The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 30 Day 4.2 Mt Nebo

Finally, at the end of the very long steep climb the terrain flattened out – we had crested Mt Nebo, on which Moses, leading his people to safety from beyond the Red Sea, some 3000 years before, had stood and gazed out at The Promised Land.

JD176 Looking across to The Promised Land from Mt Nebo

The Biblical spot is marked with a large brazen cruciform staff, placed on a purpose-built platform right on the very edge of the mountain. On a clear day, the rooftops of Bethlehem & Jerusalem are even discernible on the western horizon.

JD169 The Staff of Moses, symbolic brazen cross at Mt Nebo

At the base of the cross is a white marble plaque inscribed in old Arabic

JD172 Arabic inscription at the base of the brazen Staff of Moses Mt Nebo

 For while the law was given through Moses,

      Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ

JD181 Pope John Paul II monument dated 2000AD at Mt Nebo

The path from the entry gate continued up past a monument to mark a visit by 

Pope John Paul II (2000) and straight to a wide forecourt in front of the Moses Church/Monastery site, spreading from the doors of the 

church building right to the edge of the mountain.

Mt Nebo is some 817m above sea level and the flattened area on which the sacred sites are located is known as Siyagha. It is believed to be the final resting place of Moses, who was himself, denied entry to the Promised Land, and recent research suggests that The Ark of the Covenant relic is also hidden here, possibly in some as yet undiscovered subterranean catacomb.

It felt very much like a spiritual presence was manifest here. Even on these windswept heights, there was quite simply a great sense of peace and serenity…and we were in awe of this feeling, as we stood in amongst the sighing branches of the weeping Cedars of Lebanon... overwhelmed by profoundly moving spiritual moments and we were very reluctant to leave and break the mood.

JD165 Moses Memorial at Mt Nebo

From there we began to wander towards the little stone Moses chapel and passed by the Abu Badd stone, originally used as the door of the Monastery which once stood on this site. The round shape immediately brought to mind Easter readings from the Bible about the discovery that the stone covering the tomb door had been rolled away… and at that moment, things we had long thought, in our child-like naivety, to be a mysterious feat of angelic boulder-shifting magical power, instantly became very clear. Myth-busted! Round slabs of rock, certainly do roll!

JD164 The Abu Badd stone used as the door of the Monastery on this site Mt Nebo

A little further along a curved path, the ancient stone structure of the Monastery, subsequently converted into a very small scale basilica, came into view. This first church on Mt Nebo was constructed in the 2nd half of the 4th century to commemorate the place of Moses' death, though his exact burial site at this location remains unknown.

JD168 Moses Memorial Church at Mt Nebo

The internal construction here had been rather intricate with 3 apses, 2 funeral chapels, a white paved mosaic vestibule and a courtyard. The main apse now houses timber polished benches, and a stone altar at the eastern end, above which are 3 stained glass windows which cast a colourful play of light as they catch the rising sun at morning prayer… it was lovely to sit in the centre of the stone church and spend some long moments absorbing the silence.

JD183 Main apse in Moses Memorial Church Mt Nebo AD 393

  At a later point in its history, other features were added to this church, including a baptistry built against one of the funeral chapel walls and set about a metre lower than the original floor. The rectangular room, still visible, has a cruciform stone font and an amazingly detailed mosaic floor dating from 625 AD

JD188Floor mosaic 625 AD in side chapel Moses Memorial Church Mt Nebo

Inside the dusty rough-hewn stone chapel there was an omnipresent sense of the ancient past, settling over us with a palpable feeling of a quietened spirituality, underlined more so perhaps by the realisation that today was Sunday and only a few hours ago, a service had taken place here, as it had always done, connecting the prayerful down through the ages.

JD191 Rose window over the entry to Moses Memorial Church Mt Nebo

 As we turned to leave, we noticed a caretaker monk sitting quietly in the shadows by the door, with a range of books and postcards spread out on a small wooden table in front of him, for sale for a modest price.The rose window above his head streamed a multi-coloured pattern on to the floor beside him … such beauty in the simple things here, in such a simply beautiful place.

