The road to Petra

We leave Amman this morning heading to Petra along the King's Highway.  It is gloomy today.  View from our room.  The windows are Scratched because of the sand storms they get.

We drive the Kings Highway.  This ancient route is the worlds oldest continually used road and has been in existence since prehistoric times.  Abraham would have traveled along it on his journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan.  It was also a major route for the spice trade.  It was the route the Christians used to get to Mt. Nebo.

Mt. Nebo is one of the most important Christian and Jewish site in Jordan.  According to the Bible, Moses went up form the plains of Moab to Mt. Nebo to gaze upon the promised land that God told him he could not enter.  In 1932 the Franciscans bought the site and  unearthed the remains of  a church From the 4th century CE.  The mosaic floors were found during excavation

A stop at the Church of St. George we saw the Madaba Map which is a famous mosaic map of the middle east (6th century CE) 

 We continue to Petra by crossing the Wadi al-Mujiib which looks a bit like that Grand Canyon.  In biblical times this was the Arnon mentioned in Judges and was a natural boundary seperating the Moabiles from the Amorites.  (Clyde, that part is for you, check it out). Below is the Wadi al Mujiib dam.

 Al-Karak was the capital of Moab.  Later it was used during the Crusades in the 12th century.

We continued our drive to Petra for a late lunch of a traditional Jordanian meal.  They call it "upside down meal".  Everything is pre cooked and then layered in starting with chicken, potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower and rice.  They cover rice with chicken stock and 7 spice seasoning. They bring it to the table in a big pot and turn it upside down on a platter. Here's how they serve it.  It was very tasty.

We see a lot of Bedouin camps along the way in the middle of nowhere.  Esam said a lot of them now live in homes and drive cars no longer living in tents and riding camels.  Jordan built schools for the children.  It is a quickly disappearing way of life.  1% of Jordanians are Bedouin.

In the distance is Petra.

We are at the petra Movenpick right next to the entrance to Petra.  View from our room.

It is very mountainous area.

Had a two hour guided tour of Petra this morning.  The weather is about 47 at 7:30am with a high at noon of 65.  This is definitely  the season to come to Jordan and Petra

A little history first.  Archaeologists date the site as the 5th century BC. The Nabateans, a trading race of Arab speaking  Semitics did a lot of the carvings we see today.  They controlled the trade routes from Africa to India and China.  Caravans of 1000+ camels would travel along the trade route and Petra offered protection, water, and shelter.

Access to the city was through the 'Siq' a narrow gorge twisting and turning through the rock. 

The Treasury was chiselled from solid stone as a tomb for a Nabatean King.  They worked from the top to the bottom.

 

Burial caves

 Amazing rock formations and colors.

Temple of the Winged Lion

The Monastery is reached by climbing 900 steps cut from the rock up a steep climb.

Loved it!  By the way Petra is on the new list for the 7 Wonders of the World.

For dinner we went to The Petra Kitchen.  The guest prepare the dinner with the guidance from two chefs. 

It was a fun experience but the company was remarkable.  One couple live in AbuDabi ( Texan and a Brit) working on alternate energy. One couple from Belguim and single gal from France.  The girls are interpreters for the UN and live in Nairobi. They travel extensively for their job.  Not sure what the guy from Belguim did?  They have seen the world. 

Tomorrow we move on the the Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea.  Jordan is amazing!  You should come to visit some time.