Friday, March 25, 2023
Like many of the countries we have visited on our 2023 World Cruise, Jordan requires more than one day to explore the best it has to offer. Originally, we had planned to walk around Old Aqaba near the port to see the Great Arab Revolt Plaza; Mamluk Castle (immortalized in Lawrence of Arabia’s depiction of the uprising during World War II); and the Aqaba Archaeological Museum with Bronze Age artifacts. Fellow passengers later told us about the great time they had exploring the town. Wadi Rum would have been another spectacular excursion if only we had time. Passengers raved about how incredible it was.
However, because we will be this way only once in our lives, as we thought more about it, the priority had to be visiting the 2,000 year old Lost City of Petra, one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. This was quite an adventure, which left us only wanting to learn more about the fascinating history and geology of Jordan.
Traveling to Petra
Our full tour bus left the port in Aqaba around 8:40 A.M., one of at least several from our ship. We were told that we would need light jackets, as the morning was cool. Island Princess published the high for the day as 68 degrees, but in reality, it probably reached 82 degrees.
We noticed that the houses throughout our Jordan trip were all square and flat-sided, with flat roofs. Most were one to three stories. Further out in the rural areas, we noticed rebar sticking out above the roofs. Our guide said that building a house can take as long as 10 years, starting with the first floor, and then adding levels as the years go by, as more room is needed and when the family can afford to add the space. Like the earth and rocks around them, the homes were a variety of tan colors.
As our bus climbed from the city into the mountains, we saw Acacia trees dotting the foothills, and very little of anything else green. The rough highway, pitted with potholes, with occasional speed bumps slowing us down, climbed into the mountains that 5,000 feet high.
We enjoyed spectacular views of the valleys below as we snaked our way up to breathtaking heights. In this area of the world, a valley is called a Wadi, and each has a name. The depth, colors, ruggedness, and expansiveness of the towering mountains and incredibly deep valleys around us and beyond — ridge after ridge of mountains — rival the Grand Canyon in its otherworldly, spectacular beauty. It was just mesmerizing. Our eyes felt like they were popping out of our heads just trying to take it all in.
Our guide pointed out a high peak in the distance and said that it was Mt. Nebo, where Moses was shown the Promised Land, just before he passed away.
Cliff and I have never been to such an area, where the climate is desert, but the terrain is all rocks and boulders, deep valleys and high mountains. The closest I have seen was when visiting the Rocky Mountains as a child, but Jordan’s landscape is covered in rocks, extremely barren, with few trees. Even the areas of flat plains that we passed were covered in boulders and rocks of every imaginable size. How people can walk through that terrain seems a mystery to us.
The Bedouin
At intervals, we saw shepherds tending to their flocks of sheep or goats in the rocky terrain. It seemed there was very little for the animals to eat in the rocky environment. The nomadic Bedouin, who have roamed Jordan thousands of years, are the largest ethnic group in Jordan. Some still live a semi-nomadic life, long ago having become accustomed to the harsh weather and difficult environment. Bedu means “desert dwellers” in Arabic. It is estimated that between 1,300,000 and 4,000,000 of Jordan’s residents are of Bedouin origin. A few have remained Christian, but the majority are Sunni Muslims. Many make their livelihood from meat, milk products and wool.
Along the way, our guide talked about the Bedouins and his own tribe. He lives in Wadi Masa, a town close to Petra. The town around the Petra site is well developed, with houses and shops clinging precariously onto the cliffs. Plenty of hotels and small inns strive to create special experiences for travelers. For example, one inn focuses on bird watching.
Extreme Weather and Disasters
As we neared Wadi Masa, we began to see much more green, as well as some flowers. Our guide explained that the area is green for perhaps two or three months in the Spring, then that’s it. He said there are frequent earthquakes in the country and that flash flooding is an enormous issue. He showed us dams and other work the government has done to channel the waters away from the valleys, homes, and areas such as Petra. For example, in 1962, twenty-two French tourists and their Jordanian guide were killed by a flash flood in Petra. In December 2022, thousands of tourists were evacuated from Petra as the valleys filled with water. Because the mountains are so rocky, the water doesn’t sink into the ground, but plummets down into the valleys. Although Jordan’s average rainfall is only four inches, some years, usually December through February, there is more rain than usual.
