Day 13 - Thursday June 21 - Practise squares - Area A/AA

After breakfast we're taken to Dr Susan's site, where upon arrival am greeted by the site of her surveying the area, with a couple of her students holding up the obligatory measuring stick (my apologies, I'm sure this has a more technical term, but sadly everyone's gone to bed, and I really need to get this thing posted.







Nearby we've had two squares set up, upon which we're to practice our digging and excavation skills. My group naturally has the rockier of the two squares, so our particular excavation isn't as "flat" as the other one. I do however succeed in unearthing my first piece of pottery. Nothing to get too excited over, this is a section of what would have been the rim of a large storage jar, possibly used for water or wine (so I'd like to believe anyway).







This particular area also serves to get a better look and perspective of the site as a whole. Behind me you can hopefully see an example of some of the ruins imbedded in the tell - it's hard to believe that this particular hill, not so long ago (in the grand scheme of things), didn't exist as such, but in its place was a thriving little city state. Chrisso and Davis should also note that I'm busy pimping the Troy Horse brand in this little corner of the Middle East, amongst thousands of years of history and culture. Even gave a super impressive sales pitch when Olivia from New Orleans asked about the t-shirt. You're Welcome!!



After finishing up at Twelve, we're back at camp, I manage to get a quick laundry session in before lunch (I Looove laundry - serously, ask my wife). Following lunch is free time, once again till 4pm, following which we have Part 2 of Cheryl and Dr Susan's crash course in dig documentation. This time we're divided into room teams, where we're given the task of doing a Top Plan of our bed room. I'm bunking with young Sam and Court, and this may prove to be problematic, since our room currently looks like what you'd expect of the average teenage male (I haven't had a chance to organise the place properly, honestly). Every single length and width of every single object is to be documented, to scale.

You may think this would prove to be a problem, and I happen to agree. Court suggests we empty our room of everything and just give them a blank sheet of paper, but I suggest that, with everyone being as tired and flushed as we are (did I mention it was hot as hell outside?), the good Dr Susan and Cheryl may fail to see the humour in such an exercise. So we get to work, I start by doing all the outer dimensions and "big stuff", and Court taking over to finish the remaining chairs and any small incidental objects that haven't been "hidden" by yours truly (nothing like tampering with the evidence for the sake of easier documentation).

As it works out Court is a natural with the drawing, homeboy should have been doing this from the start. Although we'd be judged more by accuracy than by presentation, I've seen enough of these Top Plans to know that presentation goes a LOOOONG way. As it turns out, our team came second, which I thought was quite impressive (and particularly satisfying is the fact that we beat Liz's team, she being so insistent that they would win. Damn Americans, so competitive!!!).

Dinner tonight. Awesome!!







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Day 12 - Wednesday June 20 - Hartha and Abila site

Moving to the new room wasn't too bad. No ceiling fan sadly, but there's a decent enough breeze coming through if we leave the door album. Still hot as, but bearable. Had the usual awake at 3.30 for call to prayer, but getting used to that now. It's interesting hearing the different styles coming from different mosques in different cities. Each seems to have its own character, depending on how distorted the speakers are.




Woke up this morning to a grey sky!! We're talking the first time I've seen clouds since I left home. What a beautiful morning!! Not too hot, sky overcast, one would almost think it's about to rain!! Heaven.




Ibrahim and Maad cooked us up a treat this morning - pita bread, tomatoes and cucumber, humous, scrambled eggs




Today Dr Bob gives us a tour of the site. He reiterates that Abila was populated due to its resources, in particularly the access to water.




Even today, much of Hartha's water comes from underground springs, collected by the blue water trucks you see around the place. We passed one particular spring, and of course there they all were.






The Abila site is littered with tombs of various sizes and ornamentations. Some could only fit a single person, others (pictured here) were designed for several people.

As you can see from the map below (courtesy of the Abila project website), the site is divided into at least 8 major sites (though Site G, supervised by Cheryl and Peter, is not listed here.



Area AA and Area A (supervised by Dr Susan) were once combined as the same Area A, but later split. The site starts at the top of the Tell (the name given to "mountains" that are primarily made up of both man made detritus and natural materials that cover areas of previous occupation).

