High Place of Sacrifice

The High Place of Sacrifice sits atop the Jebel al-Madbah mountain, recognizable by two massive obelisks carved into the peak. The Nabataeans chiseled away the summit to create a flat, rectangular courtyard centered around a stone altar and a drainage basin. They gathered here to offer animal sacrifices, channeling the blood into stone channels to ensure their gods remained satisfied. In eighteen twelve, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt hiked these rugged slopes, uncovering a site that had remained hidden from the western world for centuries.