Our week in Jordan in February 2007

 We were met at the airport by Ahmed, who was to be our guide for the whole week  
Downtown AMMAN Poul discovered this old hotel 		  
 Our first stop was at the CITADEL  in Amman where we got an overview of Jordans rich cultural history. The Dead Sea Scrolls are kept in this museum, which was originally a palace complex  
Amman and the old amphitheatre seen from the Citadel, it dates back to the 2nd century AD and seats 6000 people		  At the Citadel excavations have revealed ancient Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains
 
from the citadel you see the worlds tallest flagpole (have they checked with Dubai on that one???)		  The lae King Hussein was a great lover of cars and a museum with all his "toys" is a must for sightseeres  well, they may not be experts at life-like representations, but still..
 
WOW!		  Model of the KINB ABDULLAH MOSQUE in Amman  
 view of the church next to the mosque  The mens prayer hall The Imam will lead the prayers from the floor 5 times a day. However, for the Friday afternoon prayer a religious leader (a sheikh) will hold a sermon from the pulpit
   Detail from the ceiling of the front hall. In the mosque there is also an auditorium where imams are trained and taught a non-extremist approach to islam  The front hall of the mosque with models of several mosques.
Ahmed kindly invited me to lunch at his house, while Poul was at the office. His wife, Rahab, served a delicious lunch and even gave me homemade cakes for the road.    This their son, Salah, who also came home for lunch - but I was a bit slow with the camera, so his graudation picture will have to do.
 JERASH , 50km north of Amman, is considered one of the most well preserved sites of Roman architecture outside Italy. This is Hadrians Arch, honouring Emperor Hadrian  and was built in 129AD  
Spring is coming - we had app 15 degr C so it was comfortable. At night there was plenty of rain, though.		  The Hippodrome is still used for chariot races - you see the starterboxes at the far end.
 The Oval Plaza is 90x80m and built partly by the Greek in the 1st century and partly by the Romans in the 7th century AD  
In the South Theatre from 90-92AD the upperclass spectators had numbered seats, securing them a seat in the afternoon shade. 		 
 when standing at a particular spot in the centre of the orchestra floor your voice is carried to the entire theatre without effort. You feel like speaking into a microphone, but if you step 20cms to the side the effect is lost.  
A legacy from the British: Bagpipes. Jordan was a British protectorate and the army boasts some very good players.		  New and old Jerash
 Temple of Artemis, the patron goddess of Jerash. Most of the columns have survived earthquakes and are still standing    
some of them are not entirely stable as I got to feel - they actually move a lot!!
   A sort of hook is inserted into this hole in the column to aid in lifting the huge stone to its place on hte column  The North Theatre built in 165AD and enlarged in 235AD to seat 1600 people. The rows are so steep that you only walk UP - exits through the back of the rows are provided at several levels.
 
How to use a coffin for modern purposes		  The Propylaeum, where the processions to the Artemis Temple started. The steps from the top seem to go straight down, but are intersected with platforms after every 7 steps.  these massive stones are the caved portico waiting to be replaced on the Propylaeum
 this being the top stone of the portico as shown by our excellent guide - if you go to Jerash - try and find him and you will get a very competent man showing you the sights and telling you the stories.  This round stone with the hole in the middle is a manhole-cover and you can still see ridges in the pavement from the horsedrawn carriages  and this is where you end if you go down that hole: the drainage sytems leading the rainwater (and probably sewage) away from the streets.
 
The butchers table with carved animals. The slab at the back is the actual table top with markings from the meatcutting 		 Three of the 15 byzantine churches in Jerash are grouped together - this is the mosaic floor of the church of St Cosmos and St Damian with an inscription dating the mosaic to 553AD  along the road to Jerash we saw many nurseries - this being an area with rich soil, which supplies Jordan with lots of its produce
 
A pitstop for lunch and a clean bathroom 		 Ahmed and Poul  Jordan has some of the most breathtaking scenery  
 Stopping by the RIVER JORDAN at the site where John the Baptist at Bethany beyond the Jordan baptised Jesus.  these remains of churches may be the earliest christian prayer facilities in the world.  
 the Greek Orthodox church close to the river Jordan
The wall paintings are very colorful and dramatic for such a small church		  
 
The river itself is somewhat muddy - but here it is.		  A family came from the USA to baptize their son in the waters of  the river and we were invited to attend. On the other side of the river you see another party of tourists (or pilgrims, they have a priest in dressed in white with a red cross on the back as their guide) - and that is Israel  The flags of Israel only a few metres away
 In the distance we see the city of Jericho and on a clear day you see Jerusalem even further away First view of the DEAD SEA  
    Our hotel at the Dead Sea
 Big pots full of mud were placed by the Sea ready for us to indulge....  and, yes, you do float, And yes, it is extremely salty water, which you are advised not to get in your eyes.  
 MOUNT NEBO is situated not far from the  Dead Sea and this is where Moses spent his last days and where he was most probably buried. His brother, Aarons, tomb is close to Petra.  Pope John Paul II began his pilgrimage to The Holy Land here in March 2000 and this obelisk is in honour of his visit.  This olive tree was planted by the Pope
 
