A cup resembling the Holy Grail was discovered at the filming location of "Indiana Jones."

Al-Khazneh is one of the most famous yet enigmatic structures in Jordan. Legends suggest that the temple was created through magic during the time of Moses. However, scholars believe it was constructed much later and without any sorcery: it was built by Aretas IV Philopator, the king of the Nabataeans (a region that encompasses parts of modern-day Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Saudi Arabia) from the 9th year BC to 40 AD.

The Nabataean king designed Al-Khazneh as his future tomb. His successors apparently deemed the structure too grand for a single king, leading to the addition of several more tombs—likely for noble individuals. The building is carved out of sandstone rock and features a facade that stands 40 meters tall and 25 meters wide.

For two millennia, the temple was continuously plundered by all who desired—ranging from Bedouins to English soldiers. In the intervals between these thefts, Al-Khazneh served as a sacred site for representatives of various religions, from Zoroastrians to Muslims.

In the early 19th century, Petra became a tourist destination, attracting curious foreigners to Al-Khazneh. Some attempted to take home a piece of history, and their candles left white stains of stearic acid on the walls. In 1988, the temple's facade was featured in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," directed by Steven Spielberg. In the movie, it represents the exterior of the Holy Grail temple (the interior scenes were shot in studios).

By the early 21st century, Jordanian scholars discovered several tombs beneath the temple. However, due to a lack of funding, archaeological work was halted. In August 2024, American archaeologists led by Pearce Paul Creasman from the American Center of Research (ACOR) excavated several tombs.

Initially, they examined the burial sites found in 2003. Currently, these tombs are empty (having been robbed) and are located four to six meters below ground level. Yet at the time of their construction, they were above ground, indicating they were not secret burials.

Ground-penetrating radar revealed the presence of additional chambers on the right side of Al-Khazneh. Archaeologists sought permission from the Jordanian government for further investigations, during which they unearthed a previously unknown tomb filled with human remains and artifacts made of bronze, iron, and ceramics.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the tomb contains the remains of 12 individuals, interred with brief intervals between the burials. Based on the rich funerary inventory, these individuals belonged to the upper echelons of Nabataean society. Creasman believes the remains are approximately two thousand years old. If he is correct, they would be contemporaries of Aretas IV—the builder of the temple—who ruled Nabatea during its peak.

The most mysterious artifact discovered by archaeologists is a small ceramic cup. This is intriguing because it closely resembles the Holy Grail as depicted by Spielberg in his film. It is a simple, slightly fired clay bowl without any additional decorations.

According to popular myth, the Holy Grail is the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper and into which the Jewish elder Joseph of Arimathea collected blood from the wounded Savior. Legend has it that those who drink from the Grail receive unimaginable benefits: eternal life, everlasting youth, omniscience, or even all of these at once.

The initial surge of interest in material evidence of Christ's earthly life is generally attributed to the 9th century. In the 13th century, Louis the Saint brought a number of Passion relics from Constantinople to France. To house them, the Sainte-Chapelle was built on the Île de la Cité. For some reason, the authenticity of the relics did not raise doubts among contemporaries.

Later, representatives of the papacy noticed that among the relics stored in Europe, there was no cup from the Last Supper. Almost immediately, it appeared—not in real life, but in legends and chivalric romances. The Holy Grail is featured as a magical artifact in some Arthurian cycle novels.

Sometimes, instead of a cup, the same name is attributed to a stone, the breast of Mary Magdalene, or even more bizarre versions. The Albigensians claimed to have found the cup and kept it in Montségur, where it supposedly remained beneath the ruins. In various legends and romances, the Knights Templar are designated as the guardians of the relic.

We are far from suggesting any magical properties of the cup from Al-Khazneh, but one must admit that the coincidence with filmmakers' imaginations is simply incredible.