.
Have fun exploring:)
Written 29 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Beth D
Washington DC, DC19 contributions
Jan 2023 • Solo
This is really a remarkably good museum (completely redone in 2019). They have amazing pieces unearthed at Petra, but more importantly (to me at least) it does a really great job of explaining the history of the area, how Petra came into existence, and the interactions of the civilizations and cultures in the area.

I would recommend going to the museum before actually going into Petra - I found it helpful to understand what I was actually seeing when I visited the site itself.
Written 19 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ken j
Manalapan, NJ836 contributions
Dec 2022
Great explanations of the Nabatean civilization, which built Petra. Lots of interesting and modern displays. Nice small gift shop, don't miss that.
Written 19 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia12,848 contributions
Nov 2022
This historical museum has a marvelous collection of ancient artefacts related to Petra. Most of the exhibits are related to the Nabatean civilsation.. It also includes Greco-Roman sculptures. The Nabateans were a trading people, who originated in Arabia. Petra became immensely rich, based on trade, and created a unique city, hidden in the desert. The gift-shop has some interesting items. Entry is free.
Written 8 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PepyMasso
Sofia, Bulgaria355 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
Do not miss visiting museum - it is better before entering Petra site. Free and very well organized, very informative multimedia presentations, artefacts about life of Nabateans. Immerse yourself in the history of Nabataean Kingdom.
Written 7 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Palen and Chelsea
Philadelphia, PA13 contributions
Oct 2022
great place to wait for freinds to meet up for the hikes. small but well designed museum to accentuate the sights you will see in the ancient city - spend 25-30 mins max
Written 10 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Petra Museum (Petra - Wadi Musa) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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