Jordan

As we cruised the Red Sea and then the Gulf of Aqaba north from Saudi Arabia, we saw a most unusual site. Were they sharks? Were they whales? No. They were Risso’s dolphins. The fins were shark-like, but they went underwater and stuck their whale-like tails straight up. Quite a unique sight for us. Then we arrived in Jordan. Well, we forgot to confirm the weather forecast for our trip to Petra today. Usually hot, dry, & windy – today was the day after a flash flood; the temperature stayed in the 40s with a constant light drizzle; and we were a tad under dressed. But we had a blast seeing the ancient city of Petra. On the long drive up we passed camels, lots of rock, and Bedouin villages. Queen Noor established a program to settle the Bedouins in their own villages and so they have mostly given up the nomadic life. Jordan is primarily Sunni Muslim but coexists with other religions and around 3 million refugees from Syria and other surrounding war-torn countries. “Jor” means deep valley

and “Dan” means water. Petra was established a really really long time ago. It was the capital for the Edomites who were then conquered by the Babylonians in 556-539 BCE. Then the Nabateans and Bedouins took over…. It was strategically located and a major player in the silk and spice trade. Because of the traders who passed through, Petra became a cosmopolitan city. The Greco-Roman influence is apparent. Later Petra was part of the Roman Empire; then the Byzantines; then Muslims; then Crusaders. From the 5th century to the 1700s it was a lost city known only to the Bedouins and was rediscovered by a Swiss, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt disguised as Sheik Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah. Petra is know as the burial place of Aaron and is home to the Spring of Moses. It was likely the home of the “Three Wise Men”. And yes, it was where “Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade” was filmed and what really put it on the tourist map. We had a wonderful walk around Petra and our guide, Nail, was an

extremely knowledgeable man, who is a native of Petra. The Bedouins run most of the concessions (souvenirs, donkey/camel/horse rides) – and they caused us a bit of angst towards the end of our visit. After our long walk around and through Petra, we waited for the shuttle bus to take us the 2.2 km to the top of the hill and back to our bus, but the shuttles never came. After 1.5 hours of waiting and many phone calls, we learned that the Bedouins blocked the shuttle buses from running, apparently because they want control, or at least a cut, of this business as well. So ultimately we had to walk. Easy for us. Really hard for some of the older/less physically fit folks. Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is on the “Wonders of the World” list and rightfully so. Our pictures cannot do it justice. It is a must-see for anyone coming to this part of the world. Unforgettable for us, on many levels. Just watch out for the Bedouins.