A Little History About Petra
No one knows when Petra was originally built, but it became very prosperous in the 1st Century B.C., growing rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices. It is believed that the Three Wise Men stopped in Petra to purchase frankincense and myrrh on their way to visit baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Petra is known as the rose-red city because of the colorful rocks from which many of the city’s structures were carved. The Nabataeans, the original habitants who built the city, cut intricate tombs from the mountain sides to bury their dead.
Petra had temples, a theatre, a colonnaded street, and churches. It was heavily influenced by both Roman and Byzantine cultures.
After Petra was annexed into the Roman Empire, it continued to thrive. However, in the 4th Century A.D., an earthquake destroyed most of the city. Gradually, it was abandoned, and by the middle of the 7th century, it was almost completely deserted. It was lost to all except for local Bedouin, who prevented outsiders from entering it. Johannes Burkhardt, a Swiss explorer, heard about Petra, and wanted to “rediscover it.” In 1812, he dressed up as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city. It was through his efforts that the rest of the world slowly learned about the ancient city of Petra.
Exploring Petra
Our bus parked at the Petra visitor center, where we given tickets to enter the park. There were a few outdoor shops and a museum at the entrance. Camel, horse and golf cart rides were available for a price. Apparently, the horse ride was included in our tour, but I didn’t see anyone in our group choosing that option.
Our guide instructed us to do our best to stay with him the entire time. Throughout the walk, he stopped us frequently for monologues that lasted as long as 20 minutes. Cliff and I were eager to keep moving, especially because we really couldn’t hear much of what he was saying.
We walked down several flights of steps and then a wide sidewalk, slanting slightly downhill, which took about 30 minutes. Along the way, we saw the three massive Djinn blocks, which are square monuments carved into the rock hill by the Nabataeans in 1st Century A.D. Four pyramids (Naresh) are above the tomb, as well as a niche with a statue that symbolizes the five people buried there. Below the tomb is the Triclinium, a banquet hall. Opposite of that on the face of a cliff is a double inscription in Nabataean and Greek referring to a burial monument.
Next, we saw the Nabataean dam built to divert the flash floods of Wadi Muse from the Siq to to two other Wadis (valleys). A 96 yard tunnel was cut into the rocks to divert the water.
The walkway led us to the Siq, which is stunning natural gorge. The Siq resulted from a natural splitting of the mountain. It serves as the entrance to Petra, curving around for about 3/4 of a mile. Along both sides were channels cut into the rocks as aqueducts to move water into and out of the city. Nabataeans were masters of hydrological engineering, which was what impressed us the most as we walked through the Siq.
Originally, there was a triumphal grand arch over the gorge, which must have been very impressive for the traders entering the city on their camels. However, it was destroyed by an earthquake. Throughout the gorge were many relics, including a paved road. We spotted Sabinos Alexendros Station, as well as the Nabataean baetyls, which are sacred stones.
Throughout the entire walk from the Visitor Center, through the gorge, and beyond, we had to be on constant alert for golf carts full of tourists, camels, and galloping horses. Concentrating on dodging them as they plummeted toward us around curves or from behind us, was exhausting and a bit frightening.
As we walked the last curve of the Siq, everyone gasped, as the Al Khan Treasury Building appeared before us. It was a “POW!” moment. This magnificent facade, probably built in the 1st century B.C., is 160 feet high. Intricately decorated with Corinthian columns, capitals, friezes, and figures, it is crowned by a funerary urn. According to local legend, the urn conceals a pharaoh’s treasury.
The massive courtyard in front of the Treasury was a cacophony of hundreds of tourists, about a dozen camels and their handlers, open air shops, and peddlers. We must have been approached at least five times by children and men asking us if we wanted to ride a camel. Several of our fellow passengers took up the challenge. I was amazed at the impossible postures required as the camel rises up and then awkwardly sits back down. You must almost lie completely on your back as you hold onto the saddle. The camels were bellowing and hollering. A long line of tourists waited for a golf cart to take them back to the Visitor Center. The entire scene was pandemonium.
