Holy Land Trip Day 11: Jaffa

The final day of our trip was much less hectic, much more relaxing and, consequently, much less interesting than those before. We spent the day in Jaffa (ancient Joppa), which is now more or less a suburb of Tel Aviv. It was nice to be on the waterfront, and to see what there was to see, but it didn't blow us away.

A bit of the more modern history (as opposed to the ancient or Biblical history) of Joppa will set the stage:

There used to be a saying among German and Dutch sailors, when a task was particularly difficult, and there was small chance of survival or success. They would say that to carry out that task was "to go to Jaffa beach." This saying came from the fact that the water around the port of Jaffa is shallow and peppered with sandbars and rocks that it is difficult for ships to avoid. Pilgrims who arrived to the Holy Land via this port were often dismayed to find that their ship had to stop a great distance from shore, and that they then had to ride smaller boats, or even walk through the water, to get to the land. But yet it was an important port, and may well be one of the oldest in the world, used by both the Canaanites and the Philistines.

It was conquered by Napoleon on March 7, 1799, during his conquest of the Holy Land. He was so angered by the residents' resistance that when his soldiers finally broke into the city, he slaughtered its inhabitants. Many of his own soldiers then died of plague they contracted through proximity to all of the rotting corpses. Two years after that horrible event, visitors to Jaffa said they could still smell the stench of decaying bodies. Lovely place indeed!

But for a town that has seen so much violence, its modern incarnation is very pleasant and peaceful. It prides itself on being a home to contemporary artists, and expensive showrooms line most of the small streets. The restaurants along the water are popular hangouts for locals, and we had one of the best meals of our trip there.


LOOK, I'M A HISTORICAL SITE!

In fact, the first thing we did there was eat. We had breakfast at a well-known local establishment, the Aboulafia Bakery. I had a doughnut. A real doughnut, warm and rolled in granulated sugar. That may sound like a simple pleasure, but it was the first time in months I had had one, and eating it while sitting on a bench overlooking the sea was just wonderful.

Our first visit was to the Visitor's Center in Kedumim Square, where some ruins of Roman houses have been excavated and filled with amusing mannequins:



There was also an extremely entertaining film shown there.

Another other building of note in the square is the Monastery of St. Peter, built in 1891 over the ruins of a Crusader fortress:



Just off the square, up a small hill, is the Wishing Bridge. It is decorated with bronze images of the 12 signs of the zodiac, and if you stand clasping your sign and make a wish while looking out towards the sea, it is supposed to come true. I can verify that it does not work. Or maybe it didn't work for me because I could not reach far enough to touch both of my signs, Sagittarius and Capricorn, since I am one of those rare people born on a day that falls between two signs. We will have to go back to see if Peter's wish came true, because he wished that they would make a better-looking image of his zodiac sign (the ram) to put on the bridge.



Other sites in Jaffa include this interesting living statue:


A SUSPENDED ORANGE TREE IN THE ARTISTS' QUARTER.

Since the late 19th century, oranges have been the main export of Jaffa, and many of you have probably had some of the famous Jaffa oranges at some point.

Jaffa (Joppa) was also the port from which Jonah embarked when he tried to flee from God, and was eventually swallowed by the big fish (Jonah 1:3). A whimsical statue commemorates this event:



Joppa was also one of the places where the apostle Peter stayed for some time, at the house of a man named Simon the Tanner (Acts 9:43). The house is still there (sure), but it was locked when we went by.

For those more interested in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the port of Joppa was famous as the site where Andromeda was chained up as an offering to a sea monster, and where Perseus swooped in with the head of Medusa and saved her. Here is the actual rock:


YES, THAT LITTLE ROCK OFF TO THE RIGHT OF THE PICTURE. WOW, RIGHT?

It's really not very impressive at all, especially when you consider how shallow the water is around it. Some seamonster!

It was a pleasant day, and just what we needed to unwind from the intense touring we had been doing for almost two weeks.

A JAFFA MYSTERY: WHAT IS THIS MACHINERY? ANYONE? DAN PERHAPS? FOY?




THIS IS IT IN A VERY DEEP HOLE

But we had one more task to complete before making it back to the Research Center that night. We were bringing Tsameret's two children back from Tel Aviv to Istanbul. I was slightly surprised that we were even allowed to leave the country with them, since they have Israeli passports and we do not.


SHEKED IN THE AIRPORT.


ILAN AND YUVAL.

Their father, Ilan, was able to come with us to the gate, but even so I would have thought security would have been tighter. But of course we are all glad it was not. The plane ride home was VERY bumpy -- much more than usual, even with some weather turbulence. The kids thought it was great fun, but Peter and I were quite nervous. Of course the littlest, Yuval, fell asleep only about 10 minutes before we landed, so for a few hours we were very busy entertaining two kids that we don't even share a language with! But it was fun, and we came out of it with a new respect for parents traveling with small children.

We finally made it back home, completely exhausted, but with much to contemplate. History, religion, politics -- the trip changed or augmented our understanding of many things. It was a very valuable experience indeed.

