Unlike other many ancient sites in Jordan, Little Petra has not been well documented by scholars since the town was abandoned sometime in the 7th century. The first major exploration occurred in the late 1950s by Diana Kirkbride, the former Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq. As a result of the scant resources applied towards Little Petra, most of its structures like this one remain a mystery. Some believe this was the equivalent of a visitors’ center or housed the collector of lodging fees. I noticed the circular reliefs between the triglyphs over the door. This frieze is unusual for Nabataean architecture. The only other building I saw with this ornamentation was the Monastery at Petra. It also has an urn on top of the pediment like a few of the very important buildings in Petra.
