Advertisement
Published: October 25th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Jordan is divided into three regions: the Jordan Valley, the East Bank plateau and the desert. The fertile valley of the Jordan River is the dominant physical feature of the country’s western region, running from the Syrian border in the north, along the border with Israel and the Palestinian Territories and into the Dead Sea. The majority of the population lives in a hilly 70km strip running the length of the country known as the East Bank plateau. The remaining 80% of the country is desert, stretching into Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Mount Nebo - Madaba
Mount Nebo is where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land. He then died at the age of 120 and was said to have been buried in the area, although the exact location of the burial site has not be located to date. From the lookout, one is usually able to see the Dead Sea, Jericho, the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem but unfortunately on this day the view was hazy so we could only imagine how magnificent this vista can be.
Our arrival from Egypt into Jordan was a breath of fresh air literally. A short three and a half hour
ferry crossing brought with it a sense of calm and order that I hadn’t felt for days. We spent one night in the seaside resort town of Aqaba. It was a great place to break our journey and enjoy the Red Sea and the high desert mountains that surround the city.
WADI RUM
The next morning we were off to Wadi Rum (wadi means valley) via King’s Highway away from the fertile hilltop pastures of the north and towards the south and its more arid landscape. As we drove, you began to recognize the backdrop of films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Wadi Rum was everything I expected in a desert – mountain landscapes, rolling red sand dunes and the sun slicing through chiseled siqs were all a glorious vision to behold. The desert seemed to go on infinitely. I could just imagine the camel caravans that used to rest in this area in the past. True to Bedouin hospitality, we were offered thyme tea at one of the rest stops without the expectation of payment in return.
PETRA
Hidden in the sandstone wilderness of Jordan is the glorious ancient
trading city of Petra. The Red Rose City, as it is also known, was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans, Arabs who controlled the frankincense trade routes of the region in pre-Roman times. They carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables from the sandstone cliffs. From Petra, they commanded the trade routes from Damascus to Arabia. Spice, silk and slave caravans passed through, paying taxes and protection money. The Nabataeans made great advances in hydraulic engineering, iron production, copper refining, sculpture and stone carving. Archaeologists believe that several earthquakes, including a massive one in AD 555, forced the inhabitants to abandon the city as it couldn’t be rebuilt.
We approached Petra through the legendary 1.2km-long Siq. It isn’t a canyon but a rock landmass that was forced apart by tectonic forces. The road is long, winding and shaded that is until you look up to see the sun peeking through the top of the rock. Just as you think the Siq goes on forever, you catch a glimpse of the Treasury. The Treasury is the most impressive sight at Petra. It was featured in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It is carved out of
sand-stone and served as a tomb; the Treasury gets its name from the misguided local belief that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure in the top urn. The Greek- style pillars, alcoves and plinths are truly masterpieces of masonry work.
From the Treasury, we made our way to the Outer Siq; the site of over 40 tombs known as the Street of Facades. The finest carvings are the tomb facades of the Royal Tombs. To climb to the plateau and return to the colonnade street which was once lined with shops and led to the main market took about an hour but was well worth the sweat and strain on the calves.
Our last climb which took about 45 minutes was up the winding path to one of Petra’s most spectacular monuments, the Monastery. It was built as a tomb around 86 BC, with its enormous façade, it was probably used as a church in Byzantine times. The vista on the nearby cliff tops provided breathtaking views of the majestic rock formations of Petra, Jebel Haroun and Wadi Araba. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sheer satisfaction and gratitude in the sense of energy well spent and another
dream finally coming to fruition. Six “new” Wonders of the World down and one more to go!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.044s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0231s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb