Monday, November 2, 2015
Due to a technical error of mine, my account of the rest of Saturday's activities disappeared into the cyber void. So a quick recap, minus the original deathless prose, and then an account of Sunday's activities.
SATURDAY
After lunch we drove to Jerash, about 45 minutes out of Amman. It is the most extensive visible set of Graeco-Roman ruins other than Athens and Rome. A substantial portion of the city grid as been excavated, revealing temples, theaters and paved streets. In ancient times it was called Gerasa, and was one of a chain prosperous trading cities called the Decapolis, extending from Turkey to Egypt. Jerash was one of the Emperor Hadrian's favorite places to stop on his travels. And no wonder. The city had a hippodrome, two theaters, a Nymphaeum, temples to Jupiter, Diana and Bacchus, and the Roman equivalent of a shopping mall.You enter the city through a massive arch commemorating Hadrian, proceed past the Hippodrome, go through the South Gate ( a classic three opening arch, smaller than Hadrian's) to the large circular central plaza, or forum, ringed by Corinthian columns. Opening off the plaza is the Cardo Maximus, the city's Main Street. It extends not quite half mile from the South gate to the North gate and is lined all the way on both sides with Corinthian columns. It's paved with the original paving stones on which the grooves worn by chariots are still visible. A sewer runs beneath the paving stones, with stone manhole covers many of which still have their metal handles. When the Byzantines took over the place, they built a number of their distinctive basilica-style churches. One of them, the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian has been excavated, revealing a beautiful mosaic floor. Walking along the Cardo Maximus, with its Corinthian columns on either side, you can imagine that you've been transported through time to the Roman Empire at its zenith. Jerash is a magical, classically beautiful place.
At about 2:30PM, we hustled back to our van to hurry back to Amman so we could get to the Citadel Hill before it closed at 4PM. The traffic was horrible, but we just made it. Amman is a city of seven hills, and this is the highest, making suitable for a fortified stronghold. The massive Bronze Age walls, wide enough to walk upon, still stand and encircle the site. Biblically, it was the Ammonite capital, Rabbath Ammon. Thereafter it was occupied by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and the Ummayad Dynasty. All of them left their archaeological mark, most notably the Romans, whose Temple of Hercules once dominated the site. All that's left are three huge and complete columns two of which are still joined by their original lintel. Nearby lie parts of a gigantic fist and elbow , the only remains of a statue of the God/Hero.
"Two vast and trunk less legs of stone stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies..."
The Ummayads left a gorgeous example of eighth century Islamic architecture, large reception hall, which with its recently restored domed roof still stands complete. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the place is the 360 degree panorama of all of Amman. If you happen to be there at exactly sunset, you will hear the evening call to prayer echoing all around you as dusk falls.
SUNDAY (Nov. 1) A drive to Petra and an All Saints Day Service in Amman.
Most of arose around 5AM to board the van at 6 for the three hour drive South to Petra. Our guide George, God Bless him, kindly fortfied us with cups of strong coffee at the start. We did pause mid morning for a Jordanian breakfast at a very nice rest stop where we also stocked up on snacks for the day.
After another hour or so, we reached Petra. Perhaps one of the best known ancient sites in the world, partly due to the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," the last scenes of which were set there, is much more than the imposing facade of the Treasury used in the movie. Its geology is unique. Deep in the bottom of an ancient river valley surrounded by mountains, it's sandstone walls have been intricately carved into imposing columned facades behind which were located family burial chambers. Some of them were merely carved as a vanity project of a prominent or wealthy person to celebrate his own magnificence. The famous Treasury and nearby Greek-style theater both carved from sandstone are approached through a very narrow, sinuous slot canyon called the "Siq," that was formed by eons of water and wind erosion. From the visitors center to the treasury is a downhill walk of about 1.3 miles. Our group walked down together with our guide who gave a Master's Degree level explication of the geology and history of the place. Just for fun, several of us mounted camels at the Treasury and rode the short distance to the theatre and back. Returning to the top was a brisk uphill walk. But the sky was a brilliant blue above the multi-colored canyon walls. An exhilarating experience.
After some souvenir acquisitions, we drove back to Amman to attend an evening All Saints Day Eucharist at Redeemer Anglican Church, conducted in Arabic and English by the Rector, Faeq Haddad and our group leader, The Rev. Bill Sachs. He preached the sermon in English, familiar hymn tunes were sung by us in English and robustly by the congregation in Arabic. The liturgy was conducted mostly in Arabic. But the spirit was present for all, dissolving the linguistic and cultural differences. And in typical Anglican/Episcopal style, everyone mingled over coffee afterwards. The Redeemer folks were so welcoming and eager to talk, you forgot you weren't in your own Parish Hall. After coffee we met with members of the churches vestry to explore ways we could build a working relationship on issues and projects of common concern. A frank and potentially fruitful discussion.