Holy Land Trip Sidenote: The Streets of Jerusalem

There's only one more day of our time in Jerusalem to write about, but I thought before I did that it would be nice to share some of the photos I took that are not OF any one particular thing. They capture the streets of Jerusalem, some odd things we noticed, even some interesting people. Hope you enjoy them!


A LITTLE BIT OF HOME IN THE HOLY CITY. UNLIKE HOME, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOLDIERS AND HEAVILY ARMED POLICE EVERYWHERE.


MANY OF THE STREETS IN THE OLD CITY ARE NARROW AND COVERED, AND THERE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING AREAS TO PHOTOGRAPH.


SERIOUSLY, WHOEVER THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO RENT SEGWAYS IN JERUSALEM MUST HAVE BEEN INSANE. THE ENTIRE CITY IS COVERED IN STAIRS. AND LOOK -- EVEN ONE OF THE GUYS ON THE BILLBOARD ISN'T HAVING FUN! MAYBE BECAUSE HE KEEPS FALLING DOWN STAIRS?


ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS KID WAS DOING PRETTY WELL ON HIS ROLLERBLADES.


THERE IS ONE AREA WHERE LITTLE JEWISH BOYS ARE ALWAYS PLAYING DODGEBALL (ABOVE AND BELOW). DANGEROUS FOR TOURISTS!




THIS KID JUST REALLY WANTED TO HAVE HIS PICTURE TAKEN.


WE WERE A BIT SURPRISED TO SEE SANTA CLAUS.


OLD MEETS NEW IN A SIDE ROOM OF THE MEDRASA IN THE DOME OF THE ROCK COMPLEX.


THERE ARE SO MANY INTERESTING ASPECTS TO THE COSTUMES MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS WEAR IN JERUSALEM. THESE JEWISH HATS ARE REALLY UNUSUAL.

Holy Land Trip Day 5: Petra!

Oh boy, this post is going to be difficult to write. Let me start by saying that Peter and I both agree that Petra is a spot that completely met all of our expectations. That is really saying a lot. It is beautiful, atmospheric, and really, really impressive. If it's not already on your list of things to see, it absolutely should be!

I'm going to use the space to post more than the usual number of pictures, since they really convey best the sense of the place. I'll put in captions where I think they are necessary.

But a LITTLE background (I just can't help myself). Petra, sometimes called the "Rose-Red City" was dug primarily out of the sheer rock of the canyons and gorges just north of the Wadi Rum desert in southern Petra. It was constructed by a civilization called the Nabateans. Historians don't know exactly where they came from, but they took over this area from the Edomites. They inhabited the site of Petra, their capital, from approximately the 3rd century BC through the 1st century AD, when the Romans moved in, made them allies, then more or less absorbed them (apparently). At the height of its glory, the city housed probably 20,000 people. The Nabateans were obviously a very advanced civilization, as you can see plainly from looking at their buildings. They also were a literate society, and archaeologists and linguists have deciphered their writing, the cursive form of which was actually the basis for the modern Arabic alphabet. We know who their gods and goddesses were, and a little bit about their way of life.

Most of the monuments you will see in these pictures were constructed by the Nabateans in the 1st century BC, although the theater is later, from the Roman period, as are a few of the temples. Also, most of what you will see are tombs and structures related to religion.

The people in the pictures are Bedouins. They have inhabited this area for centuries. In the 1980s, the Jordanian government built a nice little community for them outside the Petra park, but about 35 families have moved back into the park and live in some of the Nabatean rock-cut constructions scattered throughout the area. The others come into the park everyday. They make their living by selling handicrafts to the tourists, and giving rides on horses, donkeys and camels. It's very tempting to take them up on those -- the site is huge! Before you even really get in, it is a mile on foot from the gate to the city: a half mile through a valley and another half mile through the siq (see below). I don't know how many miles we walked (and climbed) that day, but we certainly got our exercise.

So now I'll start your "tour" of the site, and post the pictures in the order that we visited the various areas. I'll also write a few impressions here and there:


WALKING THROUGH THE SIQ, YOU CAN ADMIRE THE NABATEANS' ENGINEERING ABILITY: SEE THE WATER TROUGHS THAT RUN ALONG BOTH SIDES? IT GOES ALL THE WAY FROM A DAM IN THE VALLEY INTO THE CITY. IT WAS COMPLETELY ENCLOSED LIKE A MODERN PIPE, BUT IS NOW OPEN. THE PAVING STONES ARE ALSO ORIGINAL!


THE SIQ GETS NARROWER AND NARROWER, AND DARKER AND DARKER, THEN SUDDENLY, THERE IT IS! THE "TREASURY", THE MOST FAMOUS MONUMENT IN PETRA.


OK, SO NOT ALL BEDOUINS RIDE CAMELS AND DONKEYS. BUT THE TRUCK DOES GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE SCALE!

We were almost the first people there -- two young men made it in ahead of us, but we never saw them again. Until noon when we came down to the main area for lunch, we had the place mostly to ourselves, besides the Bedouins. That is really rare!


