Elizabeth has done what she does best and written this entry about our journey along the King's Highway and Petra.
Read this in conjunction with the photos, because as everyone says about this part of Jordon, words are never adequate.
The ancient road southwards from Amman, the Kings Highway, is the route they say Moses took along his journey to the promised land. If there is anywhere in the world a person could spend 40 years in the wilderness it is here - but I'm unsure whether this is the biblical wilderness.
Whether the stories are legend or not, the landscape along this 5000-year-old road is so vast and scenic it challenges the imagination.
We stop at the place where Moses is said to have died, at 120 years, and where he looked ahead towards his destination. The Franciscans are custodians of this sacred place now. A small stone marker was erected in 2000.
The five-hour journey along this road takes us to Petra, where people from Saudi Arabia settled just over 2000 years ago but which had a history of occupation going back much longer. When they settled, these people controlled the caravans.
From Petra we can see on the peak of a distant mountain the so-called burial site of Aaron.There are more than 100 religious sites in Jordon, many at the heart of Christianity, but many also relating to the other Abrahamic faiths. Petra, meaning rock, is a 40-sq-km cave city, to put it simply. Until 20 years ago, the Bedouin people lived in caves in the rocks, just like people have done since about 50BC.
The government has recently relocated them to housing complexes nearby.
The city consists of temples, burial sites, churches, and civic buildings carved into the limestone rockface, and these rock/cave buildings reflect classical (Greco/Roman) architecture more massive than anyone could imagine without seeing them personally.
What looks like a barren, inhospitable, impassable region of endless bare rock mountains, hills, and plateaus was once a trade centre at crossroads with the East, because of the abundant spring water and the natural protection and shelter for the 35,000 inhabitants.
We walked for several kilometres along these ancient pathways to one remarkable relic after another. All of this is high in the mountains for as far as the eye can see. We wisely chose to wear our heavy walking boots today.
Once, the entire region was underneath the sea, hence the scenic forms, the mineral colours in the rock, and the fossils in the rock walls. It is a geologist's dream.
Only part of Petra is yet uncovered. Beneath the surface are more untold archeological treasures. There is no hurry to excavate, because what's underneath the surface is well protected.
A Bedouin took us on his donkeys up the steep and rocky path that would have been hard going by foot to parts of this wondrous cave city.
It caused great hilarity when he hoisted me up in one lift to the sure-footed donkey's back, which knew every stone and every step along the narrow steep track. With his young son on the back, the Bedouin sang every now and then along the way, possibly an ancient chant that echoed through the rocks, in contrast with my occasional screams. My sister-in-law (Anne) looked very much at ease on horseback, so the Suttons took the lead while I gripped the riding handle on the beast of burden so necessary for transport here.
From our hotel window we look across this vast wilderness at the sunset, where Bedouins still keep goats and take every chance to sell their wares to tourists.
The land is still and timeless and on top of the world. A cool mountain breeze breaks the heat every now and then.
I am the oldest tourist evident so far.
Read this in conjunction with the photos, because as everyone says about this part of Jordon, words are never adequate.
The ancient road southwards from Amman, the Kings Highway, is the route they say Moses took along his journey to the promised land. If there is anywhere in the world a person could spend 40 years in the wilderness it is here - but I'm unsure whether this is the biblical wilderness.
Whether the stories are legend or not, the landscape along this 5000-year-old road is so vast and scenic it challenges the imagination.
We stop at the place where Moses is said to have died, at 120 years, and where he looked ahead towards his destination. The Franciscans are custodians of this sacred place now. A small stone marker was erected in 2000.
The five-hour journey along this road takes us to Petra, where people from Saudi Arabia settled just over 2000 years ago but which had a history of occupation going back much longer. When they settled, these people controlled the caravans.
From Petra we can see on the peak of a distant mountain the so-called burial site of Aaron.There are more than 100 religious sites in Jordon, many at the heart of Christianity, but many also relating to the other Abrahamic faiths. Petra, meaning rock, is a 40-sq-km cave city, to put it simply. Until 20 years ago, the Bedouin people lived in caves in the rocks, just like people have done since about 50BC.
The government has recently relocated them to housing complexes nearby.
The city consists of temples, burial sites, churches, and civic buildings carved into the limestone rockface, and these rock/cave buildings reflect classical (Greco/Roman) architecture more massive than anyone could imagine without seeing them personally.
What looks like a barren, inhospitable, impassable region of endless bare rock mountains, hills, and plateaus was once a trade centre at crossroads with the East, because of the abundant spring water and the natural protection and shelter for the 35,000 inhabitants.
We walked for several kilometres along these ancient pathways to one remarkable relic after another. All of this is high in the mountains for as far as the eye can see. We wisely chose to wear our heavy walking boots today.
Once, the entire region was underneath the sea, hence the scenic forms, the mineral colours in the rock, and the fossils in the rock walls. It is a geologist's dream.
Only part of Petra is yet uncovered. Beneath the surface are more untold archeological treasures. There is no hurry to excavate, because what's underneath the surface is well protected.
A Bedouin took us on his donkeys up the steep and rocky path that would have been hard going by foot to parts of this wondrous cave city.
It caused great hilarity when he hoisted me up in one lift to the sure-footed donkey's back, which knew every stone and every step along the narrow steep track. With his young son on the back, the Bedouin sang every now and then along the way, possibly an ancient chant that echoed through the rocks, in contrast with my occasional screams. My sister-in-law (Anne) looked very much at ease on horseback, so the Suttons took the lead while I gripped the riding handle on the beast of burden so necessary for transport here.
From our hotel window we look across this vast wilderness at the sunset, where Bedouins still keep goats and take every chance to sell their wares to tourists.
The land is still and timeless and on top of the world. A cool mountain breeze breaks the heat every now and then.
I am the oldest tourist evident so far.
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