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 Middle East |
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Echoes of a man named Thomas Edward Lawrence still reverberate from the massive, sculpted cliffs that rise like tortured giants from the scalding sands of Wadi Rum in what is now southern Jordan. Better known as Lawrence of Arabia, this man was instrumental in uniting quarrelsome factions among the Bedouin tribes of the desert, in 1918 establishing the foundations for what today is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The story is told in David Lean's 1962 film.
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By Rod Lopez-Fabrega and Mary Ashcraft
| In a troubled neighborhood, this Bedouin kingdom remains a stable and peaceful haven. In many ways it is the Switzerland of the Middle East. This is due in no small measure to the skillful guidance of its kings, Hussein and now his young son, King Abdullah, descendants of Abdullah bin Hussein, founder of the dynasty and a Bedouin aristocrat. In the face of a great influx of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, the population of Jordan remains largely Bedouin to this day, with the 'Bedu' concentrated mostly in the central and southern deserts. |
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| Modern Jordan lacks for nothing, including accommodations that range from five-star international brand hotels to tented desert camps and everything in between. This tiny kingdom can justifiably boast of a world-class super highway system that makes it possible to traverse the country North to South in less than five hours. There are supermarkets, trendy shopping centers, elegant restaurants, fine museums, high rising skylines in its cities; and an American easily can find a Big Mac, given the urge. Still, just beneath the surface of a rapidly modernizing economy, there is a typically Jordanian culture that is alive and well: black Bedouin tents in the desert, roaming camel and goat herds, souk markets selling exotic and everyday goods, archaeological sites of Crusader Forts, some of the most spectacular Roman ruins to be found anywhere in the world, priceless mosaics, the geologic wonders of Wadi Rum, and the glory of ancient Petra, a rock-hewn, rose-colored city that was once the crossroad of endless caravans carrying the spices and riches of Arabia to Europe and Asia. Finally, there are the Jordanians themselves, a people who consider the act of extending hospitality to friends and strangers to be a matter of pride and principle, perhaps a legacy of a desert culture in which hospitality offered and received can be a matter of survival. |
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| What better way, then, to explore this fascinating and historically rich Bedouin country than with the Bedu themselves as guides? There are many tourism companies, mostly concentrated in the northern end of the country in the capitol city of Amman. However, one unique company that can be highly recommended for the more adventurous tourist who opts for authenticity rather than the glitz of the big hotel circuit is Via Jordan Travel, one of the few agencies based in Petra (Wadi Moussa). Via Jordan Travel is authentically Bedouin, a service that specializes in outdoor activities that range from camel treks to camping in the wilderness to bicycle tours across the desert but will arrange any level of comfort that can include five-star hotels and history tours along with adventure tourism. What is more, the company is run by the Hasanat Family, one of the principal families of the Bedouin tribes of southern Jordan. Yousef Hasanat, one of the company's directors, jokingly calls his family the Petra Mafia; and it is true that everywhere in the country, a mention of the name Hasanat immediately opens doors. This company can handle from two to two hundred arrivals, but independent travelers and small groups with flexible itineraries are in the best position to take full advantage of touring with the personable and accommodating Hasanat Bedu. |
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An interesting ten-day, north-to-south tour with Via Jordan Travel that samples a full range of Jordan's tourism options might begin with arrival in Amman's Queen Alia Airport where formalities are minimal and visitors are welcomed courteously. Citizens of most English-speaking countries, most Spanish-speaking countries (excepting Belize, Colombia and Cuba), and most European countries, including Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy, do not require prior visa clearance. For those, visas may be purchased on entry for JD 10 (approx. U.S. $14). A Via Jordan Travel driver/guide will be there to meet you and transfer you to your hotel. |
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| The first night's accommodations might be in the DAROTEL Amman, a small, boutique hotel set in a quiet and exclusive residential neighborhood in the north end of Amman, a few minutes from the city center and about a half-hour drive from the airport. It offers comfortable rooms with kitchenette and a small but excellent restaurant. Parenthetically, winter guests should avoid booking the hotel's first-floor rooms, as the proximity of the furnace room can lead to late night rumblings. Any time of year, an after dinner walk through the attractive neighborhood is an eye-opener for the opulence of the private homes that surround the hotel |