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 30 Day 4.1 In the Footsteps of Moses

Early start to the day (early for us, that is) as we had to be down for breakfast, packed up and ready by 8 am to meet the impeccably professional and predictably punctual Sufian.

   Retraced some of the steps of yesterday, back past Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan on the left, through the fields of fruit trees, vegetable crops and banana plantations and then suddenly a sharp right-hand turn had us headed inland towards the east with the steep foothills directly in front of us, and beyond them, the Jebels. The day was hazy and the view a little obscured, but it grew ever more amazing, the higher we rose.

View back over the foothills and jebels from top of Mt Nebo

                                      

Simply can’t imagine how the Bedouin survive out in these seemingly inhospitable jebels – its quite cold now during these autumn days, especially with the wind-chill factor, so the nightly temperature must be freezing. The ground looks hard and rocky, pale cream & ochre coloured and reminiscent of gibber plains on these steep-sided hills and ravines that are dotted with only the occasional low spindly bush and very dry looking grass clumps.

   Commented to Sufian on how such sparse vegetation was surely insufficient to sustain animal herds without some sort of supplemental feed, and he was quick to assure us that the animals had all the fodder they needed in the fields right there and were not given anything extra … and then, after a small thoughtful pause, he added that the lamb meat from here wasn’t all that palatable... mmm....  and in fact, he mused further, it is not popular to buy in the souks.  *Indeed! Tough and stringy with a hint of acacia leaf perhaps??

   The road up the mountainside was an exceptionally steep and very narrow, winding climb. Even though there appeared to be a yellow dividing line down the middle indicating it actually was meant as a dual carriageway, it was in reality little more than single lane.

   On the way up, we encountered from time to time, garishly colourful Bedouin sheep trucks, sporting decorative fringing across the top of the windscreen and brightly painted with busy floral patterns and intricate geometrics, down both sides and across the timber slats on the back. They were loaded right to the top rail, full of an assortment of hardware and produce sacks (grain for fodder perhaps?) and occasionally a load of hapless sheep, squashed in like giant hairy balls of black & cream wool with startled eyes visible through the spaces in the timber slats, peering fearfully out at the world … cant be much of a life as a sheep in these parts. 

  Sufian seemed to have no qualms about ‘zooming’ by every vehicle in our path, to pass uphill on this very narrow road, round blind corners with an unfenced ravine just centimetres from the tyres, and all at little better than tortoise speed .. more than once, he had his pedal-foot pressed hard to the metal and the poor Samsung struggled to make it past each truck with the last 5kph it was able to muster… 'breath-taking' suddenly didn’t just apply to the view!

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 29 Day 3.3 Off to the Seaside

The road wound its way out on gently undulating barren looking ground and suddenly a large canyon materialised on the horizon and Sufian explained that we would be descending rather sharply down to the floor and then along towards the Dead Sea. The valley actually is apparently part of the same geological feature known as The Great Rift Valley which originates in Africa.

 The land in the valley floor, by contrast is fertile and a rich farming area, with such diverse crops as grapes, sugar cane, bananas & vegetables. There were also Bedouin-owned flocks of sheep & goats, but few if any cattle.

 Along the highway we passed by the turn off to Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan and Sufian mentioned that although it was only 10 minutes away by car down the side road, it is not accessible by private vehicle as it’s a highly sensitive border area and can only be visited by pre-arranged bus trip, for security & order reasons. SO that was a travellers’ tip, for next time.

                
As we rounded the next bend, we could see the town of Jericho in the distance at the North end of the Dead Sea and Sufian remarked how Jericho had been an important part of his personal history and  how "in the old days before all the troubles" his family used to go there every Friday to pray. 
Soon after that, we were able to clearly see the Dead Sea from the highway, and then had to pass another security checkpoint and once again were waved through on the strength of the politically acceptable Australian passport.

 The Marriott is the first hotel in the strip right after the also new and grand-looking Convention Centre. Its impossible to get into any of these resorts, past the guards at the gate, if your name isn’t on the guest list. 

