Jordan

We're in Jordan! Nice country! Fabulous people! What a delightful surprise.

This is also the desert. The Jordan River forms the border with Israel, and is most of the water in the country. They measure annual rainfall in millimeters (usually less than 300 mm per year). From the airplane, it is clear that rivers carved patterns in the desert, but that was millions of years ago.

To the north of Jordan is Syria, to the East is Iraq, to the South is Saudi Arabia. Lebanon is just north of Israel, but does not share a border with Jordan. Jordan has long been a center of commerce, and as the eastern gateway to the Holy Land. Alexander the Great built the Kings Highway from Damascus to Petra more than 2,000 years ago to facilitate commerce and the movement of troops. But this land has been overrun by invaders many times, from the Greeks and the Romans, during the Crusades, to the Ottomans from Turkey, and the Arabs to the East.

This is also the land of the Bible, in the most literal sense. Every sight we see that is at least 2,000 years old (most places) is described somewhere in the Old Testament. We visited Mt. Nebo (Pisgah in the Bible) from where Moses gazed upon the Promised Land he would never reach. The holiest place in Jordan, at least some scholars believe this is where Moses died. It was hazy and visibility was poor, so we could not see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, or Ramallah on the West Bank, but they were all within 50 kilometers of where we stood.

It's challenging to build things in Jordan, because everywhere you dig, ruins are uncovered. Less than 20 years ago, in the city of Amman, they discovered homes and towers from 7000 BC. In Madaba a Roman church from the second century

AD was discovered to be built on top of another church which was already built on top of a third church. The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George contains a fabulous Byzantine mosaic floor, about 125 square meters . Two million pieces of colored stone show Jerusalem, holy sites, and hills and valleys and villages as far away as the Nile Delta. 

If a country is a reflection of its leaders, Jordan has been most fortunate in the last 40 years. King Hussein ruled for more than 30 years until his death in 1999. A staunch friend of the U.S., among his many accomplishments was the 1994 peace accord with Israel. Jordan immediately ceased its draft, and young men proceeded
with their education and careers instead of entering the military. After the Six-Day War Jordan opened its borders to nearly a million Palestinian immigrants. (It did the same thing in 2002, and allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Iraq to enter the country.) Hussein is still completely revered by the Jordanian people.

Following the death of his wife, King Hussein married (the American) Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor. She continues her work today with international organizations focused on education and womens' rights, and on deeper understanding of Arab and Muslim issues.

After King Hussein's death, his eldest son (from his first marriage) became King Abdullah, and he has focused on economic development, education, and other internal priorities. He married Queen Rania, who may now be one of the most powerful women in the world.  A Palestinian girl born in Kuwait, she earned a Business degree at the American University in Cairo, then worked for both Citibank and Apple Computer in Jordan before meeting the king. Her priority has been improving Jordan's schools, and she established a scholarship program, with leading universities around the world, to enable Jordanian students to pursue college degrees.

Like Egypt, Jordan is 99% Muslim, mostly Sunni, although here there seem to be more highly observant people. Many women are dressed in black from head to toe, with only a slit about 1 inch by 5 inches for their eyes. Our guide, a pleasant fellow named Hassan,

speaks several languages, including French, German, and English, has been a teacher and has traveled, and is quite knowledgeable about world affairs. He has a brother in North Carolina. He is married, with two teenage daughters. But none of the women in his family can ever swim, anywhere, because no swimming costumes cover all of their bodies in a modest fashion.

We are becoming used to the call to prayer, which echoes throughout every community five times each day, the first time before 5:00 a.m. From a mountain-top, with several surrounding communities in all directions, it is most impressive.

But even religious limitations on business (paying interest is not allowed, many activities stop for prayer several times a day) seem not to slow things down. The national tax rate is about 7%. We have seen staggeringly impressive private homes that far outshine those in the Kalorama section of Washington, and cost one-tenth as much.

Since the 6-day war in 1967 (which decimated its military), Jordan has avoided most of the fighting that has plagued the Middle East, is highly respected, and manages to work with everybody. And it shows. We have seen less poverty than in other countries, and as business booms, a middle class is emerging.

We started with a city tour of Amman (named Philadelphia in 300 B.C.) and went to the Citadel which towers above the city. Excavations there have yielded remains from the Neolithic, Hellenistic and Roman periods, and from Arab Islamic times.