After the split, Area AA refers to the the deep excavations east of the church of Area A. So far the level has revealed signs of Ummayad and Byzantine Period occupation - we don't have a clear Roman period this stage, generally because the Byzantines tended to "rake things over. You may find some signs of Roman period material, but then you find Hellenistic walls, and Hellenistic pottery made locally, not so much imported. Area AA and Area A posses the longest of occupational layers, all the way down to bedrock, possibly 8 m below the surface. Area AA is of higher elevation, leading down to Area A, the Byzantine period church.




Area E - a five aisle Byzantine church (with three apses) and eccliastical structure (including the atrium) which, in a feat of major construction work, had been expanded from an earlier Byzantine church structure which possessed only three aisles, and a single apse. This is the site that Dr Bob would be supervising, and is the site that I will be working on, alongside Aaron, Jennifer, Hannah, Luke (these last three from John Brown Uni in Arkansas) and the team of 15 or so locals we'll be supervising.




Dr Bob's goal is to create a top plan of this site to use as signage for the Dept of Antiquities in Jordan. The aim is to neaten up the site and excavate a particular section which Dr Bob believes will be a cistern, an indication that the section may have been a baptistry of some sort. There is a water channel leading to this particular mound that we'll be attempting to clear. Dr Bob believes it has to be another cistern The dirt from this section will be "dumbed" on another section, which, probing has found, covers a mosaic floor. The dirt will act simply as a further protection of the mosaic that is already covered. According to Dr Bob, someone will simply need to excavate that later.

Not listed on the Map is Area G, excavation of this site supervised by Peter Helman and Cheryl Eaton. A Single Apse Basilica, it's difficult to date it precisely, but probably 6th - 8th Century. It's unique in the sense that there aren't any other single apse churches that have been discovered at Abila. The goal for the summer is to basically to determine the significance of various riooms located at the south end of the church (the church is E facing). Along the south end there are two doors, leading to various rooms. The aim is to determine the purpose of these rooms. The easternmost doorway also has a staircase, again whose purpose is unknown. Here the aim is to determine the purpose of this particular room, whether as a storage room for vestments, or for liturgical/sacremental implements. There is also some cosmetic work to be done on the site.

Come 11.30, with our tour of the various sites completed, we return to the compound for lunch, followed by free time till 4pm. Cheryl and Dr Susan then give us a crash course in documenting our particular square (ie section of the excavation to which we're assigned). In particular the focus is on drawing a 'top plan', a scale representation of what our particular square looks like from directly above. Everything needs to be meticulously documented on graph paper to scale, showing things such as significant rocks, structures, pottery shards (where they were unearthed) and the like. In addition to the 'Top Plan' we also need to be able to provide a bulk drawing, basically a "side on" view of our hole or pit, showing layers and strata, and in particular documenting various soil samples. After the crash course its another feast from Ibrahim and Raad, followed by free time till lights out.

That night I'm sitting outside writing and typing and am introduced to Badr, our additional security card, although this one wears a uniform and carries a gun. Apparently the Dept of Antiquities has insisted that they provide an armed 24 hour guard as well, simply as a precursion. The local chief of police later that night had turned up with a couple of his squad, and upon speaking to us and Dr David, declared that we are most welcome here, and that anything he and the police can do for us, or if there is any sign of trouble, he is at our service.




Badr's taken a particular shine to us, and asked to friend me on Facebook. I told him I didn't do Facebook, but nevertheless he wanted a picture with myself, and later a group shot with myself, Court and Olivia. However his boss later said that this shot needed to be deleted, which I did. The portrait you see hear is Olivia, Court, and myself with Maad, but somewhere in the great trashbox of Cyberspace will be one of us with Badr as well...

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The Compound

We've arrived at the school, swept and mopped out the classrooms, made them somewhat liveable, swept, mopped, and set up the shower block, caught a nap here and there, had dinner, been given further pep talks, and are now settling down, probably for an early night. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, up at the crack of dawn, to take a walk around the various sites that we'll be excavating.




The school we're staying at is Hartha Secondary Comprehensive School for Girls, with the added complication being that the girls aren't quite on holidays just yet. Which means we have to be well and truly out of there by 8am, and can't return till just after 12. To make matters worse, the girls will be in the midst of their Tawjihi exams (spelling uncertain), THE event that will probably determine the rest of their lives, whether they get in to University, or whether they miss out and either try next year, or settle for whatever life will throw at them.




