Today is a very relaxing day. We slept in, we might go down to the pool, we might go shopping for another bag to bring all our souvenirs home, we might eat another epic buffet meal, we might just stay in the room and nap and write postcards... The day is full of possibilities!
Or I might just sit here and write Part 2 of the Palestine/Israeli Conflict.
After hearing Assaf Gamzou, and Israeli, tell us that he was against the occupied territories before he did his army service, and even MORE against them after he had been stationed in the occupied territories as an army photographer for two years, we got to visit a Palestinian refugee camp.
Abu Mohammad was born in the Ayda Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem. His father was born in Bayt Mahsir, a town he's pointing to on this map. The town, about nine miles west of Jerusalem, was destroyed during the war in 1948, and all of the Palestinians who were living there became refugees. Abu Mohammad's father came to this refugee camp, where Abu Mohammad was born, and now Abu Mohammad has seen his own children born here.
To get into the camp our driver parked the van outside of an entrance in a large, concrete wall. It felt very Berlin Wall-esque. We walked through narrow "streets" (some could fit a car, but many couldn't) between simple, multi-story dwellings. There were murals all over the walls. The murals have a theme: home is on the other side of the walls.
(That's a mural of Trump on the left.)
The corner of one building had a photo of a boy and Arabic writing. He was a resident of the camp, and he was killed during Israeli bombing. (When we had visited the Western "Wailing" Wall the day before, we went through a security checkpoint, and just beyond the conveyor belt for the bag check they had the photos of two security guards who had been killed by terrorists, so there are reminders of the cost of this conflict everywhere.)
Despite the absence of any parks, playgrounds, or grassy fields, children were playing and smiling, and yelling hello to us from distant balconies. This is one of my favorite photos!!
These children were yelling, "HELLO!!" and waving and smiling.
Abu Mohammad and his wife, Um Mohammad (literally "Father of Mohammad" and Mother of Mohammad") are very active in their community. Abu Mohammad is an electrician. Um Mohammad takes care of a great many things, as founder of the Noor Women's Empowerment Camp. Their oldest son (not surprisingly) is named Mohammad, and he was born with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Having spent the first decade of Mohammad's life looking for help for him, and not being able to find any, Um Mohammad decided to create a community that could support and help children in the camp who had disabilities. The center has been running for over a decade now, and it has grown into something really special. That's why National Geographic and G Adventures had us pay them a visit.
First we were treated to a wonderful Palestinian meal in their community dining hall. Teaching people how to cook traditional meals is one of the ways they earn money to support their project. We didn't cook during our visit. The food was prepared when we arrived.
Abu and Um Mohammad.
Here's Abu Mohammad serving us more soup.
During lunch I was puzzled, so I kept asking the same question because I wasn't articulating it well, or there was a language barrier, or I just wasn't able to comprehend the answer. "Why is there a wall there?" Finally I took out my phone and pulled up Google Maps. "No, why is there a wall THERE. If the border of Israel and Palestine is way over THERE, why is there a wall right outside this building?"
Ahhhh... My question finally made sense to Abu Mohammad. I wasn't asking for the explanation of what a wall does, or why it exists between Israel and Palestine, but why it's RIGHT THERE when there's no border there. Were the Palestinian neighbors building walls between one another? Abu Mohammad and our guide, Naz, explained that these walls are separating the refugee camp from Israeli settlements.
My mind was a mess. I sat for a minute with a confused look on my face. This was difficult to comprehend, because I had to mentally un-do things that my mind has been doing for years. I've heard of Israeli settlements. We all have. Whenever I hear about them I picture a gated community of Israelis living in the West Bank. I did not understand that the Israelis had moved into Palestinian territory, and then built a gigantic concrete wall to keep the Palestinians out. I'm baffled by it, to be honest. If Americans move into Mexico we can call it an American settlement, so to speak. We could even build gates and fences around our properties, but they might be little stucco walls or wrought-iron fences or something similar. A gated community might even have a guard allowing people in and out. But we'd still be in Mexico, and still subject to the laws of Mexico. But this is like the Berlin Wall being built ten miles inside of West Berlin, rather than between East and West Berlin. The Israelis in the settlements are not subject to Palestinian law. They have brought all the rights and privileges of Israeli citizenship with them into Palestine. The settlements are illegal, the wall is imposing, it's in the wrong place, and if someone wants peace they wouldn't do this.
