Southern Excursion
This week we did our excursion to the southern areas of Jordan to wrap up the Northeastern Dialogue part of the trip.
Our first destination was to Dana Nature Preserve. On the way we stopped at a rest stop/gift shop/restaurant to eat lunch. It's always strange thinking about businesses that thrive entirely from people in transit stopping to eat, use the bathroom, and whatnot. In a sense, a lot of towns in this region only exist because of the Hajj to Mecca and the Silk Road, such as Ma'an in the south of Jordan. So it almost seems like a continuation of an existing tradition. It was a big place too, so there must be a fair number of travelers on this route to sustain such a business. It's also strange to think about gift shops in the middle of Jordan having souvenirs for places that are dozens to hundreds of kilometers away, like souvenirs for Petra, Jerash, Aqaba, etc. I'm imagining having a snow globe of Petra or something in your living room, actually from a random shop in the middle of the desert instead of Petra.
We arrived at Dana Valley, which is part of a nature preserve by the Jordanian government. The view at Dana is incredible. From the tiny village of Dana, we could look right down the valley, seeing several different ecosystems, and even look down upon majestic birds flying. At night, Israeli towns light up against the dark sky at the mouth of the valley. Our hike happened in the afternoon before sunset and iftar, where we hiked basically down the edge of the valley. Dana village was settled and inhabited during Ottoman times. In the modern era, although many people in the village and the area moved to Amman for opportunity, the government supports places like Dana to preserve its historical way of life and maintain its tourism industry.
Our second destination was Shobak Castle, which was also known as Montreal. It was a crusader castle actually built by crusaders this time, unlike Ajloun Castle. The castle overlooked the surrounding landscape for miles. Actually visiting these sites, it's very clear to see the strategic importance of the location, and the advantage building such a castle offers. The top of the castle has a view that extends for miles. The walls of the castle provide plenty of protection from invaders, and the whole site is on a hill itself which is a bit of a hike to climb. Overall, invading and storming this castle does not look like a good time. Especially in the middle of the desert, access to water is always a concern. However, the people who built Shobak Castle tapped into the mountain they built the castle on and found an underground aquifer. When we got into the castle, there were several tunnels that dug into the mountain, with water apparently being at the bottom of the tunnels. We didn't go far enough to find the water (aside from a discarded water bottle) but we did get to explore the tunnels a fair bit. The tunnels still raise a number of logistical questions. How did they get water while they dug the tunnels? How did they move all the displaced earth in an efficient manner? How long did it take to build the freaking tunnel? How did they even know there would be water in the mountain before digging the tunnel? What if they were mistaken and the tunnel just led to more dirt? Are there "misfire" tunnels around the castle that just lead to nothing, in failed attempts to find water? Allahu 3aalim (only God knows).
Our third destination was Wadi Musa, a modern town built next to Petra. Petra used to survive on a spring outside the city, that flowed into the city. That spring is one of the candidates for the spring created by the Moses/Musa/موسى hence the name Wadi Musa. The town is also built on the edge of a valley. It's quite the sight.
Our fourth destination was Petra itself. Petra was breathtaking as usual. I wish we had more time there.
Our fifth destination was Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum was breathtaking as usual, just like Petra. Against the flat desert horizon, moonrises look spectacular. I don't think I've ever watched a moonrise before.
Our sixth destination was Aqaba. One thing that would be interesting to look at in depth is the history of Aqaba in relation to the Great Arab Revolt in 1917/1918 and how much it shaped the identity of the city. In the city we saw a giant Great Arab Revolt flag flying. There's a plaza dedicated to the Revolt. In the West, the Great Arab Revolt is a footnote in history, since it most likely had minimal effect on World War I as a whole as far as the West is concerned. Western histories that I've read seem to say that the event didn't divert very much Ottoman attention away from the European fronts towards their Arab subjects. Over here, however, the Great Arab Revolt seems to loom much larger in history. That event helped shape the Levant politically, and placed the Hashemites into a position of power (sort of). Part of the Jordanian national mythos seems to emphasize the importance of the Great Arab Revolt as a moment when the Arab people threw off the yolk of the aging and decaying Turkish Ottoman Empire, and as the moment when the Hashemites displayed great leadership and proved their legitimacy as the rulers of Jordan. Sharif Hussein seems like a George Washington figure over here. So it'd be great to learn more about this event in Jordanian history and how Jordanians perceive it.