The site's been christened the 'Hartha Hilton', but for me its "The Compound". I'd initially dubbed it 'Long Bay', after Sydney's famous prison, but I think that's being a bit facetious, not to mention disparaging and unfair. I'd initially described the facilities here as so primitive that it was laughable, but you know what, I've grown to so love the place that I'm loathe to make light of any resources that would be considered "sub-par" by our western standards. Besides, so far the mood is good and I believe we're getting into the spirit of community here.




The fact that we have no WIFI at this stage (oh horror of horrors), or more concerning, the fact that the water supply truck hasn't turned up yet (its close to 9pm) has added a bit of concern for those in charge, but I like the jovial resilient vibe that's currently settled over the compound, and for better or worse this'll be home for the next four weeks, and for most of us even longer. And the fact that we had a sensational meal certainly helped, cooked by Ibrahim and Maad (father and son), who'll be our resident live in cooks for the duration of our stay.




Ibrahim in particular is quite the character. Really old school, cooks with a cigarette in his mouth, an inch and a half of ash ready to drop into whatever rice/soup/vegetable casserole he'll be slaving over. I'm glad people like him still exist in the world.

Incidentally, I just had to stop typing for five minutes whilst Maad laid his mat out just two metres from me and began his prayers, kneeling, bowing, then standing, then kneeling then bowing, then standing, whilst facing the local mosque, about 300 metres down the road from us ( I can see its minaret lit up by green lights overlooking us in the distance). I'm sure he wouldn't have minded me continuing to tap away whilst he was praying, but it just seemed rude to do so, and I was happy to have a breather. He and Ibrahim are now busy chatting and chain smoking with Khalid, (Sufjan) our hired security guard/caretaker - yes, we have a security guard, although he certainly doesn't look the part. I noticed a little mattress in the security box at the gate of the compound, so it looks like he's going to be a part of our little family as well, though Dr Bob at dinner made it known that he doesn't have a key to the building...and left it at that.




Luke just come out and offered me a water bottle. Very nice of him, but I already had one by my side, in plain view. Then I saw what he was really offering. This little beast had just been caught in Dr Bob's quarters. It's getting more and more surreal. Jennifer at dinner tonight jokingly asked Dr Dave if he'd consider having the dig filmed as a reality TV show. The scorpion seems like the perfect way to kick off the episode.

Now I'd initially written up this paragraph dedicated to our toilet block, describing it as a sight to behold. Plenty of comments about squat toilets below showing heads, and you remember my toilet in Amman, you should see this one. Though not meant to be disparaging, it would be easy to read this as if I was taking the piss (ha ha, toilet block, taking the piss!! Aren't I hilarious!!) I'd taken photos to post up and everything, but you know what, I'm loath to write anything that would come across as some condescending westerner sluming it in the middle east. And the fact that I've even written that last sentence reveals all anyway.




So, no horror stories about toilets. I will say, however, that thankfully, Pete has designated the final three cubicles as strictly for showering, the rest will be toilets only. They've been nicely set up, with a waste paper basket to one side and a water jar for "flushing" on the other. Definitely NO toilet paper down the bog. I grabbed a couple of guys earlier this afternoon to assist with mopping out and bleaching the place, after he's attached hoses to all the taps to set up the makeshift shower heads. There's no 'ladies' and 'mens' here, its one sex fits all. The locals would be having a fit if they knew. Its hard enough for them to comprehend the fact that this group of theoretically unattached ladies and gentlemen from the US would be living together at all, let alone in an environment like this.

Which brings me to the status of our place in the community. The Abila project has been using this school as base of operations for at least the last 15 years, but have been digging here since the 80's. The village has now become used to this mysterious group of Americans who once a year or two will live here closed off from the rest of the community. That's not to say we're completely isolated. Dr Dave and Dr Bob have over the years established themselves as regular identities in the village, and the village as a whole looks upon this group with curiosity and warmth rather than suspicion.

Nevertheless, Hartha is still a conservative village in a conservative country, and we need to be careful with how we conduct ourselves, both inside and outside the compound, in order to assure that we don't offend any delicate sensibilities. Once again at dinner we were reminded that, when leaving the compound, our attire must be conservative and respectful. No shorts, no revealing clothing. Since hospitality is such a huge part of their culture, people will probably ask us into their homes for dinner. Once again we were reminded of the protocol for politely declining before knowing when to accept the offer. The same applies to the locals that have been hired to assist us digging at the excavation.