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| Ajloun Castle | ||
| An early stop on a north to south trip that will combine history with soft adventure might be one of the important historic monuments to Arab military architecture. A half-hour drive north of Amman and occupying a mountaintop, Ajloun Castle is located at the once critical focus of the three main routes controlling entry to the Jordan Valley and the commercial routes between Jordan and Syria. It looks across the valley to a Crusader Castle and marks the place where invading Crusader armies were stopped by the great Arab general, Salah Ad-din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Better known to history as Saladin, he was born of a Kurdish family in Tikrit, now an area in Iraq well known to twenty-first-century occupying coalition forces. Saladin accomplished the impossible by uniting contentious armies from neighboring Arab regions to defeat the advancing Crusader armies from his stronghold in Ajloun. In this encounter, four European kings were captured, including Richard the Lion Hearted of England. Saladin was known for his courteous behavior to most of his enemies. Richard, treated well and evidently not heavily guarded, managed to escape after only one month of captivity, but Raynald of Chatillion, the French leader did not fare so well. Saladin is believed to have decapitated him personally. The apartments in which Richard of England was held captive can be seen in Ajloun Castle to this day. |
| JarashIn the green part of Jordan north of Amman evergreen pine forests and olive groves grow among the rolling hills and valleys of Biblical Gilead. In the midst of this fecundity and spreading over many acres are the ruins of Jarash, a once magnificent city and possibly one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world. As a visitor first entering the archaeological site in Jarash, it is easy to imagine the grandeur of this Roman city, one of the most important of the famed Decapolis or 'ten cities' of Roman Arabia. |
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| Imagine yourself accompanying the Emperor Hadrian when he visited the city in AD 129 and passed under the triumphal arch built for the occasion. The arch is still largely intact as it was on that day. Walk down the colonnades of decorated walkways, past the hippodrome--once seating 15,000 spectators and still used to give performances of chariot races and gladiatorial contests--then inspect the Nymphaeum fountain and its elaborate cascading waterfalls, the impressive temple to the goddess Diana, outlines of stone arches against the blue sky, paved streets with towering columns and enough interesting ruins of ancient temples and churches and mosques for an entire day of exploration. |
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| Clearly, this was not a pale place of tranquility. Walls and tops of columns were painted in rich electric colors, niches held brightly colored statues, and rooftops were covered with terra cotta tiles, and facades of the buildings were surfaced with marble. The huge Oval Plaza paved with limestone blocks and lined with 56 Ionic columns where hundreds met daily was the city's market place and heartbeat. Curiously, it appears that Romans were generally short in stature, and mounting blocks for the convenience of shopping equestrians are still visible in front of what once were commercial shops. Everything about the city projected power, energy and grace. Citizens of Jarash had a prosperous and luxurious lifestyle that continued after the Romans during periods of occupation by Seleucids, Persians and Byzantines until it was taken by the armies of Islam in the seventh century. Today, it is a busy modern city, still somewhat bewildered by the attention its ancient ruins attract. |
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Madaba |
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| In recognition of the importance of this tradition, the government of Jordan has established IMAR, the Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration, a school to teach young artisans the art of mosaics. One of the teachers, Ms. Samaher studied the art in Florence, Italy and other European cities where techniques flourished for fashioning great works of art from little pieces of colored stones. |
| Mount Nebo |
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| One of the most sacred places in Jordan for three religions is Mount Nebo, just a few kilometers from Madaba. This highest point in the Moabite range of mountains marked the end of the line for the prophet Moses after leading the Israelites to the 'promised land'. From here, for Moses, his followers and modern day visitors a vast vista encompasses much of the Jordan Valley, across the Dead Sea from Hebron to Lake Tiberius and including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and Qumran, site of the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.
