Lynette Hinings-Marshall on Jordan

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TRAVEL

Jordan became an independent Hashemite Kingdom after theBritish relinquished its mandate in 1946. Even when its ancientNabataean city of Petra was designated a UNESCO world heritagesite in 1985, Jordan remained under th e tourist radar. Morevisitors came after Steven Spielberg chose Petra as the site forthe Holy Grail in his film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, buti t was in 2007 when Petra was listed as one of the New SevenWonders of th e World that Jordan became an internat ionaltourism destination.

I arrived at Petra in time to watch the sun set from my room atthe Movenpick hotel. Renowned for it s intricate arabesque interiordesign and collection of antiques and artwork, this five-star resortsits right at the entrance to Mis,Nabataean egacy that was Lost tothe world fo r over 1,000 years unt i l i ts re-discovery in 1812. 1would regretfully have to wait until the following morning to getmy first glimpse of Petra.

At first light my tour guide walked me to the entrance of AsSiq, a narrow 1,200-meter-long gorge that is the only way intoPetra. The Beduls have claimed ownership of this extraordinarylandscape and have convinced the Jordanian government thatonly Beduls.can guide inside Petra. Consequently, a l l visitorsmust hire a horse whether they use it or not. I thought it would bemore comfortable to r ide in a horse an d carriage. Init ially, Iworried that the ragged old horse may-not make it, and then aftera few bone-shaking minutes on the Roman-laid cobblestoneswondered if I would. My young dr iver explained that he wasstudying information technology at a university in Amman andupon graduation hoped to work for one of the national banks. So

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- - ----,-..--- -- - . .donkey defecation. Fortunately, the breathtaking beauty of thecarved, soft-pink rocks towering toward the heavens that greetedme at the summit would calm the most tumultuous soul. From avisitor's perspective and in the interest of preserving this worldheritage site it behooves the Jordanian government to takecontrol of the Bedul tribesmen. Perhaps Petra is an example of aleadership that is too tolerant? I would personally like to see Lawsprohibiting the Beduls from hammering nails into the ancientwalls to hang their cheap trinkets. None of the aforementionedhowever should deter anybody from visiting Petra. The giganticmountains of rock and vast, intricately carved mausoleums of adeparted race and culture tru ly are a unique partnership betweennature and man.

Jordan is a small, land-locked country of six million peopleI surrounded by Israe l and the West Bank to the west. Syria s~ t s

across the north, Iraq is northeast and Saudi Arabra runs southI right down to the Red Sea port of A l Aqabah where on a c lear day,you can see Is rael, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Including a substantial

Palestinian population, Jordon is 98 percent Arab [mainly Sunni' Muslims) and has provided refuge to many of the two m illion IraqiI war refugees. Such generosity has earned Jordan a reputation as

the most tolerant of the Middle Eastern nations. However, thedownside to this tolerance is the hyper-inflation of real estate

prices for Jordanians.In the capital city of Amman, Western-style dress is de rigueur

for young Jordanian wamen with their head-turning fitted jeansand stiletto heels. DowntownAmman offers fie-star hotel roomsranging f rom US$100 to US$150 a night-a rea l bargain.Regrettably, these low charges reflect a society with the problemsof double-digit unemployment and conspicuous pockets ofpoverty. I arrived during Ramadan, the month-long sunrise tosunset Muslim fast, but Jordanian legendary hospitality meantthat this did not adversely affect my vacation. Atthough I avoideddrinking an d eating In public during daylight hours, i t wasbusiness as usual at a l l hotels, and I would not have been treatedas a pariah if I had broken the fast. An advantage to being inJordan during Ramadan was the evening iftar which was evenmore sumptuous on an empty stomach. It commenced withsahlab [a date juice drink]. This was ceremoniously served from ahuge copper kettle adorned with clinking bells and slung over theback of the Bedouin-att~red erver. Surprisingly, the hotel staffsaid that they sell more food and drink during Ramadan than anyother time.

It was in Amman during iffar that I enjoyed mansaf, a nationalBedouin dish. Jameed (dried yoghurt] is mixed with water toproduce a creamy sauce. Th~ss poured into a Large stewing pot

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Dead Sea Beach


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long arrd fsurtean kilometers wide, this vast st r i tch of waterreceives a numberof incomingrivers, including the RiverJordan.

Once the waters reach the Dead %a t h y are \and-l.ock&.They then evaporate and Leave behind a dense, rich, concoctisn sf

relieve arthritis, rheumatism,pmrias~s, czema, headache andaching feat. These warm, ssothing waters that are almost ken ,t i m e sattier than sea water have attractedvisitors since the timeof Kjnq Herad the Graat and the Queen of Sheha, Reputedly, ewlnthe beautiful Queen Gleapatra travelled from disbnt Egypt tabuild the wr ld 's first spa at the Dead Sea. Today, it is the royaltyof Hollywoodwho use the watem of the Dead Sea as their spa.

Alarmingly, the Sea has allen 18meterssince 1970and is naw418 meters bebw sea level. The effect is dramatic. W k n the Einwith chunk of lamb and onions and placed over an open fire. As Gedi Spa opned ago, walked just few rtcpsthe stew begins to warm. it isstirred to prevent the yoghurt from the main building into the sea, Today theyhave waL or

and pghurt' *herdice is on of the rnastLy causedby he d i w m the Jordan River for gficu[tumoistened bread. fo~lowed y the rooked Lamb. Almonds, pine- Two and thePalsUinian sjgkernelsand other nuts ar e sprinkled mer the dish before sewing. the 'TWDSeas Canal" agcemetlt ta bring in fresh water f r mThis dish istraditjanalLy eaken sans u t l~ ry . Red Sea, but severalenvironmental groups have raised canA visit to Jwdan is not complete without seeing Jamh , so next that impct thenatural envimnmenl.complete example af a provincial Roman city. Jarash sits in a Highway is rec~rnmended.First stop was Mount Hebo~ l l e y ith a stream through the center and walnut and poplar Maresgered upon,fhe Pmmised Land. but was never permiend on the s b p s east of the Triumphal Arch can bp found flint

century mosaics. inhabited for at least 1,500In the fourth century 0.C..4exandet the Great began devebping center,Jarash trut it was under Roman rule that Jarash came into it s Karak, e fortress since bibl ical times, was next. I

reportedly here that the King of 1sraelbeoiqed the KingWhen Emperor Hadtian visited Jarash in A.0. 129 the citizens centuries the Crusaders .erected castcib in his honor. I t s recorded that during this time Jarash had a Itwas in Karak that Crusadersand Muslims traded wit

described it as uninhabitcd Fortunately, the ancient c i t y was ,hk it rwerted to Muslim hands and eventudly bemrnburisd for c tn tu r ies in sand which preserved i t Modern capital of the entire Memluk kingdom, &loman Turksexcavations began in 1925 and continue today. Allow many hours folLmed as N,&s of Karak until Arab Re-voltof

it was named Gems4 is a mustJordanwith Israel s half-owner of oneof the most speciaeular accordingly and four o fiwdayt if ou tan.naturaland spiritual Landscapw in the worid. the Oead Sea. Set in Shokmn i n d Ma'a salama.

the dramatic landscape of the Great Rift Vatley that &tends all


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Lynette Hinings-Marshall on Jordan

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