Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — Al-Khazneh as the Holy Grail Temple
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — Al-Khazneh as the Holy Grail Temple
Steven Spielberg placed the Holy Grail inside Petra’s Treasury — a Nabataean tomb carved from rose-red sandstone in the first century, most likely for the Nabataean king Aretas IV (9 BC–AD 40) — and tripled the site’s tourist traffic in the years that followed.
The filming story
For the climax of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Steven Spielberg needed a façade that would plausibly hide an entire temple interior. Al-Khazneh — the Treasury of Petra, carved directly into the cliff face by the Nabataean people in the first century — became the entrance to the fictional Canyon of the Crescent Moon, behind which the Holy Grail waited. The 40-metre-high columned façade appears as Indiana Jones and his father (Sean Connery) approach on horseback through the Siq.
The 1.2-kilometre Siq gorge — Petra’s narrow natural canyon entrance, its walls rising 80 metres on either side — was used for the horse-riding approach sequence. Spielberg’s production filmed in Jordan for several days in 1988. The film’s production designer Elliott Scott worked around the fact that Al-Khazneh’s interior is a plain, undecorated chamber — the elaborate interior seen in the film was built entirely on a soundstage in England.
The film had an immediate and lasting effect on Petra’s standing as a travel destination. Visitor numbers roughly tripled in the years following the 1989 release. Today Petra receives over a million visitors annually. The Jordanian government formally acknowledged the film’s role in establishing modern awareness of the site.
Film details
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Release date: 24 May 1989
- Location: Al-Khazneh (The Treasury), Petra, Jordan
- Scenes filmed: Horse approach through the Siq, exterior of the Holy Grail temple (Al-Khazneh façade)
- Filming year: 1988
Visit the location today
Petra is accessed through the Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa town. The walk through the Siq to Al-Khazneh takes around 20–30 minutes on foot and is the same route filmed for the movie. The Treasury is the first major monument you encounter, exactly as in the film. Petra by Night, a candlelit evening walk through the Siq, runs three times a week and offers a completely different atmosphere. The site is large; allow a full day minimum, two days for the outer monuments.
Filming location: quick answers
Where was the Canyon of the Crescent Moon filmed?
At Petra in Jordan: the rose-red façade of Al-Khazneh — the Treasury — stands in for the canyon temple guarding the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
Is the Grail temple in Indiana Jones real?
The exterior is. Spielberg filmed Al-Khazneh as it is: a Nabataean tomb cut directly into the sandstone cliff, with no set dressing. The elaborate interior was built on a soundstage in England.
Full place guide: Petra in Jordan · More film & TV locations: Set-Jetting: Famous Film & TV Locations You Can Actually Visit
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