I finally found a map that does this issue justice. Look at how many miles and miles of Palestinian land have been "settled" (taken). Here's the link to that map, so you can get a better look.
During our visit, Abu Mohammad told us, "Groups come here and see where we live, and they tell us they have never heard of us. They didn't know there were Palestinian refugees here still. Please. Please, tell people about us. We just want freedom."
After lunch we walked down streets to the Noor center. The center was modest, well-kept and quite nice. I just looked for photos of the inside and can't find any. They had assistive parallel bars for support for those training to walk, they had exercise balls, two treatment tables, some resistance bands and other similar simple rehabilitation tools. It wasn't unlike the training rooms I've worked in over the years -- simple, but effective.
Entering the Noor Center
The expectations of those entering the Noor Center.
My mom enjoying conversation with Abu Mohammad.
We left the refugee camp wishing there was a simple solution. We definitely agreed with Assaf Gamzou, the Israeli expert, who said that the occupied territories are illegal and provocative. Seeing a concrete wall where there should be a park was so aggravating.
Later we went to a book store in East Jerusalem, to hear from Ahmad Muna, a Palestinian living in East Jerusalem. I'd love to keep writing but I have to wrap this up for now. We visited a mosque today, and bought a small carry-on suitcase for the souvenirs, and a Greek Orthodox woman at the supermarket invited us to her house for juice and Ramadan treats! Now the day is nearly over, and our trip to the airport for our flight to Frankfurt will be here in about 2 hours, so I'd better pack. I guess there will be a Part 3 of this series!
Things are really winding down now. Today we moved from the resort at the Dead Sea to our original hotel in Amman where we started the week. The two stops we made today were interesting.
First, we stopped at the baptismal site of Jesus. Interestingly, this is not the same site as the baptismal site of Jesus we visited last week on the Israeli side of the river. The site in Israel is just south of the Sea of Galilee. The site in Jordan is just north of the Dead Sea. They're about 80 miles (130km) apart. If you're in sandals, that's about 30 hours of walking. The site we visited this week required us to stop at a military checkpoint for clearance. From where we parked it was a considerable walk to get to the river. We passed several churches on the way, including ruins of a church that was built on the site of Jesus' baptism during the 4th century. The mosaic map we saw at the Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba a few days ago indicates that this was the spot where Jesus was baptized, and the ruins at the site confirm this suspicion. When we got to the river there was a party atmosphere on the Israel side of the river, with people of all ages in baptismal robes splashing and playing in the water. The Jordanian site had tourists, but no one getting baptized. There was an armed soldier at the stairs, enforcing border security.
A reminder to visitors.
This is the proof that THIS is the actual baptism site of Jesus.
Here's the ruins of the original church, built on the site during the Byzantine era. There are more ruins under the roof in the background.
Video footage of the party happening on the Israeli side of the river. Crossing the river is against the law, and a guy with a machine gun on the Jordan side of the river will ensure it doesn't happen.
Our next interesting stop was near Amman. When the group stopped at a gas station convenience store for some affordable water and snacks, few of us went to a Jordanian McDonald's across the parking lot! We thought it would be closed, because it's Ramadan and everyone's fasting. We were surprised and thrilled when we discovered it was open. The menu was familiar, with a few differences. Everything here has to follow Halal requirements -- like kosher but for Muslims. They can't eat pork, so there's no bacon on anything. Also, everything is metric so there's no Quarter Pounder. They call it "The Big Tasty." I wish they called it that in the US. They have a "Ramadan Meal," which feels a little bit contradictory, but I suppose Muslims might enjoy it after the sun sets each night.
As an aside, when Muslims fast they don't eat anything, they don't drink anything (including water), they don't smoke or have sex or even take medications if the sun is up. The guideline was originally "if you hold up a black thread and a white thread and can't tell which is which, you can break your fast." Now there's a specific time of day that they can break fast. At dinner tonight our guide, Monteser, told us to go ahead and eat, because "I can join you in just ten minutes!" It was by the clock, not the amount of daylight.
Anyway, we ordered our Ramadan meals and headed for the bus. For someone who avoids McDonald's in the US, I was surprisingly happy to see it here.
After a bit more time on the bus and a few hours in our final hotel, we ended the day with an exceptional dinner, family style, at a non-tourist restaurant that Monteser arranged for us. It was, again, exquisite food, and we left so much uneaten.