The call to prayer has just rung out again over the minaret's speakers, and following this what sounds like an icecream truck can be heard driving up and down the street, interspersed with more call to prayer. Call to prayer is beginning to sound more like call to bed. It's just hit 9.30, time for this little vegemite to consider sleepy-time. What a day! What a place. What a crazy crazy arrangement I've gotten myself into. And I'll I can do is sit back and chuckle, take another swig from the ever present water, lament the lack of a beer (no big deal, really), and get down to business...




Ha ha. Dr Bob's just come down, very apologetic. He'd seen earlier the amount of time I'd spent sweeping what would be my room, mopping the room, taking all the chairs out, and setting up the tables that would serve as the base for my mattress, and generally trying to make it as livable as possible. He's promised the cooks a room to sleep in, and they need one to themselves, so can I ask you to move to another room?

Welcome to the Hartha!!!!
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Day 11 - Tuesday June 19 - Road Trip 3.0 - off to Hartha via Irbid

Well not quite a roadtrip. After breakfast, the crew meets in the lobby to check out of the hotel and board the bus that would take us to village of Hartha (close to the Abila site, and home for the duration of the excavation), about two and a half hours drive from Madaba.

Once on the bus, Dr Susan does a head count, taking me back to the days of school excursions, all those many years ago. As we're leaving I feel a twinge of guilt that I didn't take the time to explore Madaba some more, but at the same time my mindset has has come to be focussed more on the task(s) at hand over the next couple of weeks. I feel like I'm slowly beginning to exit from being in tourist mode.

Before long the bus is passing through Amman, passing areas lot more upmarket than what I was used to seeing whilst staying in Downtown. Vibe is sedate but upbeat on the bus. Usual talk - movies, bands, politics, who's studying what and where. Got my first Crododile Dundee quip - no doubt there'll be plenty more references to "that's not a knife" as the dig progresses.

Stop for an hour and a half in Irbid, big university town, and second largest city in Jordan. Aaron and I went to track down getting a phone for him, then we went for wander before deciding to check out the university itself. Went for a walk around - I'm sure we stuck out like two sore thumbs.

Back on the bus, a quick half hour trip before we arrive in Hartha. The next couple of hours are spent dumping our bags, sweeping and mopping up the classrooms that's act as our sleeping quarters, getting the kitchen and toilet block set up, and eventually settling down to dinner.

More on that later...

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Day 10 - Monday June 18 - Mariam Hotel, Madaba - Orientation

Another 3.30 am wake up. Had drunk 2 - 3 litres of water that day, and still wake up absolutely parched. Luckily I still had about two bottles that I'd brought in with me. Just as I was taking my second gulp, the call to prayer begins. 3.30am!! Luckily this one isn't as loud as the one I experienced in Amman. Make another fumbled, feelble attempt to record it, stops when I finally hit record. Typical. Turn off the light, hit the pillow - then a knock at the door.

My flatmate Aaron arrives. He had a twelve hour layover in London, got into Jordan at 2am. Sadly the hotel didn't have a spare key, so he knocks on the door, really apologetic. Lucky I'm already awake, and lucky I'm such a charmer at such an ungodly hour of the morning!!

I manage to get a couple of hours sleep before getting up and heading down for a quick swim. By the pool I acquaint myself with some of the senior dig members of the team:

Dr Bob Smith - Professor of History and Bible at Mid Atlantic Christian University, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Dr Bob is the longest serving excavator on this project - he first commenced work on the site in 1984, during the second dig season, and has been returning every second year since.

Dr David Vila - Prof of Religion and Philosophy at John Brown University at Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Has been coming to Abila since 1990, having lived and lectured in Jordan from 1995 - 1996 and 2006 - 2007, and has been Director of the Abila Excavation project since 2008, taking over from David Chapman.

Peter Helman - from Knoxville Tennassee, currently training to be a priest in the Episcopal Church. This is his fourth "tour of duty" on the Abila project. Began in 2006. Functions as camp manager and area supervisor.

Later I would meet
Dr Susan Ellis - Prof of Anthropology at Wayne State College in Nebraska. Excavating at Abila since 1992. Co-Ordinates Work on the site known as Area AA. Serves as the project's ceramicist. Has also brought two of her students from Wayne State, as well as her granddaughter, Alyssa.

