Initial impressions of Jordan

After completing 5 years of volunteer service in the Holy Land, Muna and Allan are visiting Jordan to catch up with family and see as much as possible of this amazing land. One of the first things you notice in Jordan is the number of pictures of the monarchs, this one showing the current king; another with his late father, King Hussein, sighted on the motorway;and this one shows the current King's ancestry. Muna really loved this photo.After arriving on the east side of the Jordan river, we traveled to the house of one of Muna's brothers.This next photo is from the kitchen window of another brother's home; notice how hilly Amman is.
This is old Amman, with a main road leading to the market area down town.Traveling around, you realise that if a city is built on a series of 7 mountains, then a lot of high- rise apartments is inevitable.This is a new urban development project near the 7th circle --- roundabouts are used as markers to indicate the distance from down town.
These buildings under construction will be the tallest in Jordan.
One of our first stops was to visit Muna's old school, one of the best girl's schools in the country.
The corridors may have been painted interesting new colours , but the steps and hallways were very familiar, as was the old piano.
New facilities have been added; however, the playground area and parts of the original structure have not changed. The English spinster "Misses" who used to run the school have long left, but their legacy of creating one of the best educational establishments in the Middle East remains.Opposite the school is the first and still the best (so we are told) Chinese restaurants in Amman.Not sure that the advertisement for this shop (filtered drinking water) or the chairs set outside would entice me to enter!
Quite close to Muna's old home and school is the first Baha'i Centre of Amman --- it has not been in use for a long time.

We really walked down memory lane, quite literally, as Muna and the youngest of her four brothers visited the family home, not lived in for many years, and hence in a sad state of disrepair.
This alley was used for all sorts of games during the long summer holidays - but at that time surely they were much wider - or so it seemed at the time of childhood.
Kitchen entrance to the home where Muna lived for 10 years before leaving Jordan.
Side of the house - the alley was a public thoroughfare.
Next stop was to pay our deepest respects to Muna's parents, Nazenin and Abbas Delshad.

All around Amman olive trees abound.In our neighbourhood (where Muna's eldest brother lives) is a new mosque,
as well as two new churches
this one is called the Church of the Martyrs.
Look again, no it is not the Eiffel tower! This really is the TV aerial on a roof top --- most impressive!
Trimming trees in this curly-whirly shape is very popular.
In Jordan, extremes of wealth and poverty are apparent, with a lot of refugee camps, as well as mansions --- this one is a family home in our neighbourhood and not one of the royal palaces. It is a common practice to build a family home with a floor for each son for when he gets married (the bride usually goes to the family home of her husband). For a person from a western background, this may seem a strange or outdated patriarchal arrangement; however, family ties are very strong, and this arrangement ensures support for young mothers and the older members of the family is provided, and the family regularly eats together and everyone shares in the overall functioning of the family.
Apartment blocks are now more common.
This home looks more like a palace.
Nearby where we stayed was a horse stud, with a riding school.
and Australian eucalyptus trees abound in many locations around the country.
Being a desert climate, the plants have learned to survive, both the dry hot summers as well as the grazing sheep.
Although only mid February and still cold in the mornings and evenings, spring is on the way.
And finally, if you have the time, you can play a game of "snoker".

More impressions of Jordan to follow later.

Traveling in Jordan 1 - Christian Holy Sites

The country of Jordan, officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is described as a constitutional monarchy with a representative government. It is a country composed of a majority Sunni Muslim population, representing more than 90% of the total population of 6.5 million, with a minority of Christians making up around 6% of the people.

Every morning we awake to the sound of the Azaan, the Muslim call to prayer, emanating from the loud speakers in the minaret of a nearby mosque. However, you need to leave Amman to see the Christian Holy sites. On a recent trip we visited 2 Christian Holy Places - Madaba, a town with a sizable Christian population, and then the baptism site of Jesus. Both sites are fairly close to Amman as the following map shows.
Madaba's chief attraction is a wonderfully vivid, 6th-century Byzantine mosaic map, located in the contemporary Greek Orthodox church of St.George.The map shows, though not to scale, the entire region from Jordan and Palestine in the north, to Egypt in the south, The Mediterranean Sea in the west, and includes a fascinating plan of Jerusalem.

