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Published: January 5th 2014
"I live in a neighbourhood so bad that you can get shot while getting shot." Chris Rock
So lies Jordan, the quiet cul-de-sac of calm and serenity within the rough neighbourhood of the Middle East. It sits impassively trying to ignore the noisy neighbours it borders (Syria, Iraq, Israel and Egypt, plus Lebanon around the corner), plays peacemaker when tempers start to fray and accepts newcomers to the area when they try to escape their own streets. A country that straddles the holiest lands mentioned throughout the Bible and Quran that at every turn has a story about Moses, Jesus or Mohamed. A land that has seen Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Islam and Ottomans all passing through leaving their mark. The result of all this is a small country that punches well above its weight for a traveller as the remnants of these ancient civilisations abound, not least one of the Wonders of the World at Petra.
Amman, Jerash and the Dead Sea. I began my 8 day G Adventure tour by flying into the capital
Amman, a busy but not overly chaotic city of just under 3 million people. It seemed fairly modern but lacked the
monolithic skyscrapers and boundless money of other Arab countries, each house is covered in white limestone by law but if anything it appears a little forlorn and run down, as though in need of a lick of paint and a bit of a spruce up. The people were calm and did not hassle passers by, there was a mix of market stall, supermarkets and boutique shops, whilst mosques and their unparalleled call to prayer rubbed shoulders with McDonalds and Burger Kings. Apparently there is a citadel and Roman amphitheatre worth visiting there but I didn't have the time to get to them.
We headed off to
Jerash, a place known as the 'Pompeii of Asia' for it's Roman remains. It would start a trend seen throughout Jordan of a place inhabited by one civilisation which is later usurped and then the area improved upon. For example Jerash has been in that location for centuries before Alexander the Great improved it, and then the Romans marched along in 1AD and so on. What is left is mainly Roman and covers a fairly large area, despite being partially destroyed by earthquakes and sections being unwittingly built on by locals. But there
remains enough to get a good insight into life then as it was. It is entered through grand arches, some 13metres high, and inside lies an impressive forum and an amphitheatre, a hippodrome for racing horses and chariots, temples to the various gods and fabulously colonnaded streets. All still stand in good condition and made for an interesting half day visit from Amman.
On the same day we ticked off another highlight by floating along in the
Dead Sea. It lies 412m below sea level and so is the lowest point on dry land on Earth. The water is shared with Israel and as usual in these parts has biblical connotations, it flows down from Galilee as the River Jordan through the place Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. The real fun of course is taking a dip in the warm water and floating about on the surface whilst smiling with childish glee. The sea has no outlet and so is left fully exposed to the scorching sun's rays, causing a high evaporation rate and leaves the water 8 times saltier than normal. This means we cannot sink and merely bob along the top, a strange but fun
experience that had some splashing like kids, others spread out like starfish and more simply lazed happily on the surface reading a book. The high salt content meant it stung like a £&@*$ if you had any cuts, and as a tip for the future I can advise it isn't wise to be relatively freshly shaved when entering the water. Allegedly, the mud has healing properties so pasty white Europeans could also be seen on the banks smearing smelly black mud all over their bodies then waddling to the water like some Zombie movie. The sea is rapidly reducing as Jordan and other countries continue to drain from the river in this water impoverished region, apparently the Dead Sea will be dried up in 50years time so get here and enjoy the experience while you can.
Madaba & the King's Highway. I think its fairly well known that I'm somewhat of a raging atheist, but even I find it hard not to be fascinated and in some form of awe at certain places, names and stories. Not least when you had a Catholic upbringing as I did, so every tale of Moses, the Red Sea and Jerusalem transports
you immediately back to primary school lessons and time spent in church, the dogma may have worn off but I'm probably about the same height as then. Our first stop was to
Mount Nebo, it was atop here in around 1500BC that God finally showed Moses the Promised Land. He had put in quite a shift, first he helped his people escape from Egypt, then parted the Red Sea before leading them aimlessly around the desert for 40years in search of the holy land. God duly rewarded Moses by showing him the Promised Land then told him he would never be allowed to enter...sort of puts my working overtime for no extra pay into perspective. Gazing down from the top of Nebo is a church that looks out over arid, rocky land with undulating hills and a thin slither of black that marks the Dead Sea in the distance. The land you are actually looking at is that of Old Testament infamy, the walls of Jericho, seedy Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by a raging God, sex with angels, Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt and drunken cave sex with his daughters(yes really), while Palestine, Jerusalem and Bethlehem lie
just 30miles in the distance and visible on a clear day. The Bible is the greatest story ever told, and to look out over this fabled land is a fascinating experience and conjures many images and thoughts. I imagine its similar to visiting the Harry Potter film studios.