Next, we walked along the Street of Facades, along which were a row of monumental Nabataean tombs carved into the southern cliff face. The facades are crowned with corner crow-steps, pilasters and cavettos. Along this street on one side were open air shops. On the other side, a wall gave way to a drop of about three feet, where donkeys were tied tightly against the wall, complaining loudly in the increasingly hot sun.
We ended our walk at the Theatre, which was magnificent. Accommodating more than 4,000 spectators, this is the only theatre in the world carved into the solid rock of a mountain side.
Other visitors were climbing high steps cut into the mountain to the High Place of Sacrifice. We were told that the views from the top were stunning. However, at this point, we had less than an hour to return uphill to the bus, and it had taken over two hours downhill to get to the Treasury, with all of the stops we made to listen to the tour guide.
There are many more trails you can explore in Petra, which is 24 square miles. Only about 15% of Petra has been fully explored by archaeologists.
A Challenging Walk
Portions of the walkway through the gorge were the original cobblestones from Roman times, and other portions had since been paved in concrete and stone. The uneven surfaces and loose rocks were very hard on our feet, and we had to watch every step, despite using our walking sticks. If you forget your walking stick, they are sold for about $5.00 at the open air shops near the Visitor Center.
It is advisable that you take a golf cart for the return back, because you are walking uphill, and the heat of the desert sun increases as the day progresses. Joan and I found the return walk extremely difficult, while Cliff forged ahead, seemingly unfazed by it all. (The leg cramps hit him later that night.) Every step took great effort and concentration. Joan and I both feared taking a face plant on the rough, loose stones. Our guide hung back with us to make sure we were okay, assuring us that we could take our time, even though we were 30 minutes late returning to the bus.
We did wish that we had waited for the cart ride back to the bus. The entire walk was probably five miles, but it was going uphill in the bright sun on the return that got to us. There were many steps going uphill to the Visitor Center and entrance, and then more to climb to get to the bus.
Lunch at the Marriott
Next, our bus took us to the Marriott Hotel in Wadi Masi overlooking the valley where Petra is located. Greeting us and taking our ticket was a staff member whom I thought was a soldier, but as it turned out, he was dressed in the hotel uniform — Arabian headdress, long black “thawb,” and a brown leather gun belt (without bullets) that crisscrossed the chest and wrapped around the hips. We entered through a metal detector. We were to partake in a lovely buffet lunch of Jordanian and International food. Cliff and I were at the end of a line of three busloads of Island Princess passengers. We weren’t all that hungry, so we dove right into the dessert table. Was it fantastic! The pastries were lovely, and the fresh fruit was refreshing and divine.
We didn’t really see what was served on the buffet itself, but our ship’s port guide told us a great deal about Jordanian food. We learned that there is a wide variety of cooking that includes grilling shish kababs and stuffing vegetables such as grape leaves and eggplant, as well as meat and poultry. Rice is not grown in Jordan, but it is a main staple of the diet. The national dish is Mansaf, a large tray of rice served with chunks of stewed lamb and “jameed,”which is a yogurt sauce. Musakhan is baked chicken served on bread with olive oil, onion, and pine nuts. Baba Ghanouj is a dip made from mashed eggplant and tahini. Mezze is very popular in Jordan — small plates of salads and appetizers shared with others, and eaten by dipping or scooping the food with bread.
We also learned that there is a traditional Bedouin coffee ceremony that involves three cups — one for the soul, one for the sword, and one because you are a guest. The host grinds the coffee by hand and mixes in spices and milk. You are supposed to drink the entire cup before setting it down. If you set it down, it means you have important business to discuss.
Returning to the Ship
Our last stop before the ship was a huge gift shop with everything from wooden furniture inlaid with mother of pearl and semiprecious stone, to handcrafted silver jewelry, to mud masks from the Red Sea. The fragrances from the frankincense and myrrh were pungent. The massive shop was overwhelming, because we had only 15 minutes to shop, so Cliff and I passed on purchasing anything.
The curving, snaking road returning to the ship was even rougher going downhill. We had to hold on tight as the bus clunked over the speed humps and down into the numerous potholes. Just riding the bus was a workout!