The entrance to the church is quite spectacular,
and includes a painting of St.George.
Madaba was sacked by the Persians in 614, and its destruction was completed by the earthquake of 747. It stood abandoned for over 1000 years until, around 1880, a group of about 2000 Christians settled here. In the process of rebuilding, they found the mosaics buried under the rubble.
The map was originally nearly 100 square metres in size, it contained over two million mosaic pieces; approx. a quarter of which exists today.
A pictorial of the remaining mosaics shows how extensive the original map was.

Inside the church hang iconic pictures --- most in mosaic --- often donated in memory of a family member who has passed away.



From Madaba the road winds down to the Dead Sea, into which the Jordan river flows. Along the way we passed by the site where Moses pointed out to the Israelites the promised land, having roamed through Trans-Jordan for some 40 years following their exodus from Egypt. A church has been erected on this hill known as Mount Nebo, with a metal staff depicting the staff of Moses. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified

The terrain is seemingly barren and stony, but the wadi (valley) structures in the surrounding hills are spectacular.
This desert is stony - not the sandy expanses found elsewhere in the Middle East.
Townships dot the surrounding hills and lower sections of these hills.
Unusual rock formations can be found as well. It is winter time when all the rain falls, so it looks relatively green now compared to the previous 6 months of last summer and a fairly dry winter until this month.
Nevertheless, not a place for the inexperienced hiker.
Although they may at first glance look like goats, these are indeed sheep.
As the water runs off the bitumen road, it collects in channels on the sides of the road so the grass grows best here - the lambs are white or brown and white.
Here is a cute little lamb showing off for the tourists!
The Bedouins own these sheep and still migrate with their herds in search of food for the animals, living in large tents in what appears an inhospitable terrain.
Not the type of sheep farming we are used to in Australia.
Close to the Baptism Site - which is recognised as the authentic site by most scholars, churches of different Christian denominations have been built, and more are under construction.
A spring mentioned by pilgrims, travellers and historians is called "John the Baptist spring", and is noted for its cool clear water.
A monument marks the site of three churches that were built on the spot where the baptism of Jesus took place.
The remains of these three churches can be seen in this photo, and our guide, an archeologist, has been involved in the excavation of the site for 13 years, after it was no longer a strictly military area. Indeed the site has only been open since 1998, after the peace accord was signed with Israel.
Sadly, on the day we visited, the place that is agreed as the exact location of the baptism, was a muddy area at the foot of a number of marble steps.
At other times, water is pumped from the river to fill the depression. Many Christian pilgrims come to this site and perform baptism ceremonies, normally in small groups and accompanied by the group's pastor. The following photo was obtained from the web and shows how the pilgrims get baptised - usually in the summer months:A walk of 500 metres is required before you come to the actual Jordan river today, which is no more than 4-6 metres wide. The most surprising thing along the way is a dense wooded area (albeit mostly tall dry reeds), known as the Jordan river forest.History records the river as being up to a one kilometre wide and swift flowing after rains, indeed the lower of the 3 churches at the baptism site was washed away in those early days of Christianity.
At this spot, the border between Jordan and Israel is very close indeed,
with soldiers on both sides looking very relaxed.
The flag of Israel flutters in the breeze - a country where we spent 5 blessed years as Baha'i volunteers in Haifa.
There was no tour group on the Israeli side, otherwise we could have exchanged food and drinks - it was so close!
As it has done for centuries, though sadly at a much reduced volume, the river Jordan winds its way to the Dead Sea. Reeds cover the banks, and fish, sensing the saltiness of the water, turn around to swim upstream.
A new Greek Orthodox church is close to the place where pilgrims and tourists can see the Jordan river today.
Inside are paintings and icons typical of these churches.



As we look back, we see the river Jordan --- scene of so much history and so many events, both old and new that define the current Middle East --- continue on its way, oblivious of the tensions that grip the region.

Next stop, Petra.