Tomorrow we'll do our COVID test, and at around midnight we'll take a bus to the airport for the journey back to the states.
My sunrise camel ride began our day. I discovered I'm not allergic to camels!! Then it was a road trip north to the Dead Sea, where we have checked into our Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Resort and Spa. It's the largest hotel in Jordan. They gave us a map to orient us to all the buildings on the grounds. The pool is enormous. I'm overlooking the pool from our 3rd floor balcony right now!
Today isn't packed with activities, so this is when I get to address the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Both sides of the dispute would tell you that the solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict is simple. "Just tell them to leave our country." Regrettably, neither side wants to leave the country, so that's not going to happen. Israelis and Palestinians need to maneuver through the difficult conflict with an approach that's more reasonable, if not more likely.
As I give the background to this conflict it's difficult to choose a starting point. Do I start in 1948, when Israel became a nation? Do I choose 1918, when the British Mandate gave control over Palestine to Great Britain, after the defeat of the Ottomans? Do I go back to 70CE, when Rome told the Jews to get out of Israel, and exiled them for the next two millennia?
In "Trip Of A Lifetime - Day 1" I addressed Jerusalem's importance for three faiths, and its role in some pretty big historical events. Rome expelled the Jews in 70CE, the next 1,848 years saw the Jews living in other nations with varying levels of acceptance, the Muslim world took control of what is now Palestine, the region was a battleground for Holy Wars between Muslims and Christians during the Crusades, and after World War I the area that is now Israel, Palestine and Jordan came under the control of Great Britain with The British Mandate.
With the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 came a strengthened Zionist movement. Zionism is an effort to reclaim a homeland for the Jewish people. It has existed since the destruction of the Temple by Rome, but it really saw an increase in the early 20th century. Jews around the world were NOT quick to assimilate into the general population. Part of this was because they wanted a community where they could practice their faith and observe kosher dietary laws. But even more responsible for their segregation was the anti-Semitism that has pervaded history. For an excellent look at antisemitism, you should read A Convenient Hatred: The History Of Antisemitism. Remember the khakhi-wearing, tiki-torch-waving, white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia who kept repeating, "JEWS - WILL NOT - REPLACE US."? Here's a reminder, if you've forgotten:
Antisemitism has been like this, and much worse, for two thousand years! If you're a Jew, maybe you won't build your synagogue in the neighborhood near the guys in khakis (or Nazi flags, or KKK hoods, ...). Maybe you and some other Jews set up your homes, and a synagogue, and a kosher deli in an area that's far away from people who want to kill you because they think you make mazo with the blood of Christian babies. (Seriously! that's what they think!).
So anyway, Jews in Russia were experiencing violent attacks called "pogroms" in the 1800s. Of course they thought it would be better to live in a Jewish nation, if only Israel still existed. Jews in Poland, and Lithuania, and Estonia, and Romania, and Italy, and countries all over Europe were experiencing such hostility. Even progressive Germany, which was the most educated population of people in the world in the 1930s, fell for Hitler's nonsense about Jews being to blame for all of Germany's problems, and they fell for that garbage about blood libel (that Jews were using the blood of Christian children). It's no surprise that the Zionist movement grew in popularity as the hostilities against Jews increased. Jews began migrating to Palestine, setting up homes, setting up kibbutzes, and setting up life in a territory that used to be Judea.
Then the world experienced World War II, and Jews and other minorities in Europe experienced the Holocaust. The world saw the horrors of a genocide that was based on Antisemitism. At that time a brand new organization called The United Nations was formed. They decided, with Great Britain still holding "The British Mandate" over Palestine, that a modern state of Israel would be established. They created a map that they considered fair.
On May 14th, 1948 the British Mandate expired, and Israel took control of the territory they had been granted. All Jews had permission to settle there, no matter where they lived before. But there's a problem: it wasn't empty. There were hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living there. What happens to them? The book The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan gives the first person account of her Jewish family who relocated to Israel from post-Holocaust Europe in 1948, and moved into a house her parents were told had been abandoned. In the yard was a beautiful lemon tree. The Palestinian owners of the house had, in fact, been forced out at gunpoint. One day there's a knock at her door, and a young man her age is standing at the door. He was born in that house, and wanted to see it again. He took lemons home, and his father, who had planted the tree, cried. He put them in a special case. The story is true, and it illustrates the complexities of this conflict. Over 700,000 people "left" or were forced out of Israel to Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other surrounding areas.