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| This will probably conclude another day of the tour, with a drive during hair-raising rush hour traffic through downtown Amman to overnight accommodations back in the DAROTEL and its quiet, relaxed neighborhood. On the way, a stop and stroll through frenetic downtown Amman (known in ancient times as 'Philadelphia' after Ptolemy II Philadelphus, a king of Ptolemaic Egypt) is worth an hour of looking into shops lined with walls of spice racks, sweets stores displaying trays of delectable, honey-spiced cakes, cabinet makers and iron mongers at work, smoking shops with men playing cards or puffing away at their argelh hookah pipes, and all manner of enticing cubbyhole emporiums displaying their wares. Most of the proprietors are happy to converse with visitors, less intent on selling anything than in practicing their English. Interestingly, the elegant shopping centers are not in the town center. |
Um Al Rassas |
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| Yet another hidden treasure of Jordan's wealth of mosaic artworks is located in a desert-like area well off the beaten path about 15 miles southeast of Amman. At present, Um Al Rassas appears to be no more than a huge field of crumbling ancient masonry and rocks. Concealed inside a ramshackle shed in the center of the field that had once been a Roman military garrison and later a Byzantine/Omayed city are the remains of the Church of St. Stephen, dating back to the late eighth century A.D.What remains of the church is remarkably well preserved under the shed's roof. The entire floor of St. Stephen is a wall-to-wall carpet made of mosaic tiles picturing pastoral scenes of animals, plants, farming and river scenes, all bordered by depictions of many of the important cities of the time. A temporary parapet has been installed around the perimeter so that visitors are able to look down on this fascinating glimpse of life in the area 1,200 years ago. Currently, an elaborate visitor center for this gem of a site is under construction by the government; but years of work remain for archaeologists to restore the city of Um Al Rassas. |
| Petra |
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| Secluded in the Shara Mountains in southern Jordan is one of the most spectacular ancient architectural sights in the world. Often called the 'rose red city' because it sits in a valley of stone cliffs veined with streaks of red, purple and pale yellow. The city was first mentioned in the first century B.C. and was built by the ancient nomadic tribe of Nabateans. Basically, the Nabateans raised sheep and cattle, but they also controlled the important trading routes from Yemen. By charging high tolls on the trains of caravans passing these routes bringing silks, metals, dyes, spices, and the very important incense, they grew increasingly rich. With these riches the elaborate city of Petra grew out of the desert to become a center of world trade. Its large villas, tombs, temples, and living quarters were exquisitely carved out of the sides of the Nubian sandstone mountains, and the beauty of the streets were enhanced with gardens, fountains, and colonnaded walks.Ruled by a 'democratic monarch', people from all parts of the world were welcomed to the cosmopolitan city of Petra. The same holds true for the country of Jordan today. Perhaps the most important thing causing the rise of the Nabateans was their ability to control the flash floods by use of dams, cisterns, and water conduits. By these methods they were able to store water for the long droughts of a city in the desert. And, they also prospered by the sale of this precious commodity.One cannot imagine a more dramatic entrance to a city than that of Petra. There is a half-mile trek that twists and turns through the Bob-as-Siq, a gorge that rises about four stories high on both sides. It is for the most part in shadow with an occasional shaft of light streaming down, and remains cool even when the desert air outside is scorching. There are channels and pools hollowed out on each side of the gorge for carrying and holding water, and two-thousand-year-old terra cotta pipes can be seen in the warm sandstone walls. Niches are scattered throughout for votives and devotion to gods. One of the most revered Nabatean gods is Dushara for Dushara, 'He of the Shara Mountains'. There is still a distinct carving of a camel driver and camels that point the way to as a signpost for caravans and strangers entering the city. Then, suddenly through the narrowest of slits in the gorge, one sees the first glimpse of Jordan's most famous ruin, the elaborately decorated Al Khazneh treasury exquisitely carved from the side of a stone mountain. One is struck with its delicate beauty. On the front of the building are represented statues of mythological figures, animals and once fierce protective eagles, and resting on top of six powerful columns is the crown topped by an urn. Legend has it that the urn contained a Pharaoh's fortune; hence, the building was called the Treasury. |
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| The city of Petra begins just beyond the outer siq to the street of Facades, a seven-thousand-seat theater, and stairs leading up to the royal tombs of Nabatean kings. There are also stands for purchasing a welcome drink. Bedouin tea is a good thirst quencher. Pass through the colonnaded street, the Nymphaeum and you are ready for the forty-five-minute climb to the monastery. This handsome building sits in quiet solitude at the top of the mountain and looks much like the Treasury below. If walking the steep ascent is too much of a challenge, there are donkeys for hire to carry one up the mountainside.