What an amazing and impressively presented hotel  -  complete with modernist waterfalls either side of the main entrance. The interior is indeed trés chic! Our particular room faced the courtyard swimming pools and overlooked the central vista of the Dead Sea and across to Israel on the far shore. We had our own private balcony and an ensuite graced with a wide variety of Dead Sea bath & beauty products.

JD154 View over the Dead Sea and courtyard area from hotel room balcony at Marriott

JD160 Sea Level indicator at Marriott Dead Sea Resort

 Not wanting to waste a moment we did the quick-change thing and headed off to the beach to finally add a Dead Sea float to our ever-increasing list of experiences. Its just one of those things, you can read all you like, listen to all the traveller tales and see all the movies, but until you actually do it yourself, you cant fully appreciate the amazing sensation of not being able to sink. 
And on the belly, it was rather hard not to go nose –diving, face first. What an experience! We laughed and relaxed and took pictures and marvelled at exactly where we were on the Earth’s surface at this particular moment in time.

JD158 Sculling backwards in the Dead Sea

On the beach there was an attendant with bucket loads of black Dead Sea mud to which people were able to help themselves - a d-i-y mud treatment. It felt totally slimy and squishy and distinctly oily-ish and was actually quite difficult to wash off in the almost as equally as oily-ish Dead Sea water. Fortunately we managed not to get any mud or water in our eyes and avoided the dreadfully painful burning and stinging sensation that stray drops in the eyes can apparently cause. That was one experience we DID want to miss, though it was clear to us that every human must have skin missing off them somewhere without even realising, as every single bare patch or knock & scrape that we didn’t know we had, stung like mad for the first few minutes of exposure.


 We only stayed in the water long enough to feel pleasantly pickled in brine like plump Jordanian black olives and then after a freshwater rinse off at the beach showers, sat in some deck chairs and watched the huge golden sun sink over the far horizons of Israel. Totally amazing feeling! 

One of those moments when you can’t believe that you are actually there and doing what you’re doing, in the amazing place you’re doing it.

JD159 Late afternoon sunset over Dead Sea

On the way back up the terraces to the room, we made it our mission to have a dip in all the pools and a warmish spa to finish off. Finally when it became just that bit too dark we reluctantly called it a day at the Beach and went up for a shower and to change for dinner.

                Decided on trying the rather interesting looking Italian “ristorante” Il Terrazzo for dinner and we hung out on the paved terrace, looking at the lights across the water and sipping on a great Jordanian red – a St George, a delightful not too sweet, not too dry cab-sav ...very palatable.
 The meal was balsamic vinegar, homemade bread, & goats cheese as an entrée with a ‘pollo’ dish for main and of course the irresistible lemon curd tart for dessert. The friendly waiter and the snappy service completed a wonderful evening of dining out in style.

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 29 Day 3.2 An Afternoon at the Theatre, Followed By a Spot of Shopping

From The Citadel, we descended by car down a very steep and narrow, winding street that eventually ran us out into an unruly mass of honking traffic pushing and shoving its way through the noisy throbbing heart of downtown Amman.

To add to the congestion, a bus seemed to be stuck halfway through making a U-turn opposite the Roman Theatre. Obviously hadn’t taken the small illegally parked delivery van into the calculations of how much turning space he needed. The van driver was nowhere to be seen and a cacophony of horns and an angry tirade of Arab insults spewed forth from up to 6 or 7 cars away.

Almost miraculously at that moment, a parking spot opened up across the road, right outside Hashemite Square and in one fluid movement Sufian had manoeuvred the car deftly round into a reverse park angle and we slid backwards into the almost-too-small space as if it had been tailor-made for the exact dimensions of the Samsung. Most impressive!


The Roman Theatre that dominates Hashemite Square had none of the ambience of antiquity such as the one at Jerash or even Umm Qais, but it was an equally as imposing structure and we took up Sufian’s challenge and climbed to the very back row. Heavy going on the legs, especially since the worn stone steps are uneven and unguarded, but absolutely the view was worth every breathless moment of effort. 

