Lebanon

A few weeks before my arrival fighting broke out between Hezbollah and government forces. The leader of Hezbollah felt that the government´s move to shut down its communications network in the country was tantamount to an act of war against the organization. As the two sides clashed, I monitored the situation closely in Egypt and Jordan and it certainly seemed that even though I had a plane ticket the chances of visiting Lebanon were slim at best. Fortunately, just five days prior to my flight, a peace deal was brokered in Qatar. On my first day there I basically wandered around the streets of Beirut and saw a huge military presence in the city with troop carriers mounted with .50 caliber machine guns. This photo of the Statue of the Martyrs in Beirut´s central square is a testament to Lebanon´s troubled past and uncertain future. Riddled with bullet holes, I found the image quite striking.

Jerash, a well preserved Roman city, is one of Jordan´s top draws. Known in Roman times as Gerasa, it had a population of about 15,000. During the time of Alexander the Great (333 B.C.) Jerash rose to prominence and reached its peak around 300 A.D. when it was granted the rank of Colony by the Romans. With the Sassanid invasion from Persia, the Muslim conquest, and finally a disastrous earthquake in 747, the city slipped into the pages of history.

The ruins of Gadara are set on a hilltop in the far northwest corner of Jordan and offer spectacular views of the countryside in Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the Golan Heights of Syria. In the distance, past the colonnaded courtyard, you can see Lake Tiberias known biblically as the Sea of Galilee, which lies 686 feet below sea level. In the Lord´s time there were nine cities on the shore of the lake, including Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Gergesa, each with a population of over 15,000. At the far right you can see the beginning of the columns that line the decamanus maximus, Gadara´s main road, running the entire length of the hill.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

St. Matthew 3:13-17

"Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto you the children of Israel for a possession."

Deuteronomy 32:49

The Dead Sea is to the left. Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, is the dark patch on the plain in the center. The Jordan River is the dark strip of green running from the Dead Sea northward.

As a lone traveller, what do you do when you see a sign that says "Warning! You are now leaving the main tourist area. It is advised that you proceed with a guide-led group or at least with one other person."? I chose to continue. After all, the place I was looking for was a mere 5 km off the edge of my guidebook map. Surprisingly, I didn´t see another tourist out there that day. A winding path led up to the summit of Jebel Haroun, built to honor Aaron/Haroun, Moses´s brother who was buried in this area. He is a significant Old Testament figure for Islamic, Christian and Jewish peoples alike. The panoramic views from the top of the shrine are by far the best in the area.

Early the next morning I found myself at the High Place of Sacrifice, which can be reached by following a footpath that leads up from the Street of Facades. The ancient inhabitants would bring a goat or sheep for the sacrificial rite and there were also some small pools in which to wash or bathe before performing the ritual. With the blood flowing the former inhabitants could take in some nice views of their surroundings.

The Al-Deir or Monastery is considered to be the best of Petra´s high places. It is reached by hiking up a long staircase cut into the rock or if you´re a tad leg weary a donkey ride is a reasonable alternative. However, I felt sorry for one donkey in particular as it laboured to carry a 300 pound jelly roll up the mountainside. A literal backbreaker.

From the Royal Tombs the main path turns west towards a significant area of Roman ruins. It leads to a colonaded street that passes the nymphaneum, the elevated Great Temple and the Temple of the Winged Lions. Most of these sights are little more than a few standing columns or reconstructed stone walls.

On my second day in Petra I went a little off the beaten path and instead of walking through the siq, I scrambled through the Wadi Muthlim slot canyon and emerged somewhat northwest of the Royal tombs where few tourists venture. Interestingly enough I came across an archaeological dig being conducted by students from BYU. It was in this area that I saw one of the huge cisterns that could store thousands of gallons of water. It looked as big as a two story house dug deep into the rock near one of the bigger houses.

Less protected from the elements than the Treasury, the exteriors of these tombs have seen the ravages of wind, heat, and water over the centuries. Some look very similar to waxworks whose features have been slowly melted away.

The two previous photos were taken from an area of living quarters below the opposite cliff. Who needs housepaint when the accumulated layers of the sands of time can provide you with this for your living room walls?!

I don´t know how many people lived in Petra during its golden age but the theater was able to hold 7000 people. It was also carved out of the side of the sandstone cliffs. Can you imagine what the place was like in its heyday?

A little further along the path you enter the Street of Facades and pass the shops and refreshment stands of the locals. The Nabataeans created this artificial oasis by controlling, capturing and cleverly using the water from the flash floods. Huge cisterns were used for storing it during the dry months and an ingenious system using the natural terrain features and the simple rule of gravity allowed for its general distribution. They also harnessed all the caravan trade that passed through the area and thus became exceedingly rich.

I spent three days in Petra which allowed me enough time to walk almost all of the trails the area has to offer. The area is quite large and, as I wrote before, it´s 1.5 km from the entrance to the Treasury and that´s just the beginning of all there is to see.

Al-Khazneh (the Treasury) was carved out of the sandstone walls of the surrounding cliffs. It is simply amazing. How did they do it and how long did it take? An architectural masterpiece in every way, shape and form. Y ou can pretty much have the place to yourself if you arrive anytime before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. The tourist onslaught has not yet begun or subsided by then. The only ones you´ll have to share it with are the camels and their owners.

The biggest draw for me to the Middle East was not the Pyramids, but Petra in Jordan. Ever since I first saw a picture of the Treasury I was fascinated and felt if I had the chance I´d have to go and visit. It´s about a 1.5 km walk through the siq (a natural gap in the rock created by an earthquake) to this point where it narrows to 3 meters and offers the first glimpses of the glorious Treasury, Petra´s most magnificent sight.