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| Accommodations Near Petra |
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| Petra really needs more than one day of exploring to do it justice. However, if you plan to stay one or more days in the area, there are many accommodations from which to choose. Hotels range from the five-star Moevenpick or Marriott to your basic youth hostel. However, if you would like to experience something very special, there is the five-star Taybet Zaman hotel resort, less than six miles from downtown Petra. In 1990, the Jordan Tourism Investment group decided to save the old farming village of Taybeh and turn it into a five-star hotel. The village represented a prototype of a part of the national heritage that was threatened to be lost, and it was ideally situated on the side of a mountain with wide vistas of the valley and sky. Great care was taken to work with 'Mother Nature' in its reconstruction by using local stone, recycling paper, using natural soaps and fresh foods grown in nearby farms on its path to becoming environmentally sound. Walkways from all accommodations lead to the old village center with its original water well and stone garden benches, and everywhere colored Bougainvillea vines cascade over the stonewalls. There is a small souk for crafts, another for a variety of incense, tea, hand soaps and body creams, and a bar decorated with farming artifacts and traditional, colorful hand woven cushions for leaning back and enjoying an evening cocktail. There are several restaurants serving excellent buffets of Arabic and International cuisine. The swimming pool is particularly refreshing for cooling off after a hot day of exploring the many sights in the area. |
| Little PetraYes, the Rose Red City had suburbs. Little Petra can be considered to have been a sort of holding ground for incoming caravans from the north, preparatory to entering the city itself. Its caves and remaining structures may have been storehouses and custom stations. These days, it is a site where some of the major hotels from the adjoining city of Wadi Moussa stage sound and light evenings for their guests. It is also of interest to have your Bedu guide show you the caves in which he will claim to have lived as a child, each cave holding an entire family along with its animals. |
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| It is also an area where you yourself will make use of one of the caves as accommodations for the night. Sleeping bags, dinner cooked over a campfire, conversation with your Bedu guide over the glowing coals, Bedu dogs echoing each other in the distance, and an incredible star-speckled night sky just outside all make up the evening's schedule. Most novices at sleeping in caves will wonder what to do about 'the facilities'. The guide will point to the 'Bedu toilet' just outside in the wilderness. |
| Wadi Rum |
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| One of the geologic wonders of the world, Wadi Rum in recent centuries acquired fame as the site of events that formed the Middle East as it exists today. Located in the far south of Jordan, it is in these mysterious wadis and vast expanses of sand and rock monoliths that the Arab revolt began, fomented by T. E. Lawrence and resulting in the birth of Jordan as a constitutional monarchy. Portions of the motion picture set used to film David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" are still there in the desert.A visit to Wadi Rum begins for most visitors in the impressive new visitors' center. A state-of-the-art film introduces the geologic wonders and extraordinary beauty of this unique place, a bone-dry desert valley in summer and a place awash with flash-flood water during the winter rains. While the whole of Wadi Rum is still nearly pristine, surprisingly, only a small portion has been protected from possible future encroachment by hotels and concessionaires. From the visitor center it is possible to visit only the protected area. Excursions are sold on the basis of three stops (one hour) or four stops (two hours), and outside guides are not permitted. A phalanx of mostly four-wheel-drive vehicles is there for the selection of scores of visitors. Be sure to select a sturdy vehicle and one piloted by an English-speaking driver/guide or the experience will disappoint.Here is another place where your own Bedu driver/guide can prove his mettle. Before entering the visitor center and the protected area, he can show you some of the more amazing stone bridges and precariously perched 'mushroom' natural cairns situated outside the controlled area. With enough time--two days will just cover it--there are amazing gullies and wadis to explore and extensive hikes and climbs that the more active can enjoy. |