Cheryl Eaton - Working on her Doctoral Degree in Theology at Concordia Seminary in St Louis. Also has a Masters in Biblical Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary. A former news reporter, this is Cheryl's third time on the dig. Serves as the project's registrar. She also assists in curation at the Mare Institute of Archaeology at St Louis, where any artifacts unearthed at Abila (on loan from the Dept of Antiquities of Jordan) are kept.

Following a leisurely breakfast, the group is rounded up and assembled on the balcony of the hotel, where we all introduce ourselves and get acquainted with the senior members of the team, who give us the rundown of our objectives of the dig. Dr David gives a brief introduction, followed by Dr Bob giving a general historical overview of Abila.

The Abila area has seen evidence of occupation going back to approximately 8000 BCE (depending on one's chronology). The name Abila (and numerous variations such as Abel Mohola and Abel Shiteem - though not necessarily the same places as "our" Abila) means "green place", and emphasis is placed on the fact that Abila was a region of resources, particularly with regard to water supply coming from numerous underground springs. In edition to that you have it's relatively high elevation (which allows for the capture of moisture), and as you head further north you see more rainfall. Further to this water supply you have fertile fields, full of iron-rich, nutrient-laden soil (due to decomposition of limestone), allowing for certain portions of a population to easily transition from being nomadic pastoralists to more settled agriculturalists. Flat plateaus situated above deep valleys are therefore easily exploited by agriculture.

The area also allowed for a symbiotic relationship to develop between pastoralist and agriculturalist - once the farmers have harvested, the nomads with their flocks (which can act as a form of mobile currency, a resource which can provide wool, meat, and in the case of goats, milk) can feed on the lands and prepare the ground for sowing for the next harvest. Obviously tensions can arise between the two groups, but by and large such a relationship, in tangent with the resources available in the land, can lead to populations thriving.

Abila has therefore gone through numerous phases of occupation, from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic phases (8000 - 3300 BCE), though the Early, Middle and Late Bronze periods (3300 - 1200 BCE - including the period of the Old Testament Judges), to both Iron Age I and Iron Age II (1200 - 539 BC - including the period of the Old Testament Kings, Babylonian domination, and time of the Exile), and later occupation would be occurring during the rise of the Persian Empire (539 - 332 BCE)

The growth of Hellenistic rule from the time of Alexander the Great would later see Antiochus III taking control of Abila, and later Abila would be established as a relatively Hellenised polis, until the rise of the Maccabees and Hasmonians, with the expansion of Judas Maccabeus into Transjordan in 165 BCE and the later Alexander Jannaeus extending Hasmonean rule and imposing Jewish customs in the area.

The expansion of Pompey around 63 BCE would see Abila coming under Roman occupation, and later being established as part of the Decapolis (Ten Cities - depending on which sources you cite). 161 - 210 CE would see a period where coins are minted at Abila, which would cease due to the eventual lack of tin available. Though there is iron in the soil, they are not rich deposits - mining wasn't here (nearest copper deposits near the Sinai). Farming was still where it was at, economically speaking.

During the Byzantine Period (324 - 634 CE), the church historian Eusebius describes Abila as being famous for its wine, and this period also sees a proliferation of church buildings. The Christian influence cannot be understated in Abila, with many churches known to have existed in this one place. This influence would last until 636 CE, with the rise of the early Islamic/Umayyad period (636 - 750 CE), with Abila becoming a part of the Jund al-Urdun.

749 CE saw the occurrence of a massive earthquake which totally decimates the area. Such a decimation cannot be overstated - to call it the equivalent of a nuclear attack on a modern city might be somewhat overblown, but this event would see Abila reduced from being a thriving cosmopolitan city centre to returning to a more agricultural, harder, hand to mouth existence. Evidence can be seen of churches during this period being looted for anything of value (possibly a desperate survival measure), and through the Abassid (750 - 969 CE), Fatimid/Crusader (969 - 1189 CE), Ayyubid (1189 - 1250), Mamluke (1250 - 1516) and Ottoman (1516 - 1918 CE) periods, Abila would never again be a centre of any major population.

Following Dr Bob's presentation, Camp Manager Peter Helmen gives a quick overview regarding etiquette amongst the staff at the campsite. We'll be living in close quarters, pretty much on top of each other, at a local girls' high school in Hartha that will function as our living quarters. Obviously the name of the game is looking out for one another, being civil, and attempting to deal with any conflict in a swift and mature fashion. We are, after all, a community now and everyone will need to do their bit to ensure that the community runs smoothly.