There is a small antiquities museum at the top, which contains, courtesy of Israel, three of the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can view them from inches away. As I write this 10 hours later, I still have goosebumps.

From there we went to a small village in the north, less than 10 kilometers from Israel, and about 40 kilometers from Syria, where we had lunch in a private home. The owner is the local village manager, and the village started these visits as a way to boost the local economy, which is supported only by minimal amounts of agriculture. We met in a lovely guest room, for a meal prepared by his mother (his

wife was not present to meet foreigners or men from outside the family; his mother did all the work, but did not eat). There was a massive tray of chicken and couscous, a dozen dishes of vegetables and hummus and tabbouleh, and the fabulous fresh local pita bread.

Five of us, including our driver and guide, who translated, didn't come close to eating it all. Their small yard was an agricultural oasis, with apple, olive, lemon, and lime trees, tomatoes, grape vines, and various other vegetables.

After Pisgah, in the area where Moses lived and died, we stopped in Madaba, where King David defeated the Ammonites and Arameans. These lands were also fought over by the Edomites, Moabites, Israelites, and other local kingdoms for thousands of years. We visited Karak, which has its own Citadel and vivid history, and whose doom was prophesied in Isaiah. The Citadel was built by the Crusaders, as part of a series of strongholds, each a day's ride from the next. A beacon was lit each night at each castle to signal to Jerusalem that all was well.

As we continued south there was desert in all directions, as far as the eye could see. Yet it was not empty. Bedouins and other local people simply appeared in the middle of nowhere. At night, small clusters of lights reveal small groups where I was sure no one could live. There are still 50,000 Bedouins (nomadic people) in Jordan.

They herd sheep and goats, and sell crafts. There are a few camels, but mostly for tourists; even Bedouins have discovered the advantages of 4x4s. And everybody, everywhere, has cell phones. People with AT&T service can't get dependable cell phone service in Brooklyn. Here, everyone gets fine reception in the middle of the desert, in the canyons of Petra, or in the lost desert monoliths of Wadi Rum. Who knew?!

Petra
It was on both of our “Life Lists.” But even after years of waiting, nothing prepares you for something like this.

One of the current 7 Wonders of the World, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Petra was built by the Nabataeans (ancient Arabs), who occupied Petra from 100BC-100AD, and turned the city into a major trading junction on the silk and spice trade routes between China and India with Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. After its decline as a trading center Petra drifted quietly into oblivion, known only to local Bedouins, who guarded its secrets for hundreds of years. It was finally rediscovered in the 19th century by a Swiss explorer named Burckhardt, who pursued rumors of a lost city. Today Petra (“stone” in Greek) is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world, with thousands of visitors every day (some 90% of all tourists to Jordan visit Petra).

Buried in a canyon amid the mountains of Wadi Araba, Petra had a monastery, temples, a central shopping arcade, a central water system, and free-standing homes and caves which provided housing for a few thousand residents. But it is famous for more than 800 facades, which marked tombs, that were carved into the face of the rock. The facades may, in fact, have been carved over a longer period of time – the Treasury, for example, Petra's most important image, has Corinthian columns and Roman imagery, and was almost certainly carved during the Crusades.

The approach to the old city reminds me of Zion National Park, in Utah, with a narrow (sometimes only 4-5 meters wide) passageway between walls of rock that rise straight up for hundreds of feet. Our guide led us quietly to a single spot, focused on the trail, and then asked us to look up, to the first glimpse of the Treasury through the rocks.

The first impression completely took my breath away. We arrived early, before most of the thousands of tourists who arrived later in the day, and had a peaceful 30 minutes gazing at the carving and taking pictures.  

Later we discovered that the brilliant light in the desert, coupled with the dark rocks, seemed to overwhelm my camera, and most of my pictures are disappointing. These are the best we have.

We wandered another kilometer through the city, admiring gorgeous rock coloring, dozens of facades, gazing into now-empty tombs, to a hilltop-church discovered only in 1995. The church, at least the second built on the site (there's another church buried under it), contains extensive mosaic floors from the 6th century, and significant amounts of marble (perhaps carried from Rome – there's none in Jordan).

