The Old Testament Biblical lands extended beyond the Jordan River into modern-day Jordan. In fact, there are many biblical sites there including the ancient kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom. We’ll also visit the Arab village of Madaba where the beautiful Madaba Map mosaic floor was discovered in the Byzantine (6th C) Church of St. George.
The famous Red-Rose City of Petra will be a highlight of this trip. This city was the capital city of the Nabateans and lay on the famous Spice Route (stretching from the Persian Gulf to the ports of Gaza). Spices, perfumes, herbs, wood, gems, silks, medicines, even asphalt from the Dead Sea were the basic products traded. This made the nomadic Nabateans very wealthy. Over the turn of the century (9 BC to 40 AD) they began to settle into homes carved out of the solid red-rock of the valley and developed a community in the hidden hills around. Water was a scarce commodity, so the Nabateans developed a unique system of dams, conduits, and cisterns to preserve what little rainfall they had in the desert.
In the early nineteenth century the ruins of Petra were discovered by a Swiss explorer. We will walk the ¾ mile siq where we will enter the hidden city. Upon arrival in the city, the first thing we see is the Treasury, carved out of the sandstone mountain as the tomb of Nabatean King Aretas III, but made famous by the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We’ll walk the Street of Facades carved by the residents 2000 years ago. We will visit the city’s theater, which seated 4000 spectators, carved entirely out of the side of the mountain. We will walk the length of the city and stop at various sites including the royal tombs. Time permitting, we will hike to the beautiful Monastery, a 20-minute hike up 800 stairs. For those unable or unwilling to walk, a donkey ride will substitute nicely. However, you arrive, the view and façade is well worth the trouble. Modern Bedouin Arabs, perhaps descendants of the Nabateans, continue to live at the site. They provide horse/cart rides through the Siq, Camel rides in the valley, and sell jewelry and souvenirs, food, and drink, to visitors.
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