The other major consideration is water. Water is a scarce and precious commodity in Jordan. To the point where our showers and water usage need to be kept to a minimum. As guests of the country we need to be sensitive in our use of something that back home we take for granted. It had even been suggested that by 2015, Jordan could be completely out of water!! Any grey water will be used to flush the toilets, which will be squat style. Most importantly, any toilet paper used for wiping is to be disposed of in baskets provided as opposed to going down the bog. We want to prevent ANY blockage of the pipes.

We have a quick break (ie for me that means a swim) before re-assembling and hearing a cultural orientation from Dr Susan Ellis and (soon to be Dr) Cheryl Eaton. They re-iterate the need to conserve water, to the point where we're to make all efforts to avoid wasting any. Dr Ellis gives a wonderful demonstration of the squat technique, and how to avoid any "splashback".

Following the water reminder, various safety measures are discussed. Always watch where you're walking, it is way too easy to trip on some of the pathways and roads, particularly around the village of Hartha. Watch out when crossing the road, lines painted on the road (if any) are generally to be considered a guideline, rather than treated as boundaries to which drivers will adhere. But most importantly we're given a rundown of various cultural factors we need to consider whilst living as part of a tiny American community in the midst of a small town in a conservative Islamic country over the course of the season.

The Abila excavation has been periodically staying in Hartha over the last thirty years, so the town is well and truly used to us being here. Nevertheless we are still considered a bit of an oddity, despite the community having embraced the Americans who come here. Effectively the school will be set up as a tiny little piece of America in Jordan, but once we leave the gates we are to ensure that cultural courtesies are adhered to. Long pants must always be worn when leaving the compound (wearing shorts in public is akin to wearing your under where). T-Shirts are OK, but women should ensure that their upper arms are covered, trousers are fine, and skirts must be below the knee.

Since we'll be hiring locals to work with us, there will be many opportunities where they will ask us to dinner in their homes, hospitality being such a huge part of their culture. Initially it would be wise to politely refuse, citing community obligations, but later on this will be acceptable, and in fact encouraged. However, it is important when invited to politely decline twice, before accepting (as is the common practice). Try to avoid discussions regarding politics, especially with relation to the situation in Syria - since we're so close to the border, people in this region are going to have far closer ties to the situation than those perhaps in Amman or Madaba. Make sure when entering someone's home that you remove your shoes, and under no circumstance allow the soles of your feet to be pointing towards anyone, most importantly the host. And when going to someone's home, it's always a good idea to bring a gift, such as a sweet or biscuits for after dinner.

Following a short break after the presentation, Cheryl and Dr Susan take us on a quick tour of Madaba, where we're given a chance to get to know our immediate area, and of course get to know each other. The majority of the group includes students from John Brown University in Arkansas (Dr David's school) and a couple from Wayne State (where Dr Susan teaches). Interspersed amongst the group are a couple of Arkansan Post Highschoolers (Sam and Court), Aaron from New England, Olivia from New Orleans, Paulette from Holden, Louisiana, and finally of course yours truly flying the Sydney flag.

Madaba is a town known for its numerous mosaics, and possibly its most famous is the map mosaic embossed in the floor of the Church of St George (Greek Orthodox). This map included the reference to Zoar and the sanctuary of Lot which I visited the day before. After the visit to the Church, we're left to our own devices to find lunch, change money, and do some shopping, before visiting an archaeological site in the middle of town. Come 3 O'Clock its getting time to head back, and my quick swim in the pool at 4pm turns into a poolside vigil which includes dinner with some of the crew and later wine and cigars with Dr Bob, Peter, Cheryl, and Dr Dave. Awesome end to a perfect day, and nice to be in the midst of company having being traveling solo for the last ten days.

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Day 9 - Road Trip 2.0

I'd arranged for Ahmad to pick me up from the Petra Moon at 10am (he was coming down from Madaba, about a three hour drive). Was writing/typing in the hotel lobby when he gave me the call at 9.15 to say he was outside. Caught me off guard, but no dramas, bags were packed upstairs, so brought them down and checked out. Today we'd be driving up the Dead Sea Highway, a more leisurely drive with heaps to see, scenery wise. Ahmad was a bit quieter this morning, but who can blame him, it was Sunday after all and he'd already driven three hours.