SOME BEDOUINS IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE TOMBS THAT IS NOW UNDER SCAFFOLDING (OF COURSE).


PETRA TAXI SERVICE


THIS HAS TO BE THE WORST JOB IN THE PLACE

The first thing we did was climb to the "High Place of Sacrifice." As advertised, it was high. Along the way, we acquired a kitty "guide" who climbed with us most of the way in return for some cheese and water.



Here are some views of, and from, the High Place of Sacrifice:




THE TOMB OF AARON ON THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN PETRA: THREE HOURS BY HORSE PLUS A THREE HOUR CLIMB AWAY.

On our way back down by a different route, we saw quite a few monuments, and met some Bedouins:


PETER INSPECTS THE TRICLINIUM TOMB


THE INTERIOR OF THE TRICLINIUM IS CARVED, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BEAUTIFUL NATURAL PATTERNS IN THE ROCKS


THE NABATEANS ALSO CARVED IMAGES INTO THE CLIFF FACES. THIS IS THEIR GODESS, AL-UZZA, WHO HAD THE FORM OF A LION.

Sometimes, as we climbed the rocks, we heard sounds that we could not identify, and we could not see any source for them. They might have been birds, animals, or maybe even the Bedouins. They must have some language they can use to communicate over a great distance in these canyons. There is also a certain type of bird that lives there that mimics the sound of a laughing child, so we often did not know what we were listening to. The donkeys and camels also often made loud noises that echoed around off the rocks.

We saw many Bedouin women and their children. Many of the women have tattooed faces.


THIS BEDOUIN GIRL WAS SORTING ROCKS TO SELL TO TOURISTS


HER FAMILY ALSO HAD A BABY GOAT THAT THEY WERE MILKING WITH A BOTTLE


THIS IS A VIEW FROM THE OLD MUSEUM, WHICH IS IN ONE OF THE CAVE-STRUCTURES. I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT PROVES HOW FEW PEOPLE WERE THERE THAT DAY. FEBRUARY IS THE PERFECT TIME TO VISIT!

After a break for an awesome buffet meal, we were ready for another adventurous climb, this one up more than 800 stairs (some original, carved Nabatean stairs, some put in for the benefit of modern tourists). Our goal this time was the largest monument in Petra, know as the Monastery. It is on another peak opposite the High Place of Sacrifice. There were more tourists making this trek than to the High Place, but we still had some of the trail to ourselves. We could have taken donkeys, but we didn't.



It is difficult to describe what it is like to come to the top of the mountain, turn a corner, and see this massive construction. It may have been a temple, and it was almost definitely used as a church after the Nabateans converted to Christianity in the 4th century -- there are many crosses carved on the inside, although we did not go in.


CAN YOU FIND ME?


THERE I AM! I WAS IMPRESSED WITH MYSELF FOR CLIMBING THAT BIG ROCK UNTIL I SAW THIS YOUNG BEDOUIN GUY:


LOOK AT THE PICTURES OF THE MONASTERY AGAIN. HE IS HANGING FROM THE VERY TOP! SHOWOFF!

From There, there was only one place we could go:






A JORDANIAN SCARECROW?

From the viewpoint at the "End of the World" we could see the Arabian Desert stretching out just beyond the mountains. That adventure will have to wait for another trip.




YOU CAN SEE THE ARABIAN DESERT BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS.

By the end of the day we again had the place almost to ourselves, again except for the Bedouins:


WAIT A MINUTE...THIS ISN'T QUITE RIGHT!


DOING HOMEWORK ON THE WAY HOME ON THE "SCHOOLBUS"

We took the advice of a young Bedouin and climbed to the platform of one of the Royal Tombs to watch the sun set. We were not the only ones with the idea:




WATCHING THE SUNSET FROM THE ROYAL TOMBS


HAVING A SMOKE AT DAY'S END


Below us, a Bedouin boy sauntered by on his donkey, playing on some kind of flute. Besides that and the sounds of the camels who were restive at the end of the day, it was completely peaceful. After the sun went below the horizon, we made our way back to the entrance. By the time we were halfway back through the siq it was almost completely dark and very, very still. Thankfully, it was light enough outside the canyon to easily find our way back along the road to the visitor's center. Along the way we turned down one last offer for a horseback ride to the gate -- VERY tempting at that point! When we got back to the entrance, we had to stop for one more picture:


ME AND MY HERO!

We left Wadi Musa right away and drove back to Madaba for the night. We took the Desert Highway this time, because we knew it was straight, and thought it would be faster. We had no idea that it had speed bumps every few miles. Imagine, a highway with speed bumps! Also, the guy at our hostel had told us there would be somewhere to stop and eat on the way. Sure, if you count butcher shops with big raw hunks of eat hanging in the windows. Apparently there is no concept of fast food in Jordan, or of having any kind of services along the main highway. We did not want to wander off into a little town in the dark with no idea of where we were going, so we stuck it out and got back to Madaba almost 3 hours later, very hungry and kind of cranky. The owner of our hotel was kind enough to order food sent over for us. I guess that's the kind of service you get when you are the only guests in the place.