We arrived at Dana Valley, which is part of a nature preserve by the Jordanian government. The view at Dana is incredible. From the tiny village of Dana, we could look right down the valley, seeing several different ecosystems, and even look down upon majestic birds flying. At night, Israeli towns light up against the dark sky at the mouth of the valley. Our hike happened in the afternoon before sunset and iftar, where we hiked basically down the edge of the valley. Dana village was settled and inhabited during Ottoman times. In the modern era, although many people in the village and the area moved to Amman for opportunity, the government supports places like Dana to preserve its historical way of life and maintain its tourism industry.
Our second destination was Shobak Castle, which was also known as Montreal. It was a crusader castle actually built by crusaders this time, unlike Ajloun Castle. The castle overlooked the surrounding landscape for miles. Actually visiting these sites, it's very clear to see the strategic importance of the location, and the advantage building such a castle offers. The top of the castle has a view that extends for miles. The walls of the castle provide plenty of protection from invaders, and the whole site is on a hill itself which is a bit of a hike to climb. Overall, invading and storming this castle does not look like a good time. Especially in the middle of the desert, access to water is always a concern. However, the people who built Shobak Castle tapped into the mountain they built the castle on and found an underground aquifer. When we got into the castle, there were several tunnels that dug into the mountain, with water apparently being at the bottom of the tunnels. We didn't go far enough to find the water (aside from a discarded water bottle) but we did get to explore the tunnels a fair bit. The tunnels still raise a number of logistical questions. How did they get water while they dug the tunnels? How did they move all the displaced earth in an efficient manner? How long did it take to build the freaking tunnel? How did they even know there would be water in the mountain before digging the tunnel? What if they were mistaken and the tunnel just led to more dirt? Are there "misfire" tunnels around the castle that just lead to nothing, in failed attempts to find water? Allahu 3aalim (only God knows).
Our third destination was Wadi Musa, a modern town built next to Petra. Petra used to survive on a spring outside the city, that flowed into the city. That spring is one of the candidates for the spring created by the Moses/Musa/موسى hence the name Wadi Musa. The town is also built on the edge of a valley. It's quite the sight.
Our fourth destination was Petra itself. Petra was breathtaking as usual. I wish we had more time there.
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| A doggo taking a nap at the foot of the Treasury |
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| A bold claim. Petra is like a postcard factory with all its great views. |
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| An even bolder claim |
Our sixth destination was Aqaba. One thing that would be interesting to look at in depth is the history of Aqaba in relation to the Great Arab Revolt in 1917/1918 and how much it shaped the identity of the city. In the city we saw a giant Great Arab Revolt flag flying. There's a plaza dedicated to the Revolt. In the West, the Great Arab Revolt is a footnote in history, since it most likely had minimal effect on World War I as a whole as far as the West is concerned. Western histories that I've read seem to say that the event didn't divert very much Ottoman attention away from the European fronts towards their Arab subjects. Over here, however, the Great Arab Revolt seems to loom much larger in history. That event helped shape the Levant politically, and placed the Hashemites into a position of power (sort of). Part of the Jordanian national mythos seems to emphasize the importance of the Great Arab Revolt as a moment when the Arab people threw off the yolk of the aging and decaying Turkish Ottoman Empire, and as the moment when the Hashemites displayed great leadership and proved their legitimacy as the rulers of Jordan. Sharif Hussein seems like a George Washington figure over here. So it'd be great to learn more about this event in Jordanian history and how Jordanians perceive it.
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