Every person in this region knows May 15, 1948. Israel celebrates this as their Independence Day. Palestine acknowledges this date as a national day of mourning. It's called "Nakba Day" or Day of Catastrophe. Protests against Israel in neighboring nations and communities around the world are held on May 15th. Imagine the discomfort if you live in Israel.
Almost immediately after Israel declared independence, the nations surrounding Israel launched a war against the new nation. This is not a small thing. It would be as if New Jersey was suddenly attacked by New York, Deleware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. This is a pretty good comparison, because Israel is just about the same size as New Jersey, it is bordered on one side by the sea, and all other sides are held by larger states that want it gone. Clearly Israel was the underdog in this situation, right?
Wrong. Israel defended itself against all these other nations, and they defeated them all. The United States stayed out of the fighting, and didn't provide weapons to anyone, hoping that a shift in the balance of power wouldn't destabilize the fragile peace between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Unbelievably, Israel GAINED territory! Wars have consequences, and if all those other nations wanted to keep the original boundaries, they shouldn't have attacked Israel in the first place. Here's what the map looked like before and after the war. When the boundaries were being drawn they used a green pen on the map, so they refer to these borders as "the green line." While walking through Jerusalem we were continually reminded "this is where the green line used to be" or "this is where the green line is".
Things went along like this for another twenty years or so, and then Israel discovered a plot against them. Rather than being caught on the defensive of another multi-national attack, Israel decided to do a preemptive strike. At the end of just six days, Israel had crippled and humiliated the military might of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon.
At the end of the Six Day War in 1967 the borders looked like this:
Preemptive strikes are tricky. It's like grounding your son for planning a party when you're away on a trip, because you found the invitations before you left town. He hasn't really done anything wrong... YET. Can you ground him for throwing a party that never happened? The world is united on the consequences of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, because Israel was attacked by several nations, it defended itself, and it won. The Arab world might be upset about the outcome of that war, but they can't argue what happened. But the world is mixed on how they feel about the consequences of The Six Day War. Israel's Arab neighbors can claim they were attacked without provocation, but Israel and her allies can claim it was only preventing its own annihilation. Both sides have evidence to prove they're right. Regardless, the outcome was a 30% increase in Israel's territory.
The Arab world wasn't pleased with this outcome. Things went along like this for another ten years, and then Anwar Sadat (president of Egypt) met with Menachem Begin (Israel's Prime Minister) and President Carter at Camp David to hammer out a new treaty. Israel gave the Sinai Peninsula (lower part of the map above). This proved that it was possible for an Arab nation to negotiate peace with Israel! Sadat and Begin were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
For this Anwar Sadat was assassinated by Egyptians who thought he should have consulted with the rest of the Arab world first.
Here's what the map looked like after the treaty with Egypt.
The next big step toward lasting peace in the region was when Israel met with Palestine in Oslo, Norway. The reason this was important is because it was the first time the Palestinian Liberation Organization acknowledged the existence of Israel. Until Oslo they had argued that Israel's establishment was a violation of international law. Israel also acknowledged the PLO as a body that could represent the Palestinian people, rather than simply calling them a terrorist organization. These things didn't change the borders, but they were very impactful. The leaders in this process were Yitzhak Rabin (Israeli Prime Minister), Shimon Peres, and Yasser Arafat. All three were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated soon thereafter, by an Israeli who opposed the terms of the Oslo Accords.
After the Oslo Accords the borders were believed to be the borders-for-now, with more negotiating needing to happen. But the rest of the anticipated talks fizzled.
...and this is where we are today.
Enter three men who shared their lived experiences with us.
This is Assaf Gamzou, the Director of Jewish Education in Israel at ANU - Museum of the Jewish People.
This is Abu Muhammed, a man who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem.
This is Ahmad Muna, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem.
Our first lecture of the trip was delivered by Assaf Gamzou, whose great grandparents established a small village in Israel during the Zionist movement. His grandfather was the first child born in that village, and his grandfather's wife was a survivor of Auschwitz. As mentioned above, some moved to this region for ideological reasons, and some came because they were fleeing for their lives. Assaf's family exhibits both of those.