About a month ago I'd attended a lecture at Macquarie University in Sydney, given by one Prof Konstantinos Politis, discussing his work excavating the Sanctuary of the Cave of Lot, a site which not only purports to be the very cave where Lot and his daughters took refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah, but also includes the monastery that was built around the site. You can hear him discussing this with Rachel Kohn on the ABC's 'The Spirit of Things' program. In any case, it had me intrigued, though any info on the Net as to its exact location proved to be elusive. I knew it was located around the town of As-Safi (formally Zoar), but I had no idea how to get there. Tried explaining this to Ahmad, he didn't know the place but was sure we could find it.




The Dead Sea highway is definitely the more picturesque compared to the other major King's Highway, particularly once you hit the Dead Sea itself. Outside of As-Safi I caught a glimpse of the salt plains up ahead, indicating that we must be getting close to the Sanctuary. Only problem was how to find it.




As-Safi is just below where one first hits the Dead Sea. The great Salt Plains can be seen just as you hit the town, appropriate considering what befell Lot's Wife. Ahmad was on the phone to a friend of his who'd been all over Jordan, and just when I was getting worried, I saw a sign saying 'Cave of Lut'. Second on the right, and eventually we hit 'The Museum of the Lowest Place on Earth' (pictured here, taken from up the mountain toward the Sanctuary). Prof Politis had mentioned this museum in his presentation, but when I spoke with him after he belatedly mentioned that it wasn't complete yet, and wouldn't be for a while. Nevertheless, we pulled up to see what we could find.
Not much for starters. A young guy followed us indoors, iPod buds in ears, relatively non-responsive (kids today!!), but he ended up being the Admin guy at the front desk. He indicated (sign language, beautiful) that we'd need to drive up the dirt road behind, but Ahmad was adamant that the taxi wouldn't make it. "About an hour's walk, give or take". It had just turned twelve.




Bugger this, I'd come too far to turn back now. Ahmad said he'd wait (in air conditioned comfort). Very big of him. So up I trekked. I'm not going to say that it was necessarily a difficult trek, but with directions still relatively sketchy, and with me sweating like a pig, it felt like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Halfway up I spotted a gentleman and asked him directions in my Pigeon Arabic. He answered in excellent English (typical), "Go up to the hut there, ask the caretaker to escort you up and let you in." Said hut was of course abandoned, with no caretaker in sight, so I kept walking. I could see the remains of the monastery up ahead, and finally came to a staircase.




This was the sign that confronted me. "No visiting without an Escort." Too bad, I'm such an outlaw (delirious from the sun no doubt), trudged up, convinced that I'd probably die from heat exposure (plus my water was getting lukewarm). Got to the top, and there it was - fenced up, with a padlock. Bastard. No dramas, still in outlaw mode, I climbed around the side, and in I went.




The whole story of the discovery of the sanctuary is an interesting one. According to Prof Politis, initially they weren't looking for the Sanctuary of Lot, just looking for interesting archaeological sites. This particular site had a lot of material on the surface which alluded to the fact that it was probably something of importance.




When architectural pieces, mosaics and eventually inscriptions which mentioned Lot of the Old Testament started turning up, they then looked at some historical sources, and in particular the famous map in Madaba, a 6th century early Christian map, in the form of a mosaic on the floor of a church in Madaba, which locates about 150 sites in what is now Jordan and Israel. The map alluded to a church/monastery in Zoar, now modern day Safi. When they said the monastery/chapel was built ON the cave, they weren't kidding!!!




I had to stumble across the sand and get a look at the cave (plus I was in desperate need of shelter - plus poor lil iPad was probably having its insides fried). Stumbled through the doorway (wasn't really the right shape to call it an apse), and entered the cave, having to stop to catch my breath. First thing I saw was a bat (of course, what else would you see in this place?). Stood there for about five minutes taking it all in.




Wasn't quick enough with the camera to get the bat, had to get one of myself instead, triumphant in having made it!!
Whether this was/is really the cave of Lot and his daughters, who can tell?The site certainly seems feasible enough (to this hack anyway) - salt plains in the distance, a refinery nearby (not tar pits as such (see Genesis 14:10), but hey, one can dream that they're standing at the very scene.