The view of The Holy Land just as presented to Moses 3000 years ago, to The Pope 7 years ago and to us now. It is truly breathtaking and no photograph can do justice to the dramatic landscape		  
Our guide - slightly clingy, speedtalker and hoping for stupid tourists to pay him more if he didn't tell us the official tariff. Not nice.		  This is a modern replica of the brazen serpent God instructed Moses to erect to stop the plague that He had sent to kill the rebellious Israelites during the Exodus journey. Everyone who looked up at the serpent was spared death by the plague. The curative serpent is now the symbol of the pharmaceutical industry. Also it was seen as a precursor to the lifting of Jesus on teh cross: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so whoever believes in him will have eternal life"
 The church at Mount Nebo  
in the church, which is still used today, some beautiful mosaics are still to be seen.


the church today built around the original structure

 
The city of MADABA (City of Mosaics), close to Mount Nebo, where about half of the inhabitants are Christian		  
Moses Spring,

The Othodox Church of St George in Madaba where we saw examples of old and new mosaics:


The earliest (6th Century AD) original map of the Holy Land  to survive from antiquity. The map is one of many fine Byzantine mosaics preserved in Madaba
the walls in St Georges are adorned with modern mosaics


Time for a break for coffee in the coffeeshop belonging to one of Ahmeds numerous friends - this one a Christian

 
And so we arrive in PETRA - this is the view from our hotel 		 

Snow!

 
Selling vegetables by the road.		  

Yet more ruins

 
and views....

 
Petra (the Red Rose City) is a 2000 year old city carved into rose-coloured stone and hidden from view by the mountains. teh site of this magnificent city was lost to the world for 1000 years and rediscovered in 1812 AD.

This is the Obelisk Tomb, an example of style mix between Egyptian and Greco-Roman influence.

Entrance to the Siq, with cliffs soaring up to 80m. The Nabataeans, an Arab tribe, settled in Jordan and brought with them the influence of major foreign cultures from the Arabian Peninsula, where they had been engaged in the caravaning business. In Petra they became the masters of the regions trade routes, levying tolls and protecting caravans laden with Arabian frankincense and myrrh, Indian spices and silks, African ivory and animal hides.
Profits from the caravaning business enabled them to establish a kongdom stretcing from Damascus to the Sinai and teh Negev desert.

 The Siq has waterchannels cut into the rock (originally covered by ceramic lids)  The colours of the rocks are beyond belief. The Nabateans continued to prosper even after being annexed to the Roman empire in 106AD. The sources of its riches decreased as a shift in traderoutes and less demand for frankincense as Christianity replaced pagan religions. Eventually Petra was gradually abandonned and lost to the West after the 14th century.


Remains of statues of a camel and a man in the Siq

 
A modern dam made to contain the enormous masses of water flowing from the mountains. Unfortunately several people have been trapped and drowned when surprised by flash flods 		 As you exit the Siq this is what meets the eye: the very impressive 1290m2 facade of the Treasury - the pride and joy of Petra.
It was carved into the rock face in the 1st century BC as a tomb of an important Nabataean king. The work started by carving steps into the rock behind the temple and then carving began from the top!
The jar you see at the top was believed to contain gold by the people who arrived to find it (hence the name Treasury) - and they tried to shoot it down only to find that it is not hollow.

one of the entrances to a room in the Treasury

   


an endless stream of local bedouins offer you "taxi"rides - whether it be on camel, donkey or in a carriage.

Our guide who thought that two hours meant 75minutes (and who was VERY expensive)

 
the colur of the rocks - again - its amazing what nature is capable of. 		 


Colonnaded Street leading through the city centre flanked by shops, temples and public buildings. The paving is still in place.

   

 
The Palace Tomb		  The Theatre seating 7000 people  

Qasr al-Bint - the main temple of the Nabatean capital

 
more taxis 		 


Here you can actually see the Siq - the 1200m narrow crevice that forms the entrance to Petra

 
Before settling in Petra the Nabateans were in "Little Petra", which has more of a "village"feel to it		  

end of our journey

 the temples of little Petra are also impressive  


a sign in modern  Petra

 
the last stop on our journey through Jordan was AQABA, Jordans only outlet to the sea and home to the APM container terminal 		 


Aqaba also claims to have the Worlds tallest flagpole. Tsk

   view towards the container terminal

 

 
Going towards the airport in Amman - we left in the very early and very dark and very cold morning - as soon as there was light we stopped for tea


The reason we are where we are......goodbye Jordan and see you again!