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Published: January 20th 2008
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The Treasury: Totally Unreal
Just incredible to be walking through the winding narrow "Siq" and turn a corner to see this. Landing in Jordan after a 7-hour flight over a large portion of the Middle East was a bit of shock. I had such a lovely family/home situation going on in India that it left tears in my eyes when I left. I literally left a piece of my heart there but lucky for me I’ll be going back in a few weeks to reunite with what I’ve left behind.
On our second day in the first Arab country that Dad and I have ever visited we chose to visit the ancient Roman city of Jerash and the partially demolished Crusader castle of Qala’at ar-Rabad. In its heyday Jerash had more than 15,000 residents and was a fully functional Roman city with beautiful theatre, column-lined promenades and temples dedicated to various gods. Apparently the city rose to prominence during the time of Alexander the Great, roughly in the year 333 BC. Changes hands of ruled left the city under control of the Syrians, Nabataeans, Persians, Byzantines, and eventually fell from glory after a brief Crusader rule in the 12th century. Pretty cool but not all the unlike other Roman cities I’ve seen in Europe and Turkey.
Our brief stop at
Monastery View
A different angle of the top of the gorgeous place. the Crusader castle of Qala’at ar-Rabad brought interesting sights and my first major dose of Islamic-military architecture. Built by one of Saladin’s generals in 1184-1188 to ward off invading Christian crusaders attacking the region. The views from the castle were amazing and due to the blue sky that day we were able to see over the border into Syria, further west to the Golan Heights in Lebanon, the West Bank, as well as Nazareth in Israel. Pretty cool to see all those countries from a single viewpoint.
I’d also like to mention that so far our experience with Jordanians has been really delightful. Everyone has been quite polite and friendly and greets us with a casual “marhaba” (hello in Arabic). The food has also totally knocked my socks off. To say that I really like hummus, Arabic bread (khobz), falafel, fresh salads, and spiced lamb would be a total understatement. I'm really loving the stuff and have been devouring three meals a day. I’m hoping that I’ll get sick of it before I leave so I won’t miss it so much but as of now that doesn’t appear that it’ll happen.
After Amman we cruised down toward Petra
Jordanian Guitar
Some really nice music to accompany our walk around the Monastery. along the King’s Highway, roughly a 5-hour journey from the capitol. We stopped along the way at the castle of Karak and Shobak, both Crusader forts built during the 12th and 13th centuries. Both structures were equally impressive in their own right with tons of nooks and crannies to explore and get lost in. Later in the afternoon we finally arrived in the small town of Wadi Musa next to the entrance to Petra. As many probably know, Petra is one of the official 7 Wonders of the World and I kid you not, after our day there today I fully endorse that title. It’s absolutely stunning. Petra made itself really famous to the western world in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
Winding through the narrow rock gorge known as the Siq, the first sight at Petra is the Treasury, the most impressive and stunning of all Petra’s structures. It totally blew the socks off Dad and I. It’s totally amazing and breath taking. I was shocked. I had expected something special but this was something much more.
The Nabataean Empire, which built Petra and its impressive structures, began putting the place together in around
Tombs of Petra
Located further inside the city of Petra past the Treasury. the year 200 BC. We’re talking Biblical times and we’re smack dab in the middle of the Holy Land. It’s really an amazing feeling to walk in a place of so much significance. The best of Petra includes the Treasury, further along to Royal Tombs and Grand Amphitheatre, the City Centre and Great Temple and all the way at the end to the The Al-Dier Monastery. I won’t go into detail with all the individual structures but I think the photos will do all the talking. This place is unreal and anyone with the desire to travel and time to spare….COME VISIT PETRA!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow morning we’re headed into the Wadi Rum Desert for a 2-night, 3-day desert safari that includes camel riding, hiking, 4-wheel drive jeep touring, and spending the nights with the local Bedouin people in their traditional covered desert tents. Stay tuned for more tales of Jordan to come….that one’s for you Dad.
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kendra
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JEESSSSS!!!
It's about time Smith....glad you're back. Love the photos!