The scenery? Outstanding. The food? Mouth-watering. The temperature? Difficult to get to sleep.
In the summer of 2018, I took a flight with my dear old mum so she could show me around my place of origin. The last time I went was when I was around two years old. Who can remember anything from when they were two? So, I jumped on the opportunity to take a flight to Jordan. And I, being a very infrequent long-haul traveller, was ecstatic to find out that Red Label was free on request. I mean, it would be rude not to.
As a student of Classical and Archaeological studies, the trip was also a goldmine for me to nerd-out.
The capital, Amman, is roughly the same size as London, but with half the population and very questionable, but fearless drivers. It seems that every driver is on their phone because as soon as the lights turn green, everyone behind the front car will beep… and keep beeping until they move. Very reassuring.
The view from the Roman 6,000-seater theatre in Amman, built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 CE). Look in the background and you can see the (pay-to-visit) Temple of Hercules, built between 162 and 166 CE.
If you do not want to stay in the south of Jordan, then both Petra and Wadi Rum can be seen in a day. It is exhausting in the heat, but enjoyable, nonetheless. After a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Amman, I finally arrived in Wadi Musa, the town closest to Petra. The entrance to the site is also near to a Bedouin (nomadic Arab people) settlement. Following the ancient and genius water conduit system for what seemed like miles (some of which I rode a miniature horse), I finally arrived at the entrance to Al Khazneh (the treasury; of course, one of the seven wonders of the world… https://world.new7wonders.com/wonders/petra-9-b-c-40-a-d-jordan/). From what we know now, the treasury never actually had any treasures in it but was built by the king of the Nabataeans sometime between his reign in 9 BCE and 40 CE as a mausoleum. The name came from the Bedouin’s because they thought it held great riches; the same people whose mini-horse I rode (maybe it was a donkey).
Everything was intricately carved out of the sandstone; the wallkway, the water conduit system and the 40 metre treasury itself.
Petra also has a theatre which was built under the same king who carved out the treasury. For those who have not visited (get yourself on a plane, what are you doing?), the site of Petra also has various settlements built into the sandstone. The site was also inhabited by the Romans in 106 CE. Check out the Zamani project for a 3D model of Al Khazneh and the theatre: https://zamaniproject.org/site-jordan-petra.html#header5-4t
The theatre at Petra: note the indented caves above the seats.
A climb above the designated path reveals small ancient homes, built deep into the sandstone.
The entrance to Wadi Rum, and every tourist spot in Jordan that I visited, is guarded by the Royal Jordanian Army. At Wadi Rum, everyone had their passports checked. A British passport, along with most others, is fine. But there was one person on the coach from Israel. Now, tensions between Israel and Jordan are “at an all-time low”, according to King Abdullah (see Israel-Palestinian conflict). She was a tourist like anyone else, but their passport was taken off for further investigation. After 20 minutes, we carried on into the desert. No problem here.
The entrance to Wadi Rum is not exactly flattering, but nothing prepares you for the beauty inside.
I briefly mentioned that the drivers in Jordan are not quite on the same level of safety as here in the UK. While everyone is driving in organised chaos, the remoteness of the deserts has different rules. My driver for the tour of Wadi Rum was about 12 years old (seriously). I mean, all he had to avoid were the protruding Mars-like rocks, towering above the scorching sand, not hard to miss. So, I guess it was okay? Wadi Rum (wadi meaning valley) is a vast desert and was where Matt Damon featured in the space-survival film The Martian (2015). Wadi Rum was also the setting for some of Prometheus (2012) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Pictures do not do it justice.
Wadi Rum: Minus the Toyota Hilux trails (the Middle East loves those cars), you can see why Hollywood film here for alien scenery.
Back to Amman now, and then to the family home in Ajloun which has a large Christian population. Ajloun has a cool medieval castle. According to some of the Christian communities who live there, a monastery was knocked down by the Ayyubids in the 12th century to build the castle. Whether or not the monastery was Christian or not, I have no idea. But there was certainly some structure before it. Climbing to the top rewards you with views for miles and miles. Word around the family is that my uncle Malik climbed the castle with some relatives. I will let you make your own judgement.
The view of Ajloun (above) from the deteriorating castle (below).
When I arrived at my family home, a goat bleating away under the shade of a pomegranate tree. It was pretty cute. I go inside to unpack, and my aunt asks like John Cena outta nowhere: “do you want to kill it?”
Hilarious, I thought to myself. “You’re joking.” She walked off, I unpacked. That was weird.
I go back outside after five minutes and this goats head severed head was laying on the floor. I was not in shock but I did not expect it to happen. I was naïve to think that there was not a Tesco around the corner to pick up some meat for a roasted kid goat leg and shoulder. We are so desensitised when we buy meat from the store, it came as a surprise, but it did not put me off. I was not going to go vegetarian. Of course, not one bit of the goat was wasted. A pinch of salt on some goat brain, lovely jubbly. The meat of the goat, with some yogurt and rice, is called mensef. A traditional Jordanian dish. Mensef is always better home-cooked, so when in the city I resorted to mostly hummus and falafel. You cannot beat the crispy falafel, fresh hummus and just-baked bread in Jordan.
Mensef: The eyes are a delacacy.
The Dead Sea beach was disgusting. The free section of the beach was littered with barbecue remnants, chicken wing bones, plastic and odd bits of wood. Many of the hotels own their own section of the beach, which is probably nicer, but who wants to stay at a hotel near the Dead Sea? There is not much to do there apart from seeing and dipping into the sea. But that can be done in 30 minutes. The sea itself, outstanding. Getting into the salty water can be tricky as the rocks and the calcium deposits are incredibly sharp. That coupled with the sun almost constantly cooking it; think about a cow being branded, but on your feet.
But the Dead Sea itself is dying.
Mineral extraction, climate change and the diversion of water from the Yarmouk River are causing the Dead Sea to recede. Unlike my hairline, this actually matters, and if this does continue then there will be no sea left for anyone to enjoy at all.
I spent 20 minutes in agony when I accidentally touched my eyes with the salty solution, and the closest fresh-water bottle was left boiling in the sun.
The state of the beach reduces from the uniqueness of the Dead Sea.
For more on the Dead Sea, see https://smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-dying-of-the-dead-sea-70079351/
For more on the relations between Jordan and Israel, see https://haaretz.com/amp/middle-east-news/relations-between-israel-and-jordan-worse-than-ever-king-abdullah-says-1.8164889
For more on the Bedouins, watch this documentary from Al-Jazeera: https://youtu.be/Fb-nVvfzbVI