JD134  View from top of The Roman Theatre over Hashemite Square and downtown Amman

Back at ground level once again, there were 2 Museums to explore, left and right of the stage – The Folk Lore Museum full of items connected to the lifestyle of the Bedouin and The Museum of Popular Tradition displaying items of clothing, jewellery, head-dress etc – all very amazing and absolutely real. 

JD146 Wedding Mask collection Amman

It has the feel of an interactive museum where participation is encouraged to examine the items and feel the textures. However this is not the case! And despite the invitingly open displays and distinct lack of barriers and signage discouraging same, be warned – it’s a strictly look & don’t touch kind of place! * Ooops... apologies to the vigilant custodian who had to walk over and explain the rules to me who had been busy engaging with just about every textile in sight. Embarrassment plus! 


     In our absence, the pre-Eid shopping frenzy was in full swing with people spilling out of shops and cafes everywhere and the downtown traffic congestion worse than ever. Sufian’s car had somehow become even more tightly wedged into its spot, than it had been when he left it. Eid was meant to be Wednesday, Thursday & Friday of this week, moon-dependent of course, and it seemed that all Amman was out hunting down last minute presents and stocking up on food supplies for the festivities.


Somehow the irrepressible Sufian extricated his car with its paintwork still intact and we made our way out of the city, past the old souk area where it seemed that absolutely everything and anything was on sale and hanging up out the front, in the usual haphazard way that characterises Middle Eastern souks. Next-door to a clothing shop itself almost invisible behind a wall of warm coats , girls’ winter frocks, and knitwear accessories, was a butcher’s complete with freshly slaughtered goat, (skinned all bar the head) strung up for inspection. Side by side with that was a gold souk, not to be outdone in the dangling merchandise stakes with chains that could easily anchor a small boat, resplendent inside the shop window forming a golden “beaded” curtain effect. 


 Through the souk area, traffic was almost at a standstill and it was entirely a game of who had the better nerves of steel as to which cars surged and pushed ahead. And somewhere in the middle of all this was a single policeman on point duty trying to make sense and order from the mayhem by madly waving his arms and blowing his whistle – though no one seemed to be taking the slightest notice!


 Finally Sufian managed to move us through the mêlée and head out of the city on the way to the Dead Sea.

Right on the outskirts he pulled the car into the back of a parking lot behind a row of shops and announced that here at “Dead Sea Treasures”, the shop of a friend of his, we could take advantage of a ‘shopping opportunity’ where we would be assured of quality items at good prices. Smelt rather like a set-up, but even so, it was infinitely preferable to being shoved out downtown somewhere to take our shopping chances with the crowds and the traffic.

One young salesman approached armed with a huge beaming smile and a large bottle of moisturiser cream, the properties and virtues of which he proceeded to extol as being unquestionably therapeutic on account of their origins being extracted from the Dead Sea. Not being ones to rock someone’s boat or interrupt their sales pitch unnecessarily and especially as we are but visitors to this country, we went with the flow and listened to what he had to say and dutifully participated in his irresistible 2 for 1 beauty product offer to add to our shopping basket of other Jordanian souvenirs - dishes, postcards, hand painted wooden dolls, and even a gold charm for my yet to be purchased charm bracelet – all of which they were simply delighted to pack into the back of Sufian’s car, before collectively waving us goodbye with huge beaming smiles, as we set off back on the road to the Dead Sea.

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 29 Day 3.1 To the Citadel !

Later start today – 10 AM. Began city tour by driving down Al Hussaini Bin Ali Street, doing a U-turn at the first set of lights and back the way we came to the set of lights at the top of the hill (up past the Radisson on the right) and then turned right into a higher street that paralleled Al Hussaini Bin Ali.

Suddenly the light dawned – realised this was a street we had been looking at from our hotel window and wondering where it went to. And further, if we had only walked up the steps to the left of the mini-mart on the small terrace we would have come to this same place where there are a number of other shops and, more interestingly, King Abdullah Mosque with the Blue Dome. Seems it was not too far from us at all!