| Accommodations in Wadi Rum |
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| Accommodations in Wadi Rum are limited, and the few are all located outside the protected area. The choice begins with Bait Ali, a desert resort with tents, some enclosed rooms, riding stables, an improbably large swimming pool, good food and a charming and creative British owner/hostess and her determined Chechen husband, Susie and Tahseen Shinaco. They will tell you about their often difficult journey in constructing their fine establishment. |
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| At the other extreme is Palm Camp, a genuine Bedu tented camp tucked into an elbow in the rock walls of the Rum. It is far from luxurious, but it is the real thing: authentic Bedu. There you will have what may be some of the best native meals you will have in Jordan. Also, you will be fortunate if you are there one of the nights the Hassanat owners stage a party for their friends. The Hassanats are noted for their athletic dancing, and a celebration with friends brings out all their exuberance. Another highlight is a camel ride to watch a Technicolor desert sunset. You may be surprised when the camel boy who leads your lumbering dromedary breaks out his cell phone to let them know at Palm Camp that you are on your way back in the dark. |
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| Yet another option is to camp in the wilderness, using tents and equipment provided by your Bedu guide/driver. It is under these conditions that it is possible to appreciate fully the Big Sky of Jordan's deserts. In the daytime the desert is a carpet of hot sand spreading out as far as the eye can see and dotted only with a sprinkling of thorn trees that provide minimal shade for man or beast. But it is at night when the Milky Way can be seen arcing across the firmament horizon to horizon like a sprinkling of diamonds that a sleeping bag becomes a ringside seat to the cosmos. |
| Aqaba |
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| Before departing for home, a side trip to Aqaba, Jordan's port to the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea should not be missed. Historically strategic, Aqaba is the place where T. E. Lawrence and the Arab league expelled Turkish influence in the entire area. Less than a one-hour drive from Wadi Rum, Aqaba is the southernmost point in Jordan, and from its seaside avenues, Eilat, Israel's port to the Gulf is clearly visible further down the coast. Both are resorts these days, with Eilat somewhat more 'Miami Beach' than Aqaba. One of the major crossing points between Jordan and Israel is located here, and many Israeli come across to visit Wadi Rum and Petra.The choice of hotels for an overnight stay again ranges from top-of-the-line to completely acceptable three-star establishments, some on the gulfside promenade with great views of the entire bay. One such is the Hotel Nairoukh II, several short blocks away from the yacht club. Be sure to ask for a room with a gulf view. Options along here for swimming in gulf waters are not great. Try the southernmost beaches. One interesting sight--and perhaps an instructive one-on King Hussein Boulevard, Aqaba's gulfside promenade is the very elegant Royal Jordanian Yacht Club located quite literally next door to the Golden Arches of McDonalds. Both serve a very nice luncheon. |
Along the superhighway back to Amman to catch your flight home, stop and buy a box of fresh dates from roadside stands. A gift from the gods, fresh dates are nothing like the shriveled husks most of us know. Your Via Jordan Travel Bedouin guide will see to it that you get to the airport on time and will jot down a message in Arabic for your friends back home: "Welcome to Jordan." |
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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Via Jordan Travel: Jordan Tourism: Photo Credits: |
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