|
JOURNEY TO
JORDAN
by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
After the
mid-December arrest of terrorists in Jordan, many of our friends doubted the
wisdom of a trip to the destination just over a month later. We continued with
our plans to visit the Middle East nation. It was a wise
choice. For the next week, we enjoyed the hospitality of the friendly
Jordanians. Landing in the capital city of Amman, we were greeted with a clean,
modern city, a place where all travelers are welcome. "We do
understand the sensitivity of the area and the concern people in America would
have in planning a trip to this area," Marwan Khoury, managing director of
the Jordan Tourist Board, told us over dinner in Amman's elegant Ristorante
Romero. The candlelit restaurant was filled with both an international and a
local crowd enjoying fine dining and an extensive wine list, somewhat of a
surprise in an Islamic country. "People's perception is that Jordan is
part of the Middle East terrorist problem. However, we are a safe and peaceful
country, a modern land." We went out to
see for ourselves--to explore the land that is filled with cultural, religious
and natural attractions. Amman
The hills also
are home to many of the city's historic sites. We headed to the Citadel, where
the Temple of Hercules has overlooked the region since 156 AD. Beneath the
temple lie the remains of a 6th century BC temple built to replace an earlier
temple destroyed by King David. Standing just
yards from the temple columns, we had a sweeping view of the city, from the
Raghdan Palace where King Hussein now lies buried in a simple grave, to the
bustling Hashemite Courtyard, filled with midday shoppers and local residents
enjoying a cup of coffee (an omnipresent sight of hospitality throughout
Jordan.). We could also view our next stop, an amphitheater built to seat 6000
Romans. But before exploring the rest of the city, we first made a stop at the
Jordan Museum. Compact enough to be seen in about an hour, the museum is best
known for its exhibits of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jarash
"Here you feel
like a Roman walking through history," explained Kamel. "You can
imagine how many people traveled through here -- you can even still see the
chariot tracks." We followed those tracks down the Roman Cardo, lined with
ancient columns. From Jarash it
was a short drive to the town of Ajloun and to one of Jordan's most beautiful
castles. Tucked high on pine forested hilltop, the Qala'at Ar-Rabador Castle of
Ajloun was built in 1184. From its lofty heights, we could view the Jordan
Valley; in the distance, obscured that day by haze, lay Tiberias Lake or the
Sea of Galillee. Madaba
The city is home
to hundreds of mosaics dating from the 5th through the 7th centuries but the
most famous is in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. Although only a
portion of the original 25 x 5 meter map remains today, the map assisted
Biblical scholars in locating sites throughout the region. Like a treasure
map, the mosaic of St. George's Church once held the secrets of many holy
sites. Constructed in the 6th century of two million stone pieces, the mosaic
map depicts sites such as the cave where Lot and his family hid as well as more
distant locations such as the Nile Delta. Just 10 minutes
from Madaba lies Mount Nebo. Soon to be the site of a papal visit, Mount Nebo
is thought to have been the place of Moses' death. A chapel filled with mosaics
was built here by Byzantine Christians but the most important part of the site
lies outside-- the view Moses once enjoyed across the Jordan Valley and across
to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Baptismal Site
With a spring 2000
opening of the site and a planned visitors center, the baptismal site will
welcome travelers--but not for the first time. "This site had pilgrims
from the late 4th century," said Sa'ad Hadidi, archaeological inspector.
Those early pilgrims built baptismal baths and today's visitors will see those
stone structures, followed by a tractor ride to the river itself. Petra
We felt like
explorers ourselves heading into the quiet sik, the stone chasm, in the early
morning before the crowds of day trippers arrived. With only the occasional
clop of horses' hooves echoing against the canyon walls, we made our way into
the siq, a narrow passage with pink sandstone walls. Once caravans filled with
treasures from Africa and Asia made their way through this passage to trade
with the Nabateans, the residents of Petra. Over 2,000 years ago, these traders carved their city into the soft
rock, constructing elaborate buildings and tombs using a mixture of Greek,
Roman and Egyptian styles they had admired on their travels. Soon we got a
peek at the most recognized site at Petra: the Treasury. Carved using only a
chisel and hammer, the urn atop the magnificent building was thought to have
housed a pharoah's wealth. Although it is the most recognized site at Petra,
the Treasury is just one attraction in this park that contains everything from
royal tombs to a Roman amphitheater to mosaics. "Taxi,
taxi," a young boy shouted at us from atop a donkey. Accepting his offer,
we rode sure-footed donkeys up steep paths to the hilltop where one of Petra's
largest buildings is carved in a cliffside. The massive Monastery, similar in
appearance to the Treasury but on a grander scale, is seen by far fewer
travelers than its better known cousin. From here, travelers can take a path to
a lookout for a view of Mount Aaron, where the brother of Moses died. Wadi Rum
Four wheel drive
vehicles take visitors off for a look at Wadi Rum's wonders; more adventurous
travelers can head out on camelback for a view of the desert. Today Wadi Rum
remains just as T.E.Lawrence first described it: "vast, echoing, and
God-like." In many ways, it
was a description that would fit the country of Jordan as well. In a week of
exploration, we had just touched on the country that offers so many historic
sites. And while it was the lure of those ancient sites that brought us to this
country, it was the friendliness of the Jordanian people that stood out most in
our minds. We'll be back. For more about
travel in Jordan, see the Jordan Tourist Board site at
http://www.seejordan.org Images by Paris
Permenter and John Bigley |
|
TM
"People say
Amman is one of the cleanest and most organized cities in the Middle
East," explained our knowledgeable guide, Kamel Juyusi. Sometimes
nicknamed the "white city" for its use of limestone, the modern
capital sprawls across 21 hills. In the hills lie many of Amman's top hotels,
such as the Grand Hyatt and the Radisson SAS, with more internationally recognized
chains under construction.
Heading north of
Amman, we continued to Jordan's second most visited site: Jarash. Located just
45 minutes from the Syrian border, the site was one of the Middle East's most
prosperous cities in the 2nd century with over 30,000 residents. Today the
ancient city is well worth a day trip from Amman.
The next day we
headed south of Amman to Madaba, nicknamed the "City of Mosaics." We
quickly learned why.
Jordan's newest attraction
is also one of its oldest. The Jordan River Baptismal Site was long off limits
to both travelers and archaeologists, due to thousands of land mines that
dotted the area. After a peace treaty with Israel and two years of clearing the
mines, archaeologists began to excavate the site of Bethany where John the
Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus Christ. 
If travelers
know of just one site in Jordan, it is Petra, known to moviegoers as the place
Indiana Jones gallops through in "The Last Crusade." 
Just over an
hour's drive from Petra lies Jordan's sand desert--Wadi Rum. If this site looks
familiar, it's also due to the big screen. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here--at
the very site where the British soldier helped lead the Arab revolt against the
Turks during World War I.