Shaky Legs

The "Treasury" (actually a royal tomb), Petra

I am comfortably sitting in a beautiful hotel in the heart of Amman, Jordan this evening. Amman, unlike so much of the rest of the country we have seen, is a modern, clean, beautiful city. Under various names, it has been the capital of Jordan for somewhere around 3,000 years according to our guide. It retains a distinctly middle eastern/Islamic feel while still showing off western influences (like McDonald's, DQ and Starbucks, all of which we saw on the way into town). (No, I did not get any Starbucks.) (Yes, I'm a little disappointed.)

Arrival in this city comes after a long day on the road, which was preceded by a fantastic day at Petra. I have wanted to see Petra for so many years, and today the day finally arrived. It is, as all such sites are, surrounded by tourist kitsch, people wanting to sell you cheap souvenirs and pushy horseman trying to get you to take a ride, but overall the site exceeded my expectations.

Much of what has been excavated in Petra is the graveyard. What we think of as a "city in a canyon" are actually facades for tombs—royalty got big tombs, common people got small tombs. The people actually lived in the surrounding areas and at the end of the canyon and used this site for religious purposes. Petra was at the heart of what was once known as the Nabatean Kingdom, and later was a Roman stronghold as well. Eventually, it was abandoned and "lost" until the 1800's. Today, it is a huge archaeological site, over 20 square miles.

We began early in the morning, in the cool of the day, and we arrived before any crowds were present in Petra. We had a lot of shade walking down the Siq (canyon) and were able to take in the beautiful colors of the sandstone, the small carvings and etchings in the rock, and the 7-mile-long water system they built to bring fresh water to the inhabitants. It was a marvelous walk, and we had been meandering along the canyon for nearly two hours without even realizing how much time we had been there. There is so much to take in!

Our guide, who apparently has a sense of the dramatic, pulled us aside at one point to show us something. Then he took us to the other side of the Siq, where he pointed and asked, "Do you see any facades up there?" No, there were no facades up there. "Well, turn around!" he said with a smile...and there was the Treasury, the most famous and beautiful of all the buildings in Petra. It's the one made famous by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We were not allowed in (no one is), but we took many pictures and saw many camels. (It was only named "The Treasury" because some thought it was a sort of bank where the ruler hid his money; turns out it was a tomb.) Then we moved on down the canyon and observed many other rock formations, facades and a Roman theater (built much later than the Nabateans and probably used for religious ceremonies). A few of us went exploring up the side of the mountain into other burial caves that were absolutely breathtaking in color and design. One ceiling was so vibrant in color it looked like carpeting.

Even as I am writing these words, I realize I can't adequately explain the experience of walking in the midst of Petra. Even the pictures won't do it justice. It is truly something one has to experience—the handiwork of God combined with the ingenuity of humanity. But it also struck me how much work went into these facade tombs. They must have been as afraid of death as we are—so much that we disguise it, hide behind facades and pretend it doesn't exist. Thank God for the promise we have of life in Jesus Christ. Death is not the end, but not in the way these Nabateans thought or even in the way we Americans think. For those who have hope in Jesus, death is only the beginning. I want my life, not my death, to proclaim what it is and who I follow.

Soon, we began to walk back up the Siq and head for the bus. About 2/3 of the way up, we got a horse ride—not because we needed to, but for the experience. Unfortunately, when I got off the horse, I gave the horseman the tip our guide said was fair, and he demanded more. I said no, and he threw a fit. This is after telling me how religious he is because he's fasting during Ramadan. It was unfortunate, but our guide said if I had given him $5,000, he still would have demanded more. It's part of the culture, the show, the trade here.

At lunch (Petra Magic Restaurant has the best stir fry chicken!), as I sat down, I found my legs were shaking. I'm still not sure if it was exhaustion (we had walked for somewhere around five hours exploring Petra) or excitement or a combination of both. Probably the latter. I've calmed down after a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Amman, but I will never forget my journey to Petra.

Once in Amman, we drove by the American Embassy, and also through some very expensive villas that surround the embassy area. We drove by one house that had security officers outside; our bus driver said that's where the daughter of Saddam Hussein lives, and she has 24-hour security. She's obviously in exile from Iraq here, but from the looks of things, it's a very comfortable exile.

Tomorrow is our last touring day, which we will spend mostly in Jordan before crossing back to Israel to head home. But for now, a shower, a buffet dinner and rest are on the agenda!