After this we visited the market town of
Madaba, a small and laid back place known for having a high proportion of Christians and therefore a multi cultural attitude. The main reason to visit is to see the Greek Orthodox St.George's Church for the mosaic featured inside, it was built in AD500 during the Byzantine period and features all the main biblical sites. The mosaic used to be around 20m long and 6 m wide and contained 2million pieces, but most has been lost by now so it's appeal is somewhat diminished but was worthy of a quick stop. Finally we headed to
Karak to see the fortified castle built atop the city and mentioned in the Bible, but mainly reinforced and famous for the battles of Saladin and the Crusaders around 1142AD, again it was fairly interesting if passing through on the highway but couldn't rival a Lego one I
knocked up as a kid.
Petra And so it was on to
Petra, one of the 7 wonders of the world and a place I had been wanting to visit since I began my wanderings, thankfully it didn't disappoint. This ancient city sculpted into the sandstone rocks by the Nabateans was begun in 200BC and at its peak stretched 10km long and contained 40,000 residents. Petra can only be entered from one point and this serves to heighten the magic of a visit as you walk down the thin, meandering natural canyon known as the Siq. This has walls 200metres high at some points, and as you walk through you encounter various figures, carved niches, offerings and the ingenious channel cut into the rocks to divert water. The Siq snakes through a corridor of stone and around each corner you await with bated breath thinking it will be 'the one' that gives you that most famous view. Eventually you take a slight right and then some 30m ahead, just where the cliffs seem to be overhanging so much that they meet, you gain your first glorious, breathtaking glimpse of the Treasury. As you walk closer and step out
of the Siq the Treasury is revealed, standing alone enclosed in its own canyon of high walls which has resulted in its shielding from the damaging sun and so is superbly preserved. It is majestically carved into the rock and stands 43metres high and 30metres wide, with a beautiful pink hue, six tall columns form the ground level and are topped with floral carvings, a gorgon's head and also carvings of the sons of Zeus. There is a top tier that is just as ornate with niches, winged figures, eagles standing guard, lions, horses and a goddess, all intricately carved and fabulously detailed. The original Treasury was also covered in marble which would added to the jaw dropping aspect even further and would have stood some 8 metres higher and reached by steps, but earthquakes and centuries of nature has raised the ground on which we stood. If it was impressive enough now I'd kill to see it in all its original splendour, even better our guide got us there at opening time so we pretty much had it to ourselves, although hearing the collective 'Wow' of each new person as they stepped out of the Siq was nice in
itself.
But for me the beauty of Petra in was that it was so much more, I thought before the trip that Petra was pretty much the Treasury, naively not realising it was a huge city replete with monastery, tombs, theatres and palaces. After the Treasury you walk down a central road that leads into the heart of the Pink City, the colours that give it its name shining brightly under the sun. Both on street level and high up on the soaring cliffs you see tombs and houses of regular citizens carved into the actual rock begging to be explored, overall there are some 500 of these. As with the Treasury the allure is on the outside as inside are now plain and empty, although some have wonderful colourings on the roof. Further on you reach the theatre, where nearly 50rows of seats have been carved right into the sandstone rock over 2000 years ago by The Nabateans. Even more impressive are the larger Royal Tombs, some of which stand 3storeys high, they look down on the main street and consist of pillars, doorways, arches, columns, horned creatures and funeral urns that ooze power and social position. The
main thoroughfare also had the intricate Temple of the Winged Lions and Petra church, and the Romans liked the city so much that they kept it as it was, but added a colonnaded street, palace, fountain and gateway.
Hidden high up in the hills is another fantastic find and I was hard pressed to choose a winner between the Monastery and the Treasury. It has a similar design but stands much larger at 45metres high and 50metres wide and is also carved further back into the rock. The stone may be less pink and have less intricate carvings but it's position tucked away around the back and impressive top tier make up for this. The city has some final, literal, highlights as you can trek to two spots known imaginatively as the 'High Places', these are fairly steep and strenuous and resulted in us walking some 12 miles in all that day, but allowed us to see where the Nabateans levelled the top of mountains in order to make sacrifices and built altars and temples. One is at the monastery and gives amazing views of the canyons and surrounding mountains, whilst the main high point enables you to look
down at the Pink City in all its glory from some 200 metres up where you take in the whole majestic scene in one breathtaking vista. It is all the more amazing to think that all this lay undiscovered for nearly 1500years until a Swiss adventurer came across them in the 1800s. This was the same man who discovered Abu Simbel in Egypt and yet he was only 33 when he died, that's my age and makes me feel like I've rather underachieved. The area may have been affected by many earthquakes over the years but it's preservation and size simply overpower you and they estimate that only 10%!o(MISSING)f the ancient city has been uncovered, I want to be there if they ever do find the rest, a wonder of the world indeed.
Wadi Rum Desert Jordan has a lot of desert, in fact some 80%!i(MISSING)s desert and it has no natural resources, they only receive 200ml of water a year and are the 10th most water impoverished country in the world. The same day of the Petra visit we headed deep into Wadi Rum to spend two nights, and coincidentally it was New Year's Eve.