JD099 King Abdullah I Mosque 'Blue Mosque' built 1989 Amman

Sufian acquiesced to my whim to take pictures from across the street, and dutifully double-parked while I ran up and down the street trying to find a good vantage point to snap the Mosque, minus power lines. Unfortunately because it was Ramadan, we could not venture any closer. A shame really as I had really wanted to go inside – which under normal circumstances I could have.  Oh well. 

JD102 Royal Palace flag in Amman city from Jebel Al Qala'a

After that it was off to downtown Amman and sharply uphill to Jebel Al Qala’a to see the various ruins left by successive ruling civilisations on the site known as The Citadel. Amman is built on and around 7hills – Jebel in Arabic – and the views from here were absolutely fantastic! Could see the grounds of the Royal Palaces (yes, plural, as there  is more than one in the precinct) flying a massive Jordanian flag – reputed to be the largest in the whole Kingdom.

We walked up to the gatehouse; Sufian bought the obligatory entrance tickets and told us we had about an hour to have a look about. With the experience of yesterday still fresh, decided not to take up the option of a guide and so struck off bravely up the path to the historical precinct with much the same sentiments as Ol’ Blue Eyes - to do things our way.

It was basically easy enough to do, especially with the brochure and the LP Jordan book – unarguably something one must NEVER dream of leaving home without!

JD108 Blue Dome of The Audience Hall Umayyad Palace at The Citadel Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

Spent time roaming around the Umayyad Palace, or what’s left of it, which remains as a domed mosque-like structure. Inside there was a timber-lined and supported high roof, which has been restored. Externally there is a courtyard either side of what is left; a colonnaded street and the ruins of a Governor’s residence complete with throne room.

JD112 Umayyad Cistern, circa 720 AD,  water supply for the Palace at The Citadel on Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

Nearby there is a giant well-like hole in the ground, which had a former use as the Umayyad Water Cistern storage system for palace use. 

JD126 Temple of Hercules built for Marcus Aurelius 161- 180 AD at The Citadel Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

Just adjacent are the ruins of the Temple of Hercules built for Marcus Aurelius circa 161-180 AD – some pavers, a few columns and through them a view to downtown Amman, the Roman Theatre & Hashemite Square below

JD113 Byzantine Basilica at The Citadel on Jebel Al Qala'a Amman 

The Byzantine basilica close by, also has obviously seen better days, and

with not even too many mosaics left, there was simply not that much to linger over.

Excavation and other archaeological works are still in progress at The Citadel and unearthed artifacts are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum on site – an amazingly nondescript little building that resembles a concrete jail-box, complete with barred windows and heavy door. Reminded me instantly of one of those French Foreign Legion desert outposts, and so we fully expected to see some sort of Beau Geste character emerge, in a Legionnaires uniform, complete with kepi blanc, as we reached the front steps. 

Despite the stark appearances, the little concrete repository cell  houses some very interesting snippets of information, trinkets, relics and assorted bits and pieces – all most fascinating to those who love getting into history’s nitty gritty.

JD119 Dead Sea Scrolls Room National Archaeological Museum on Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

However, off in a back corner room, we were utterly AMAZED to find ourselves face to face with a selection of authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, accompanied by the patched-up earthenware jars they came in. 

JD120 Dead Sea scrolls pottery containers National Archaeological Museum on Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

JD122 Section  Dead Sea Scrolls   Qumran 1952 dated 1 AD National Archaeolgy Museum Jebel Al Qala'a Amman

Could hardly believe our eyes! Absolutely a light-bulb ‘stop and take a breath’ moment. And certainly the best thing we hadn’t expected to see all day!

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 28 Day 2.6 More Maiya & a Couple of 7UP to Go .. Shukran

Opted for dinner in the room for a successive night – just less hassle and more relaxing. Made the decision yesterday that as it was Ramadan and Sufian would therefore most likely be fasting, that we would have a hearty breakfast, skip lunch when we were out and about and then return to an early dinner. 

Today was the trial run to see if it was feasible – seemed to work as neither of us had felt hungry and we were happy to push on through the day, minus the lunch break. Also made it easier on Sufian too, hopefully. No wasted time waiting round, fasting, while we were off somewhere tucking into a meal.