As the sun dipped low in the sky I reflected on a glorious day spent in this magnificent desert. My bedouin tent for the night is tucked into the side of this small cliff. Nature blessed me with an added bonus as in the midnight hour a full moon cast it´s ghostly light over the silent land.

Part of the magic of the desert is the changing colors of rock and sand as the sun sinks into the west or rises from the east. Bleached in the light of noon the hues become darker and richerwith the glowing orb low on the horizon.

This is one of a few natural rock bridges that can be found in the Wadi Rum protected area. I´m not exactly sure how high it is, but from where I was standing I´d say plenty not to mention that the place I was standing apppeared to be only a few inches wide. Needless to say I´m a little intimidated by heights.

It may be hard to believe but some bedouins still keep herds of goats in this region. Despite the arid conditions, they can still find enough water and fodder to keep their animals alive and well.

To go most places in Wadi Rum and especially those deeper in the desert you need to hire a jeep. This area was made famous by the Arab Revolt and T.E. Lawrence and some of "Lawrence of Arabia" was actually filmed here. This photo was taken from Lawrence´s Spring looking out towards Jebel Khazali, which has some early rock inscriptions.

The Makharas canyon narrows to only a few meters before eventually opening up to reveal some stunning desert scenery. As if that isn´t enough, a couple hundred meters further as you curve around the northern tip of Jebel Umm al-Ishrin you see this enormous red sand dune that seems to be flowing from the base of its slopes. This was perhaps the most memorable moment of my trip.

And just that quickly the tourist center is out of sight. My friend asked me if I was worried about getting lost. Not at all, especially since it´s not some vast expanse of endless desert sand. There are plenty of landmarks and besides, it is basically just a loop trail. Nevertheless, the trail is not marked and at this point I was simply exploring to see if I could find the Makharas Canyon that split the rock. This led me to the top of a small plateau and after surveying the area I was back on the right track

Jordan

After overnighting in Aqaba, I took an early morning taxi to Wadi Rum, one of my favorite places on the trip. At the visitors center you can start a three hour trek into the desert around the area of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the inspiration for T.E. Lawrence´s book of the same name. From the time I left to the time I returned I was alone with the silent beauty of the desert. Was I coming or going?

Just from a practical point of view a mosque is a great place to visit. A cool refuge from the midday heat, soft carpets to sit or recline on, the soft whispering of voices compared to the raucous tourist babble of some other places, and plenty of intricate architectural and decorative details to catch your roving eye.

At first glance you may think that the women draped in green are priestesses, but in fact they are tourists who had to don these special robes in order to cover themselves properly to gain entrance to the mosque. The Lonely Planet guidebook advises travellers to wear more conservative clothing as a sign of respect to the cultural beliefs of the people of the region, but it was not often followed from what I observed. I thought wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt would be too hot, but it wasn´t at all and totally protected me from the sun. I saw a couple of women sporting very short shorts and tank tops who looked like a couple of lobsters taken out of the cook pot. I was in pain just looking at them!

The Mosque of ibn Tulun is perhaps Cairo´s most imposing. It sits on a hill not far from the citadel and has wonderful views. You can look across the expanse of the city and make out the shapes of the Pyramids through the haze on the opposite side. Mosques are always interesting to visit as they play a central role in the lives of muslims. It´s great to sit and watch people as they come and go.

A strong desert wind kicked up the dust and sand as the sun set on my final day in Luxor. In a few hours I would be on the overnight train back to Cairo where I´d spend the last day of my Egyptian holiday.

The Valley of the Queens has over 70 tombs. Unfortunately, the Tomb of Nefertati, was closed to the public at the time I visited. It is not known if it will be reopened. The two tombs I visited (Titi and Amunherkhepshuf) were small but still worth seeing. In one the paintings on the wall showed the challenges of the gatekeepers in the afterlife complete with the answers to their questions. Hmm, interesting.

Quite naturally an area on the first terrace of Hatshepsut´s temple honors the goddess Hathor. It is thought that this is the reason some reliefs of Hatshepsut remain for it is one thing to erase the image of your predecessor but desecrating those things dedicated to the gods is something entirely different. Notice that though she is given a face she still retains the ears of the cow.

Surprisingly this image survived the desecration. In it Hatshepsut is literally sucking from the teet of the goddess, Hathor, often shown in the form of a cow. This was part of the myth perpetuated to legitimize her rule.

The Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut is the single most striking monument on the West Bank. At the time of the pharoah´s (her husband´s) death, there was only one young son of a minor wife that was in line to succeed him. Hatshepsut thought this was unacceptable, so she concocted an elaborate plan in which the gods, along with the goddess, Hathor, revealed to her that she was the rightful heir to the throne. She declared herself pharoah and even took up wearing the false beard that was a sign of the office, keeping the boy, Tuthmosis III, under her foot. After she died, Tuthmosis came to power and made it his goal to erase her memory from the history of Egypt. This temple was vandalised and desecrated and her obelisk in Karnak was walled up. That´s why today it is a bit two toned. The top only remained exposed to the sun and is lighter than the rest hidden behind the walls. Go back and have a look.

The barren Al-Qurn mountain, which looks rather like a pyramid itself, towers over the Valley of the Kings. So far, more than 60 tombs have been found here, the most famous of which is Tut´s tomb excavated by Howard Carter. The entrance can be seen in the center of the photo. While definitely the most visited it is not the most impressive, being smaller and less decorated than other tombs. Of the tombs I saw, I´d have to say that Ramses III´s was the best. A large, beautifully decorated corridor descends into a giant burial chamber which has a brilliantly colored mural covering walls and ceiling. Too bad no photos. Take a picture, they take your camera.

On the west bank of the Nile near Luxor is the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Tombs of the Nobles and many different temples. On your way there you pass the Colossi of Memnon, two 18 meter high statues that are all that´s left of a temple built by Amenhotep III.