LAST DAY IN AMMAN

Last Day Amman: 

We have all day here as our flight leaves tomorrow at 0220. We have arranged a for a car and driver to take us on a city tour and then to the airport starting at 1300. 

We have a very very leisurely breakfast at the hotel. The highlight of the breakfast is the waffle, very malty in flavor sprinkled with cinnamon, cocoa powder, and sugar. We retired to our room and caught up on publishing a few blog entries. We are a bit behind on the publishing due to slow or no Internet on this trip. 

The Driver Jacob meets us a bit before 1300 and suggests we go the the Jordan Museum. This is very well done and it takes one through the history of Jordan from the neolithic days to the near present. Excellent displays which are well done. For us the highlight was seeing some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 

There was also a temporary exhibit of photographs from the Arab Revolt in 1918. These were really interesting as they gave one a feel for the events of the Revolt. We met four Muslim girls from Malaysia and chatted with for a short time. They are in Amman attending university. 

We next went to the Roman Theater. This is a large outdoor theater in Classic Roman style of high steep seating. On one side of the stage area is a Folklore Museum and on the other side was a Museum of Popular Tradition. Each of these were interesting as they both highlighted the lifestyles of days gone. There was a section of many mosaics from Madaba. Sadly no photos were allowed. 

We next made our way to the Citadel perched high upon one of the Seven Hills of Amman. Here there is a Museum of Archeology with many items on display by time period. The signage could use a bit of an update. 

Outside there is the Temple of Hercules, a Mosque, a Byzantine Church, an Agora and many other ruins. From here there are excellent views of the city.  It is an understatement to say Amman is a big city, as it sprawls as for as the eye can see. 

I offer to buy Jacob a sharwmah  if he wished to make a stop. He said he knew of a good place and stopped for take away. Lynn and Jacob had chicken and I had meat. They were yummy. 

Jacob then dives us to the airport and we are way early so we ate our shwarmah and watched the world go by. 

   

JERASH

JERASH: 

We were up and on the bus making our way to Jerash to see the Roman ruins. 

Located some 48 km (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, Jerash is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East", referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano).

Jerash became an urban center during the 3rd century BC and a member of the federation of Greek cities known as the Decapolis ("ten cities" in Greek). Jerash prospered during the 1st century BC as a result of its position on the incense and spice trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and the Mediterranean region. Jerash was a favorite city of the Roman emperor, Hadrian, and reached its zenith in AD 130, flourishing economically and socially. The city began to decline in the 3rd century, later becoming a Christian city under the rule of the Byzantine empire. The Muslims took over in AD 635, but the final blow to the city was dealt by Baldwin II of Jerusalem in AD 1112 during the Crusades.

Modern Jerash sprawls to the east of the ruins, sharing the same city wall but little else. Thankfully, the ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment.

As beautiful and as magnificent as this historically significant is, it is not a UNESCO site. The reason being some of the restoration was done with new stone and this automatically disqualifies this as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  These ruins are inspiring and there are many more discoveries yet to be unearthed. 

After visiting the site we went to a local restaurant for a buffet lunch, beef chicken and rice and many other Jordanian dishes were offered.  We enjoyed the bread baked in a large Tandoori, by forming the dough into a thin flat round which is tossed onto the inside roof of the oven. Fresh out of the oven makes it taste like heaven. 

DEAD SEA FLOATING

Dead Sea

We were up and on the bus at 0830 heading back to Amman but making a detour to the Dead Sea. 

It was a lengthy bus ride and we made a stop at the new Dead Sea Visitors Center located high above the Dead Sea. Sadly it was overcast and raining but we did get some scenic views. 

The Dead Sea is located at 420 meters below sea level making it the lowest place on earth. In reality it is a large inland lake. It is amazing to think it was formed as part of the Rift Valley. While the salt content is high there are minerals such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. 

We are spending the night on the Shore of the Dead Sea at the Movenpick Hotel and Spa. This I must say is a beautiful property and has beach access to the Dead Sea. We took some time to explore the property before changing into swim wear for a float.  

There is a nice gentleman who assists you into the water over the rocky entry. Once in the water you float effortlessly as the salt and minerals make it near impossible to stand up. This has way more buoyant properties as  compared to the Great Salt Lake.  After a bit of floating about on the Sea  (20C) you exit and the nice gentleman will cover you with Dead Sea Mud.   Letting the mud set in for about ten minutes he takes a fresh water hose and rinses you off. This water was a bit cold for my liking but the mud needed rinsing off. I must say my skin did feel softer.

A great experience for sure. 

PETRA IS AMAZING!!!

PETRA:

We were up and ready to go by 0830 for the short drive to the Petra Visitors Center/ Entrance. The weather is overcast and there were a few drops of rain. Here one get the ticket and runs a gauntlet of shops before the trail starts to descend toward the site. It is about 1K to the Siq entrance. The Siq in a natural entrance which runs 1.2 K to the site of the Treasury, made famous by one of  the Indiana Jones movies. At times, the Siq narrows to 3 meters wide and the cliffs tower 200 meters above. The elevation change from the Visitors Center to the bottom is in excess of 300 meters. 

The whole route into Petra is about 5-6K in and another 5-6K, out so a total walk of about 6 miles can be expected. The trail is downhill to the end and uphill on the way back. Yes, there are several modes of transport available, from horses to donkeys to a horse drawn cart. A one way trip in a horse drawn cart is $40. We chose to walk. 

Petra was is more than 2000 years old and it is not know when it was really built. The site prospered in the First Century with the trading of spices along the trade routes. An earthquake and changes in the Spice Trading Routes led to it being abandoned and only remembered by the Bedouins in the area. It was in 1812 a Swiss explorer Johannes Burkhardt rediscovered the site, dressing as an Arab to convince the Bedouins to guide him.  

One first passes Bab Al Siq, The entrance to the Siq. Here we see massive square blocks carved by the Nabateans in the first century. 

Next, one arrives at the SIQ, the narrow gorge which provides a dramatic entrance to the Treasury. 

The Treasury is the most recognized feature of Petra but there are many more features of note. 

Then one passes the Street of Facades, which are truly worth seeing, all carved from the sandstone with the colorful layers. 

The Theater, which can accommodate 4000 spectators, looms before you as you continue the journey. This theater was used for funerals by the Nabateans and then later the Romans used it for entertainment. 

Next, higher on the hillside, one sees the Royal Tombs.

Continue on to the Great Temple as you pass by the Nympheum ( a public fountain), till you end at the Qasr Al Bint,  the main temple in Petra. 

The weather turned and it started to rain and we decided to make the trip back to the entrance. Yes, the return is all up hill, a 300 meter elevation gain. The weather cleared a bit and we were able to get a few more pictures. 

We did stop at one shop near the  entrance and contributed to the local economy.  Back to the hotel where we sorted and downloaded photos and did some other chores.  

Yes the Bedouins still live in tents