This meant we saw in the new year deep in an Arabian desert surrounding a fire, shooting fireworks, drinking alcohol and trying to dance like Jordanians, overall it was a unique and novel experience. Although for the record it's not big and certainly not clever to have a hangover in the desert, especially when you have a 4x4 jeep excursion the following day over bumpy sand dunes. Wadi Rum is the area made famous by Lawrence of Arabia (he who helped the Arabs fight off the Ottomans) but the desert itself wasn't quite epic Saharan sweeping dunes, instead it was more a rocky affair with sand but it was pretty to drive around and gave a unique landscape. The nomadic Bedouins that have lived off this land for centuries retain their ancient ways and are fascinating to spend time with, herding camels and wearing their red checked headscarves. We ate delicious traditional Bedouin food cooked underground in a Zerb oven, watched the sunset over the sands and went on a night walk to gaze in wonder at the millions of stars as you can only do outside a city. We also realised it really is cold in the desert when
the sun goes down by sleeping in Bedouin style tents and some went on a camel safari across the sands in true Lawrence style.
Aqaba For the final destination we headed south to the Red Sea and finally got some warmth, not to mention a hot shower after two sandy days. It shouldn't have been an eye opener but it surprised me to discover that winter in the Middle East is just like winter anywhere else, it even snowed the week before we arrived. Nobody else fancied diving the Red Sea which was disappointing so instead we had a fairly lazy day wandering the small seaside port which afforded views across the water to Israel, haggled for souvenirs and ate delicious sea food. The food has been a pleasing bonus to this trip and despite having what seems like my 25th helping of shawarma, meats, felafel, hummus, unleavened bread or tea I have not gone bored of it.
Jordan My impressions of Jordan are overwhelmingly favourable, impressive sights aside it is more the attitude of the people and culture that has impressed me. It's population is 6.2 million, 94%!o(MISSING)f which are Sunni Muslims and sits
in the heart of the Middle East practising Islam, in fact their royal family is originally from Mecca and can trace an unbroken line right back to the Prophet Mohamed himself. Yet it seems to treats its people and problems in vastly different ways as Jordan's interpretation of Islam is not based around Sharia Law and to me the positives seem abundant. The vast majority do not enforce the hijab on women, in fact the Queen herself does not wear one, and arranged marriages are rare. Nor do they stifle women's education, male literacy is 96% and some 85% of females are literate, increasingly many families have both parents working and women are entitled to vote, whilst by law there must be 6 female MP's each time, all a far cry from the recent story of the young girl Malala who was shot in Pakistan for going to school. There are no public whippings or stoning for crimes and couples can walk arm in arm, in fact the dancing and gyrating I saw in the Amman nightclub seemed more Essex than Eden. Men do not have multiple wives and there are many unmarried women in their 40's, whilst divorce is
accepted and in fact stands at a surprising 40%, but women's honour in society is still held in extremely high regard. Islam is no less central to Jordanians, it still dominates and moulds their way of life but it is much more tolerant and accepting here, perhaps if more countries in this region adopted the same attitude-by proudly acknowledging their past but sensibly embracing the future-the world would be a less volatile peace. The royal family also has a big influence, their faces adorn shop fronts, car stickers, windows and entire buildings, the people rely implicitly on them. King Abdullah's is half British and depends on strong ties with the West and foreign aid, perhaps it is his western influence that is driving this country forward and allowing the past to embrace the future, a hybrid mix of Islam and the West.
Also, in a world where even as I type bombs are going off in nearby Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, Jordan chooses to play peacekeeper and help in any way they can. They have allowed immigrants from Palestine, Iraq and now recently Syrians to escape their war torn countries and flood into their borders to such an extent
that staggeringly Jordanians are now a minority in their own country, 65% are of Palestinian origin. Refugee camps currently dot the landscape, families huddle under UNICEF tents relying on hand outs and shivering through a tough winter. These influxes have resulted in higher prices, affected healthcare and standards of living, unemployment stands at 14% whilst Jordan is 95th on the human development index. Yet the Jordanians do not revolt and had only minimal demonstrations during the Arab Spring, a fact attributed by many to the high literacy rates and intelligent people with open attitudes to others, meaning Jordanians are not easily manipulated into action.
I have enjoyed my time spent in this welcoming country, the people are fiercely proud, hospitable, welcoming and I have never felt in danger at any point. The G Adventure tour is highly recommend, I have now fully come around to the group tour way of doing things instead of my years of independent backpacking, I even brought along a wheeled suitcase this time-how the mighty have fallen. It just makes life so simple and as usual it was an eclectic bunch of ages and nationalities, from Mexicans to Finns and Japanese, we had good
laughs, interesting discussions and formed strong friendships. Our guide Aiman was highly informative and great fun, while Jordan's compact size allows you to get around all the main sights within the week easily, although the pace was admittedly quick. Jordan seems to not show up on the traveller radar and peoples reactions to me going were a mix of fear and questions as to why, but it is a great country packed with highlights and wonderful people that you should check out.
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big sister
non-member comment
There is nothing wrong with a wheeled suitcase. Very nice one it is too.