A Favorite Location for Filming Movies
Jordan has been the location for numerous famous movies, with the other worldly Wadi Rum substituting for Mars landscapes. The eerie Wadi Rum, nicknamed “the Valley of the Moon,” has served as a backdrop of numerous battles between war lords and as an arena for epic struggles between mortal enemies. The movie The Martian was filmed in Wadi Rum, as well as Dune, Lawrence of Arabia, Prometheus, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One, and Aladdin (2019). Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filed in Petra itself. (The interior is not massive and filled with treasures. In fact, it isn't very deep at all -- it is mostly a facade.) Movies such as The Hurt Locker and The Mummy Returns (2001) were filmed in Jordan as well.
Flora and Fauna of Jordan
The national native flower of Jordan is the Black Iris, which grows south of Amman between the ancient cities Karan and Madaba, where there are fields of the irises. Agriculture in Jordan includes barley, wheat, olives, citrus, bananas, grape vines, peaches, apricots, and figs.
Trees include oak, pine, pistachio, cinnabar, olive, eucalyptus, cedar, acacia, and shrub trees. Along our journey, we saw several vineyards and olive groves. Acacia trees are a keystone species in Arava Valley, which is the unique and fragile desert ecosystem shared by Israel and Jordan. The Acacia trees are said to “anchor animal and human life in this extreme desert.”
Our guide pointed out a ridge of mountains as we left Aqaba, stating that those mountains do not belong to Jordan, but are the dividing line between Jordan and Israel.
When we were walking through the gorge in Petra, I noticed a dark bird with a sweet song flitting rapidly overhead. I tried researching the birds of Jordan to identify it, but could not narrow it down. Jordan is at the junction of the Mediterranean and Arabian faunal regions, on one of the world’s major bird migration routes between African and Europe. There used to be 200,000 species of migratory birds in Jordan, but after the great drought of the 1980s, the Azraq Reserve dried up. Now there are only 220 species of migratory birds continuing to transit through Jordan. There are also 150 indigenous species of birds.
Changes in climate, destruction of the forests, and overhunting led to the disappearance of many formerly common species in Jordan, including two types of deer, the Arabian oryx, Syrian onagers, the Syrian bear, cheetahs, ostriches, and Nile crocodiles. However, many species remain, such as the jackal, hyena, fox, wildcat, gazelle, ibex, antelope, and rabbit.
The Gulf of Aqaba, along the southern part of Jordan’s coastline, has colorful coral reefs popular with divers.
Geology of Jordan
The types of rock throughout Jordan are mostly igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Most of the mountains, some of which soar over 5600 feet above sea level, are granite and sandstone. In fact, the city of Petra is carved mostly out of sandstone. There is basalt in western Jordan inside the valleys that are lateral to the Jordan Rift Valley. The tectonic activity of the fault along the Jordan Rift Valley and the thinness of the earth’s crust along that area created the dramatic, rocky landscapes. Petra has been affected by both earthquakes and floods.
Industry and Jobs
The three major industries in this “Land of olive oil and honey” are phosphate, petrol refining, and cement. Our guide said that there are very few jobs in Jordan. Like many young Jordanians, he went abroad for his education as an engineer, but when he returned to Jordan, he could find work only as a tour guide. He said that it is so important to parents that they educatie their children, they would give their organs and limbs to do so if needed.
Although a brochure we were given upon entering Petra asked tourists not to encourage child labor, little boys were everywhere trying to get us to ride a camel or buy a souvenir. I saw one boy about age 11 light up and enjoy a hand-rolled cigarette, leaning against his reclining camel, trying to look sophisticated.
Marriage
Like most young men who are unmarried, our guide lives in his father’s home. He said that he isn’t married, because most young men cannot afford to do so. The husband-to-be must buy his wife a house, all of the furnishings, and provide gifts, as in a dowry. He said that even if the woman works, she keeps her money and the husband must still provide for everything.
Just over half of the women in Jordan age 25-49 are married by age 18 and 30% are married by age 20. Men marry at an older age, usually age 30-59. Arranged marriages are common, and preferences are that cousins marry each other. Our guide said that if a young man goes outside of his clan or tribe to marry, the bride must be Muslim, Christian, or Jewish. Marrying into other religions, such as Hinduism, is not allowed.
The labor force participation in Jordan is about 34% for men and 14% for women. Our guide said that salaries are very low and taxes are high. He insisted that there are even taxes on the taxes!
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