Assaf's formative years were shaped by the Oslo Accords. Yitzhak Rabin was elected as a left-wing representative, and the left-wing usually favors peace. He defeated the Likud (Right-wing) party, which tends to favor a stronger position against Palestine. Netanyahu is notorious for saying "Peace With Security" as a slogan, and he represents the Right-wing Likud party. When Rabin was elected, the hope was that he would usher in peace with the Arabs. This started, as mentioned above, but it was expected that this would be the start of a multi-year effort to come to terms about Palestinian rights, borders, Israeli settlements, citizenship, and Jerusalem.
Assaf explained that the real blow to the peace effort was when Ehud Barak, Israeli Prime Minister from 1999-2001, went to Camp David in 2000 to negotiate peace with Yasser Arafat, mediated by President Clinton. As a left-wing leader who campaigned for peace, he was very invested in negotiating terms that would be agreeable to both sides. From the Camp David summit he went on television and announced, "There is no partner for peace." Assaf said this was completely horrific to the peace process, because while one might expect this from a war-loving, right-wing Prime Minister, one doesn't expect it from a Left-wing leader who campaigned for peace with Palestine. It seemed that peace would be unattainable.
Running against Ehud Barak in the upcoming election was Ariel Sharon, the right-wing leader of the Likud party. In the 1980s Sharon had to resign as Israel's Defense Minister for his responsibility in a massacre against thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese Shi'ite civilians. Palestinians called him "The Butcher Of Beirut." Eighteen years later, on September 28th, 2000, he took more than 1,000 military police to the Dome Of The Rock mosque and entered it. Muslims in Palestine and beyond were outraged at this desecration of their third-holiest site.
This desecration launched the second intifada.
Sharon was elected Prime Minister three months later.
The Second Intifada started with Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount, in September of 2000, and ended in February of 2005. During these years Palestinians orchestrated violent protests against Israel, which included suicide bombings of civilians. One thousand Israelis were killed. Reprisals against these attacks resulted in the deaths of 3,000 Palestinians.
With Sharon as Prime Minister, hope for peace was non-existent. He was provocative, urging Israel to build settlements in Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
In 2006 Sharon stunned the world when he called for a unilateral exit from the Gaza Strip, asking for nothing in return from Palestine! His own Likud Party was opposed to this move, so Sharon left the party, of which he was the head, and created his own party! Assaf was in the Israeli Army at the time, and he happened to be serving with Sharon's son, who told everyone to be quiet so they could listen to his father's announcement as it happened. Everyone was stunned. Sharon was conidered "The Father Of The Settlers," and now he was ordering them out of their settlement.
A few months later, amidst plans to do more unilateral changes, Sharon had a stroke and ended up in a permanent vegetative state until he passed away eight years later.
Assaf concluded his presentation with the three possible solutions to the conflict:
Two-State Solution -- Israel would be its own nation, Palestine would be its own nation, and Jerusalem would be split between the two. No Israeli settlements in Palestine.
Two-State Confederation - One thinner political entity, which keeps both nations together but separate.
One-State Solution - Everyone in Palestine and Israel would be a single nationality. This is not acceptable to any of the devout Jews who desire a Jewish State, and would likely end in Civil War.
This is where I'll stop today, or else this blog post will become EVEN LONGER, and if you've made it this far on a post about politics in the Middle East it's already quite impressive.
Yesterday we made our way from Petra to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a desert preserve at the southern tip of Jordan. Southern Jordan is where the Bedouins live. Camels live here, too. Our bus driver had to stop a few times to let them cross the road, and we got to see baby camels, too! One young camel was really spry and playful, and seemed like he was really irritating his sister. I'm saying brother and sister because they remind me of our dogs, Cody and Rey, and Rey (5 year-old sister) is constantly annoyed by her baby (1 year-old) brother. Can you tell which is the playful one of these camels?
We arrived at our camp in Wadi Rum in the early afternoon, and immediately went to the dining shelter. There we enjoyed another fantastic buffet lunch before our afternoon activity.
The afternoon activity was 4-wheel driving for nearly four hours, through the sand dunes between the rock formations in Wadi Rum. This is where several movies were filmed, including Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, and The Martian. Today it is very popular with tourists, who ride camels, sleep in simple shelters, and see stars with no light pollution.
This is a group of tourists enjoying a camel caravan.
