Goodbye to an enjoyable, amazing and engrossing Syrian visit. Time to cross the Syrian/Jordanian border at Der’a and drive to the provincial town of Irbid for one night before heading on to Amman, Jordan.
Breakfast, and the first stop today was Jerash, one of the best preserved cities of the Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Roman cities. This is Greco-Roman Jordan at its best with perhaps the best preserved and most complete, provincial Roman city anywhere in the world. Jerash was built around a colonnaded main street and several intersecting side streets, a well-planned city. There is Hadrian’s Arch, colannaded streets, two Theaters – the south Theater and smaller north Theater called the Odeon, the Temple of Zeus, Artemis Temple Complex, baths and 14 churches.
The peace accord between Jordan and Israel took place a short two years before this visit and now Jerash was filled with Israelis and Jordanians, singing, hugging and dancing together in its gorgeous and ancient theater. Since ex-Marine and I had devoted considerable time to Jerash on our first visit in 1989, we hung out and watched archaeologists busily excavating a new section, piecing together fragments. Visit Jerash…
Onwards for an overnight in Amman before continuing through Jordan. It was a shock coming out of the Syrian desert into very modern Jordan, and drive past new mega-mansions on the outskirts of Amman. No matter where you are in the world, when you’ve got it…you’ve got it…
Continuing on one of the oldest trade routes in the world called “the Kings’ Highway,” we arrived in the old Moabite town of Madaba. (Just saying the word “Moabite” sent me back thousands of years.) Since we had also visited St. George’s Church where the exquisite and famous Madaba Mosaic Map is located, (read tomorrow’s post…Wadi Zarqa Ma’in and the Madaba Mosaic Map) just sat around and waited for those in the group who did enter St. George’s to see the map. There is an entrance fee but don’t miss this either.
It was only 10 km/6.2 miles to Jebel Neba, otherwise known as Mount Nebo (817m/2,680′), an elevated ridge from where Moses was allowed by God to see the Promised Land but forbidden to enter. Mount Nebo is also supposed to be Moses’ burial site. Great views from the top. The West Bank and Jericho, Israel across the Dead Sea, River Jordan valley and Jerusalem on a very clear day (today wasn’t that day).
It was Mount Nebo that completed the rest of ex-Marine’s and my very basic bible history. Names like – Canaan, Edom, Moab, Midian, Philistines and Phoenicia now meant something. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to have slept and hiked in the Sinai Desert including an early morning trek up Mt. Sinai (no commandments when we were there). Seen almost every important Christian, Jewish and Muslim holy site in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Yemen (think Queen of Sheba and King Solomon). Entered churches, synagoges, and mosques that gave an opportunity to learn more about religion and history. Saw, smelled and purchased Frankincense used in Biblical times (and still used today for perfumes) in Yemen. Wonderful tour guides filled our heads with facts and history about the Frankincense Route. It was only by traveling and visiting these countries that the past really came to life.