Leaving the church the trail passed the ruins of ancient houses, and I picked up a small piece of clay that might have been from a plate or urn. Then I noticed hundreds more spread everywhere. The guide said yes, it was probably 2,000 years old, and that there are so many the researchers focus only on more well-preserved objects buried in the ground. We picked up several pieces, which will surely deserve special status in our house!

That night dinner was at the Petra Kitchen, a cooking and eating place (no restaurant here, the tourists work with the chefs to prepare the dinner, then sit down to eat). The head chef was from the Movenpick Hotel, and clearly knew his way around the kitchen! Another really great experience!

Wadi Rum

T.E. Lawrence studied archaeology, dug ruins in the Middle East, then, at the start of World War I, joined the British Army and fought with Arabs against the Ottoman Empire, a German ally. Following a great victory at Aqaba he was promoted to major, and later helped liberate Damascus. Now more commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia, he used Wadi Rum as his headquarters during the years he fought for Arab independence. 

 Far in the south, only 20 kilometers from Saudi Arabia, Wadi Rum (“High Valley”) is a vast desert containing mazes of monolithic rocks rising to more than 1,700 meters . There are a few rock drawings (petroglyphs) that are 4,000 years old, but mostly the area is endless mountains and valleys and sand.



We visited a Bedouin camp, and had tea in the guest tent. But it is mostly wide-open spaces filled with sand and mountains. Locals could find water, the scenery was beautiful, and it would be an effective hiding place, but it would be a tedious place to spend much time.


Dana Reserve
We went to the small village of Dana, and had a local nature tour from Ahmed, the village elder. Fabulous guy, with encyclopedic knowledge, he had visited the U.S., and spoke excellent English. This village is some 600 years old, although some rocks in people's houses had Roman carvings from 1,000 years earlier. The town has about 150 people, and the houses are still made of stone, but the kids now know about cell phones, TVs, and the internet, and the world is changing rapidly around the local people.

We wandered about 2 kilometers down into the valley, then back up to town. Ahmed showed us all the plants, birds, and small animals we passed. The town has a sophisticated (Roman-style aqueduct) system for catching water – there were four springs around the town, water everywhere! – and water flows through the town. This is a huge sandstone and limestone gorge, as is the Grand Canyon, and 30-45 million years ago this was also at the bottom of the ocean. He pointed out fossils in the wall, then casually dug one out, literally millions of years old. When he tossed it aside, I grabbed it. There is so much nature, and so many things that are very old, that there's little sense yet that anything needs to be preserved.

On our way back he took us to his house, solid rock, surrounded by a rock wall around the outside. There is a small guest room at the front, a kitchen, living and bedroom, and another room at the back.
The guest room had a small wood stove for heat, and the living / bedroom had a raised stone ledge with a bedroll on it. No other furniture at all, no electricity or water, the kitchen was empty, we didn't even see any sign of his clothes. There was literally nothing in his house. It had been his grandfather's house, when he was a boy there were 10 people living there. Now he lives alone, his four children living elsewhere in Jordan. The house sits on the high point at the edge of town, facing down the rock canyon about 14 kilometers to the valley below. On a clear day he can surely see into Israel, less than 30 kilometers away. Absolutely magnificent location. Very special guide. Wonderful experience.


Dead Sea 

The Dead Sea really is. It is 33% salt. Absolutely nothing could live in it. Jordan is on the east side, Israel on the west, and only about 15 kilometers of water separates them. But they are a world apart.

We approached from the south, and the first images we saw were huge potash manufacturing facilities. As we drove north, there is agriculture everywhere, and they grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We have fresh figs, dates, apricots, oranges, grapes, and other fruits every day, only hours off the tree. They are absolutely delicious.



The Movenpick resort is very nice. It is old stone architecture, much as we might see in the Southwest. There is a nice health club where we worked out every day, and lovely pools. But we headed for the Dead Sea, where you can cover yourself with Dead Sea Mud (and save $150 vs. the spa charge for that treatment). When Fran rinsed off, her skin did feel as soft as a baby's. 

Then you go in to float on the water. Literally. I could not even put my feet down to stand up, although Fran managed that feat. But you surely don't sink in this water.





Three hours before our international flight back to Cairo and no driver; after I verified that the tour company had not even assigned one to collect us, we hired a local car, and made the flight. Major problem barely averted!