One stop on our ride through the desert was a community shelter tent, where we were treated to some tea. The atmosphere was really pleasant, and the weather couldn't have been more comfortable.
Here's what the accommodations looked like at our camp. We had electricity, hot water, and WiFi!
The late evening activity was the highlight of the day for us. I was hesitant to go, because I had to get up early for a 6am sunrise camel ride, so I thought I might go to sleep early. Fortunately, mom is game for every adventure, and if she could do it, I should, too. We walked into the desert, away from the lights of our camp, and enjoyed stories from a Bedouin guide, Abu Abdullah. He made a fire from twigs he collected on the way, which we didn't even see. He explained that when most people think of firewood they think of big trees that drop branches, but in the desert there are many plants with deep roots. Somehow he was able to see the roots, even without seeing a plant above the sand. He'd bend down and pick up a twig, then dig the sand away with his hands to reveal a root system he could pull up and break apart. By the time we were a few hundred yards from camp we had a relatively large pile of sticks!
Once we were about 15 minutes from camp we sat in the sand, and Abu Abdullah made a fire. He had a large kettle, in which he poured some water and placed it on the fire. While the water was heating he talked about the merging of his two worlds -- the Bedouin world and the modern world. He said that he needs to live the Bedouin life, because people should be connected to nature. He sometimes goes out in the desert by himself, just to make a fire and communicate with nature. But he has children, and he wants them to attend school, because a good future depends on a good education. So his life is split between these two drastically different worlds. When one member of our group asked how he feels about tourists in Wadi Rum he chuckled and then chose his words deliberately. "In some ways, it's good." We understood by the initial chuckle that this wasn't his first thought when he was asked how he felt about tourists. He went on. "Tourism supports us, and it allows us to live our way of life. And here you are with me, and I get to spend time with you, so that's good! But twenty-five years ago there were no tourist camps, and now there are camps all over Wadi Rum, and it changes things." He told us that if he could sleep anywhere, it would be on a mat on the sand under the stars. This desert is his home, and it is here that he is most comfortable.
While he was talking I snapped many photos, until I took this photo, at which point I stopped taking photos altogether, because there would never be a better photo of our evening.
When we headed back to camp we asked if we could carry any of his things back to his truck. He replied, "No, you go. I'm going to stay here and pray." So we walked back to camp and left him with the last embers of his fire in the dark desert.
The next morning started another adventure -- a sunrise camel ride through the desert. I've never ridden a camel before, so I wanted to go. Mom has ridden one before, so she opted out this time. Three of us decided to do the ride.
Here's my camel.
Sunrise was a bit obscured by clouds, but it was still a really beautiful morning!
Taking a selfie in front of camels, because I can!
This is Adam, our camel driver.
Here are the three in our group who opted for the sunrise ride.
Right now we're on the bus heading to Aqaba, the port city at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Then to the Dead Sea, where we'll stay at a resort tonight.
Petra is a city that has been carved out of the sandstone cliffs in the area. It was the capital of an ancient civilization I never heard of before yesterday's lecture. The Nabataeans (NA-buh-TAY-uns) were here before the Romans, and they ruled for 418 years, until Rome consumed them in 106 CE. Originally a nomadic people, they eventually settled in an area from what is today Israel, Jordan, much of the Arab Peninsula, and part of Egypt.
"The fuel of the first global economy," according to our guest lecturer yesterday, "was Frankincense." Nabataeans were master traders of Frankincense, taking it from the southern edge of the Arab Peninsula, where Yemen and Oman are today, and using camel caravans to get it to Petra. From there it would go to Rome, India, China, and all places in between. One camel could carry up to 450 Kg of frankincense. During the hundreds of years it was being traded, frankincense commanded a price between $15-$28 USD today. The net profit from one camel was up to $135,716. They had 2,000 camels in a caravan. Petra was becoming the center of an incredibly lucrative global trade route.
We started our day at 6:00am, to avoid the crowds and heat that would consume the area by noon. Getting to Petra requried a walk across the street, through the turnstiles at the visitor's center, past the shops with Indiana Jones images, then onto a path that stretched for miles and miles. The first few miles were a steady descent on a narrow, paved or stone path between 80 meter tall sandstone cliff walls.
Indiana Jones III was partly filmed here. He has a gift shop...
...and a snack shop. Do they have dates?
(Was that reference too obscure?)
