ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Bethany beyond the Jordan





View from Mt. Nebo

Madaba mosaic map

Amman Beach Resort on the Dead Sea

Jerash Castle - Oval Plaza

Donna and the Roman Centurian in the Hippodrome

Dale with the Gladiator

Ajlun Castle

Dale at Umm Qays

Pella's archaelogical digs

View from Karak Castle

Entrances to passages at Karak Castle

Wadi Rum - lunch in the Bedouin Tent before the tour in the 4x4 jeep

With the camels at Wadi Rum

Entrance to Lawrence of Arabia's cave

Wadi Rum

Qasr Al-Kharrana, 8th Century Desert Castle








Amman

Just returned from a 5-day trip to Jordan. We got a taste of it last November when we went to Petra; had thought of going back sooner but the hassle of crossing the border was somewhat of a deterrent. However, being better prepared for it, we decided not to let that keep us from seeing the sights we were interested in while we’re so close. So, we resigned ourselves to the 4-hour trip from Jerusalem to Amman--which should take no more than an hour and a half--, the numerous checkpoints, exit and entrance fees, and line-ups; and made our arrangements.

We arrived on Friday at about noon and after settling in, hooked up with Mohammad Ali (no, not Cassius Clay), a taxi driver who spoke some English, and ended up hiring him each day to take us to the places we wanted to see.

On the way to Bethany beyond the Jordan, we drove past Elijah’s Hill where the Prophet Elijah ascended into heaven (2 Kings 2:11) and could see the monastery that attracted pilgrims well into the medieval period. John the Baptist lived in Bethany beyond the Jordan and it was there that he baptized Jesus in the early 1st century A.D. (John 1:28)

At Madaba, “the City of Mosaics”, in the Greek Orthodox church of St. George, we saw the wonderfully vivid 6th century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites. With two million pieces of coloured stone and a full 25x5 metres in its original state, most of which can still be seen today, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far away as the Nile Delta.

Ten minutes away is Mount Nebo where Moses is buried and from which he saw the Promised Land—the vast panorama that encompasses the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and Jerusalem--that he was not allowed to enter. It is considered the most revered holy site in Jordan.

We ended Friday’s tour with a peaceful and relaxing couple of hours at the Amman Tourist Beach resort on the Dead Sea. Although we didn’t have swimwear with us, we enjoyed wandering around and then, over a cappuccino, watched families and visitors frolic in the wonderful pools and amenities that the resort had to offer.

Saturday’s itinerary took us to the ancient city of Jerash/Jarash/Gerasa which boasts of an unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more than 6500 years. The city’s golden age came under Roman rule and the site is now generally considered to be one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world with its theatres, paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, public squares and plazas, towers, and gates, etc. At the hippodrome, we enjoyed the performances of the “Roman Army and Chariot Race”, complete with ten gladiators fighting “to the death”!

Ajlun Castle is a fine example of Islamic architecture. Imposingly built on a mountain top by Saladin’s general in 1184 A.D., it dominated the three main routes leading to the Jordan valley and protected the communication routes between Jordan and Syria.
Umm Qays was the site of Jesus’ miracle of the Gadarene swine. Here we explored the ruins of the ancient city once referred to as “a new Athens” with its black basalt theatre, colonnaded main street, and had it been less hazy, a spectacular view of the JordanValley, the Sea of Galilee, Syria, and the Golan Heights.

We ended the day at Pella, a favourite of archaeologists with its excavated ruins from the Graeco-Roman period, the remains of a Chalcolithic settlement from the 4th millennium B.C., remains of Bronze and Iron Age walled cities, Byzantine churches and houses, an early Islamic residential quarter, and a small medieval mosque.

An early start on Sunday began a 3-hour drive to Wadi Rum, stopping on the way to see the dark maze of stone-vaulted and endless passageways of the great Crusader castle of Karak which fell to Saladin in 1188. Wadi Rum is the classic picture of sandy desert, with sandstone jabals (mountains) rising sheer out of the valley floor. This is the place where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and T.E. Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in World War I and where the 1962 movie “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guiness and Omar Sharif was filmed.

Our last day of touring took us to the desert castles of Qasr (castle) Al-Hallabat, Qasr Hamman As-Sarh, Al-Azraq, Qasr’Amra, Qasr Al-Kharrana, and Qasr Al-Mushatta where they stand as a testament to the flourishing beginnings of Islamic-Arab civilization. Built mostly under the Umayyads (661-750 A.D.), these seemingly isolated pavilions, caravan stations, secluded baths, and hunting lodges were at one time integrated agricultural or trading complexes located on extensive and elaborately irrigated farmlands. The design and architecture of each castle is unique.

We concluded the day with a tour of Amman, the capital of Jordan. A city of contrasts, it is a blend of old and new, with modern buildings in the heart of the city rubbing shoulders with its much older past.

We caught of glimpse of the palace of King Abdullah 11, where he resides with his wife, Queen Rania, and their 4 children. From the Citadel which includes the Umayyad Palace complex (720-750 A.D.), the Temple of Hercules (161-180 A.D.), and the Byzantine Church (6th or 7th century A.D.), we got a panoramic view of the city. Downtown is the restored Roman Theatre (2nd century A.D.), the Roman Forum, Nymphaeum (ornamental gardens and public fountains), and the Grand Husseini Mosque built on the site of an older mosque from the Umayyad period.

Thus concluded a memorable visit to a fascinating part of the cradle of civilization— although we both agree that we’ve seen enough castles for quite some time!!