The Roman City of Jerash

Jerash is an ancient Roman city (formally known as Gerasa) located about 45min north of Amman. It contains some of the best Roman ruins in the Middle East.

Its peak was in the late 1^st Century AD. The Emperor Trajan built roads through the province & Emperor Hadrian visited the city in 129 AD.

The city was destroyed in an earthquake in the 8^th Century AD & then built over.

It was rediscovered in the early 1800’s & excavations have continued ever since.

We overheard a guide tell a tour group that what we see is about 20% of what existed. The rest is still buried.

It’s an amazing place to walk through.

I hope my photos do it justice.

Mount Nebo and Madaba

Mount Nebo is located about 45 min to the South-West of Amman.

It is supposedly where, after leading the Jews out of Egypt, Moses saw the Promised Land that he would never set foot in. He died soon afterwards & is supposedly buried on Mount Nebo.

The day we arrived there, it was quite hazy & we couldn’t see the Promised Land.

At the top of the mountain, you will find the remains of a 4^th Century church/monastery. That area was being renovated so we never got to see inside. They did have examples of some of the mosaics which were great to look at.

We then drove to Madaba. It’s called the “City of Mosaics”. The mosaics date back to around the 5^th or 6^th Century. They were only found (by chance) at the end of the 19^th Century & the steps began to preserve them.

The most famous of these mosaics is the “Madaba Map” located in the Basilica of St George. The reason it’s famous is that it depicts the hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta.

One section depicts Jerusalem which was important to scholars who, until its discovery, had no real idea about the layout of Jerusalem after its destruction in 70 AD.  

 

The Roman Road

Jerusalem on the Madaba Map

An overview of the complete Madaba Map

A better view of Jerusalem

 

First Day in Amman

We arrived in Amman around mid-morning so we had a full first day in the city.

After checking into the hotel, we got a taxi & headed down to Rainbow Street, in search of markets that the area was famous for.

It seems the markets have moved since the time Tania was last here but we did find a great cafe where we had a few drinks & smoked a sheesha.

 

In the evening, it was a catch up with some of Tania’s former work colleagues at this funky bar, back in the Rainbow Street area.

The kids were out of it completely by this stage & we struggled to stay awake as late as we did. It was a great night & it was lovely to finally meet Tania’s friends.

Welcome to Jordan !!

 

 

Jordan: A briefing

Jordan is a small country with a population of about 6.5 million.

As it’s located in a particularly troubled part of the region: it is surrounded by Israel to the West, Saudi Arabia to the South, Iraq to the East & Syria to the North, add another 3 million refugees (from Syria & Iraq) to the population.

It has a rich history going back to the times of the Ancient Egyptians & the Babylonians.

It has been ruled by the Macedonian Greeks & formed part of the Roman Empire in about 100 AD.

The Nabateans are the most famous of the local civilizations that ruled Jordan & were responsible for the building of Petra.  

The country is currently ruled by King Abdullah II, son of King Hussein who died in 1999.

The capital is Amman.

Jordan is only one of two countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel – the other country being Egypt.

Here’s a map of the country:

 

Arabian nights Tour 2013

In case you were wondering why I’ve not posted anything recently, it’s because Tania, myself & several others from the High Commission have just spent the last two weeks in the Middle East.

We travelled to Jordan & did a quick visit to Israel.

Over the next large number of posts, I’ll take you through our amazing adventure in a truly beautiful country that had it all: friendly people, great food & amazing sights & history.

So…stick around for the ride & I hope you like the photos.

 

Death of the Reverend

The Reverend Ian Weathrall passed away yesterday.

He was a familiar face to those of us here in Delhi – he was the priest who, since the 1950’s, has conducted pretty much all of the ANZAC Day & Remembrance Day services at the Delhi War Cemetery.

He was a familiar sight around Kahn Market & at his favourite coffee shop at Connaught Place.

He will be sorely missed.