The Nabataeans were experts at water collection. This is a desert. This canyon hike reminded me of my hikes into Havasupai Canyon in Arizona. Dry climate, sandstone cliffs, and a rocky, sandy path that just keeps going. But thousands of years ago the Nabataeans carved troughs, about 6-8" deep, into their sandstone cliffs. Water runs down the cliff walls, collects in these troughs, and flows along the canyon walls to the city below. Every 150 meters there is a deep hole carved into the trough, which allows any rocks, sand, or twigs to drop to the bottom of the hole, thus filtering the water. People were stationed at these holes to occasionally empty the filters.
The colors in the sandstone were phenomenal.
Artisans use the sand, which is everywhere, to make these sand art bottles.
The first part of the trail treated us to several ornately-carved tombs.
We also encountered some dogs who hiked with us for awhile. I named this one Petra.
I named this one Jordan. Later on the trail I met Sandy, Rocky, Dusty, and Cliff.
The cliffs eventually opened to The Treasury. It isn't a treasury, though. It's a tomb.
Once past the treasury we were past the tomb portion, known as the Necropolis. Then it was to where the living people were. Back when the city was built, superstitious people feared that the spirits of the dead would travel on the wind and consume the souls of the living. So the tombs and graveyards were always located downwind of the cities.
We kept hiking until we reached the Great Temple, in the main town square area. Now it was time to either ascend 900 stairs to the Monastery, or turn back. Mom and I decided to continue to the monastery, along with most of our group. At the urging of our guide, three women decided it would be a good idea to ride donkeys up to the monastery, but mom was determined to hike to the top.
After about 200 meters we were very hot and breathing very hard, and we were moving very slowly up the path. Another donkey Uber showed up and offered a ride, and mom finally relented. Did I mention she has spondylolisthesis, which has one low back vertebrae slipped forward on another, compressing nerves that give her a very achy hip? She's a tough mother, though, so she plodded onward until I pleaded with her to ride a donkey.
The donkey dropped her off at the monastery. I arrived some time later, bright red, sweating like mad, with a heart rate that indicates I haven't been nearly active enough these past several months.
The monastery.
We met up with the rest of our group. Most had hiked the entire thing, and four had ridden donkeys. We were all enjoying conversation, lunch, and water, and a much-needed rest from the exertion and heat. While we were enjoying our respite the wind picked up. Have you ever had a sand blaster shoot sand at you? Well, this is a lot like that. Everyone was commenting on sand in their mouths and eyes. After a bit of this enjoyable portion of the afternoon we headed back down the mountain. Everyone walked.
Once we got back to the Grand Temple it was time to ascend to the trailhead where we started. Mom, do you want to ride a donkey? No. Do you want to ride a camel? No. A 15 year-old boy asked if we'd like a horse buggy ride to the Traasury. "How much for both of us?" I asked. "25 Dinars" (about $35). "Okay, nevermind," I said. "Okay, 20 Dinar!" "No, thank you anyway." "Okay, 15 dinar!" "For both of us?" "Yes, for both of you." We rode from the Grand Temple to the treasury in this horse-drawn carriage, driven by a 15 year-old boy who likes to work, likes school, speaks three languages well enough to say, "Want a carriage ride?" and other useful phrases, and wants to keep going to school to maybe be a doctor. His English was pretty impressive, considering he has only used it since driving the carriage for tourists.
Once we got to the treasury I talked mom into riding the rest of the way in a golf cart. She was reluctant again. We convinced two others in our group to join us for 15 dinar each, and we were all really grateful we did. The golf carts are run by the Jordanian government, so you buy tickets and there is no negotiating. My knee, and mom's hip, were much better for having ridden up.
So instead of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, today was Donkey, Carriage, and Golf Cart. A bit more primitive, and very unique experiences.
We got back to the hotel and took turns showering off the layers and layers of sand and dirt. I laid down to elevate my leg and fell promptly asleep for over an hour. When I woke up it was time to enjoy another epic meal at a local restaurant. And that's the end of our experience in Petra. Tomorrow we head to Wadi Rum. Good night!
...Next Day Addendum...
Even without the walk from the Great Temple to the top, I ended the day at 21,360 steps.
Mom called dad, they talked, and she handed me the phone, He said, "Mom tells me you waked over 900 stairs while she just sat on her ass!"
