The hotel we stayed at in Aqaba brought new meaning to the term “Five Star”.
It was a beautiful hotel overlooking the
Red Sea and we were sorry that only one night was possible.
An excellent buffet was laid on with seating inside or out, depending on how hot or cool you want to be.
After our evening meal, we walked to a local convenience store to get some bottled water and saw a group of young men watching TV outside and smoking their hookahs.
When we arrived back at the hotel, the lobby was filled with cigar smoke as it is just fine to do that in
Jordan.
Kim led us in Morning Prayer on the bus as we left Aqaba. He chose Matthew 2:1 to read from to remind us that the gifts of the Magi – gold, frankincense and myrrh – were all part of a trade system that was controlled by the Naboteans in Petra where we will be heading. Petra is not mentioned in the Bible, so we’re going from the historical record on this one. Maybe the “three Kings” started from here.
The Nabateans were master traders and influenced a large area, including Damascus at the time of the Apostle Paul. They knew how to build elaborate systems to catch water in cisterns using open drains and clay pipe. These places, including Petra, controlled the camel (ships of the desert) caravans and the Nabatean tax system took a piece of the action as it passed through, providing safety in return.
At the time of John the Baptist, Herod Agrippa was married to the Nabotean daughter of Eritus IV, but that wasn’t enough for Herod as he took his brother’s wife as well. John the Baptist preached against that and for his trouble he was beheaded – but not before he baptized Jesus.
So as we drive north from Aqaba, we think about John the Baptist, the trade routes and power struggles, then and now.
We’re driving first to Wadi Rum, a place of incredible beauty and solitude, known as Desert of Mountains. Created by the action of water at what would have been an old river delta, the red sandstone rocks and hills fill in the desert like blobs of drippy chocolate cake. The action of rain and wind over time add to the effect. Lawrence of Arabia referred to one of the places we saw as The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. We were driven around in small trucks, sitting on benches in the truck bed. Stopping at a few places, we walked around and took in the breathtaking views and snapped away with our cameras. We were taken to a Bedouin tent and served hot, sweet tea before moving on to our next stop – a camel ride. Most of us got on and we led out into the desert by our Bedouin guides. We returned for lunch to a “million star” Bedouin tent hotel.
Driving on, we come to Little Petra, a smaller version of what we will see later. Rooms have been carved out of the soft sandstone and this would have been a stop for rest and refreshment as caravans moved through the area. The Nabateans dug a channel through the rock to gain access to an area surrounded by rock.
Our hotel – the Taybet Zaman in Wadi Mousa – is a former village, converted into a rustic stone complex that gave the effect of being in a place hundreds of years ago, if you could ignore briefly the modern amenities, which of course we can't.
That night, we went down to Petra and took part in Petra by Night. It’s a 45 minute walk down to the famous treasury building where we sat under the stars and listened to some local singing and flute music. It’s a beautiful place and the cool of nighttime, walking by candlelight was worth the long walk in and out.
No comments:
Post a Comment