 Early in the evening, trotted back over to the mini-mart up on the terrace for more 7UP and water, this time more skilled at judging the speedsters and the gaps in the traffic. The guy in the shop from yesterday had just shut his door, but very obligingly re-opened though he could only sell us water. 

Up the street a little was a rival mini mart, run by a woman who was the very personification of a Shakespearean crone. The shop was packed, and people kept entering and leaving at rather a rapid rate, almost like they had not even stopped to pay. Though when I was able to get near to the counter I could see why. She had the most amazing capacity to handle a flurry of simultaneous business transactions and calculate money with computer-like precision and speed. 

Without a word she held out her hand for money, doing the entire math in her head and with almost a sleight of hand movement the change miraculously appeared faster than a card shark. Felt a little like an interested (and invisible?) bystander, as she had not yet extended her hand in my direction. Finally just as I was wondering how long I would have to stand there hugging my 2 very cold bottles of 7UP, my number must have come up on the queue list in her head as suddenly she reached over the counter and shoved the guy next to me out of the way so she could serve me.  

As a customer I was entirely useless – as I had no idea of how much the bottles cost and was not yet familiar with the currency. I spread a range of coins in my hand and offered them to her to pick from to make up the correct price.  She raked through, collected my debt and waved me away.

With the arduous business of buying lemonade finally over, walked back along the little terraced street lined with olive trees still bearing the odd ripe black olive or two that the neighbourhood children must have missed in their harvesting, back down the steep footpath, crossing the perennially busy Al Hussaini Bin Ali Street and back up to our corner room overlooking Amman and watched as it slowly succumbed to the autumn evening. 

The Jordan Diaries 2005: October 28 Day 2.5 Retail & Marketing Jerash-style

Sufian was there to pick us up after our wanderings round the ruins of Jerash and was struggling to suppress a look of shock when I asked to go to the market stalls down near Hadrian’s Gate Arch (currently undergoing restoration) at the other end of the Jerash complex. He obliged with never a murmur, though I could tell he was mentally groaning as to how long I might spend shopping! Promised faithfully to be 10 – 15 mins, though he had that 'long-suffering man' look on his face as I jumped out of the car.

One young vendor caught my attention and introduced himself as Mohammed and then elaborated as to how it was his own father who was the official photographer at Jerash ruins. On further investigation and a few well-directed questions it turned out that his father was actually the one who sold film and postcards near the South Tetrapylon. Kinda sorta the same :)

Haggled good-naturedly, as is expected, over some pottery plates labelled 'Jerash' , that came in a range of sizes. Settled on 3 only – one teeny, one medium and one a largish medium size - despite Mohammed’s best efforts at imploring me to take 'many many' more. Really only wanted the medium one for my collection to go with the Dilmun plates from Bahrain, and the rest were merely placatory so as not to appear a bad customer, but nonetheless, things like that usually make good traveller's treasures to take home for gifts, so it was happily a successful transaction all round.

Decided on a whim to buy some Islamic prayer beads made from red agate  - 'real' agate stones Mohammed insisted - and with an obviously well-practised flick of the wrist, he produced an indisputably real flame from a lighter that must have been in his pocket and attempted to burn my intended purchase mere centimetres from my face, just to prove they weren’t plastic or glass.  Point taken. Couldn’t then renege on the deal and still hope to keep my honour!

Finally chose a silver and turquoise bracelet to add to the haul, though hastened to add that I was more than sure it was 'real' turquoise and so, if it was alright with him, he could skip the fire test.

All this time Sufian had been loitering about the little souq area waiting for us – timing me perhaps?  True to my word, the shopping was done in 10 minutes and we were then back on the road, and there was a hint of a pleased smile to his face. Think Sufian was secretly impressed to have finally met a woman who could shop to a time limit –  a lot of Arabic women are notorious shop-aholics and can spend whole days and the equivalent of the GNP of a small nation in the relentless pursuit of that must-have item!

On the return journey to Amman, no one spoke – all lost in private thoughts about the day and perhaps just too tired to share them.