All right, down the "hill" and into the museum. Ahmad was no where to be found, but the "guide"at the desk mentioned that he may be in the exhibit. And there it was. It might not have been completed to Prof Politis' satisfaction, but a museum it was. Sadly I wasn't in state of mind to stay for long (I was still delirious from the heat, but for a free entry exhibit it certainly served its purpose. And the walk there and back was only 35 minutes, incidently.
Time to leave and drive along the Dead Sea. Ahmad would take me to the town of Suwayma, pretty much at the sea's northernmost tip - a bit of a resort town, for 16JD I could have a float in the sea, have a dip in the accompanying pool, and a shower. Wasn't hungry enough to spend the 12JD extra for the buffet lunch, but Ahmad was happy to wait for me (and he himself was starving). Had my float in the Dead Sea, everything that they say is true. Floating on my back, the water didn't even reach my ears. I was tempted to see how far I could dive down, but felt it prudent not to risk the stinging sensation my eyes would obviously experience.




Off again, this time to Mt Nebo, the supposed wresting place of Moses the Lawgiver, as described in Deuteronomy. Evidence of a monastic presence on the mountain had been present since the latter half of the Fourth Century CE. Over the last 60 years, archaeological work has been conducted by a group from the order of St Francis, their most significant contribution (apart from the general up keep and maintainance of the site) being the discovery of various mosaic floors.




A small sanctuary and museum have been established on the site, including an exhibit dedicated to the mosaics of Madaba, our final destination (about 9km away). But it is of course the view, seen by Moses in his last days, overlooking the promised land, which gives the site its poignancy.
4pm - Ahmad drops me off at the Mariam Hotel. Minor misunderstanding about money and payment, which leaves me a little shirty, but otherwise happy to be here finally. Rest of the team aren't expected to be flying into Jordan unti 6.30, so plenty of time to kill. I alert reception to the fact that I'm part of Dr David Villa's group, they hand me my room key, dump stuff in room, dive in the pool, chill.Thankfully the hotel has a bar, AND free wifi, so once I'm changed I head back down with ye old iPad, settle down for a couple of beers, and wait for the team to arrive.
And wait...
...and wait...
Still no sign of them at 8pm. Go for a walk, get a coffee, come back, and settle down to watch the soccer. Team arrives in dribs anddrabs over the next coupkle of hours. Finally meet Dr Villa around 10, then decide to call it a night. However, I am expecting a room mate, so stay up reading till 11.30 before deciding that I must have the room to myself, so turn in.
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Day 7 and 8 - Petra

All right, what can one say of Petra that hasn't been said already? We've all seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (though rarely does anyone mention Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger - I swear when I saw this as a kid, the Treasury Building, or Al-Kazzneh as it is known, (the most iconic image of Petra) featured quite prominently in a scene which featured Arabian types brandishing scimitars on horses. Must try and chase that one down.




A few pointers one must make about Petra (ha, now that I'm such an expert after two days!!). Firstly, you should know that Summer is not the ideal time to explore the place, for obvious reasons. Very few days venture below 38 degrees, so exploring this desert metropolis (sorry for the cliches, I'm trying, really) with the sun bearing down on you as it is - simply not pleasant, at least for yours truly. How the hordes do it at peak hour (ie between 11 and 3) is beyond me, but hey, not my problem.




Having said all that, it can be done with a minimum of solar discomfort. Firstly, the gates to the Petra site open at 6am. Can I strongly recommend taking advantage of this. Besides the fact that you won't have the heat to contend with, you also have less crowds, and less hawkers offering you horse/camel/donkey rides (oh Lordy, those poor animals), and in fact most of the stall holders will be yet to rise. Their stalls will usually be fully set up (an act of incredible generosity and bravery on their part, obviously), so you can browse without getting hassled.




Seriously, there were moments when I thought I had the whole of Petra to myself!! And believe me, by the time 9.30 comes around, you'll be starting to feel the heat, not to mention your limbs will be begging you to stop (there can in fact be a lot of climbing involved if you wish to investigate some of the tombs at the higher levels). It also means you can then get back to your hotel (preferably with pool) by 10am.




And speaking of hotels with pools, can I please take this opportunity to whore myself and pimp out the Petra Moon Hotel, where I'm staying. It's worth it for the roof top pool alone, particularly with that view (see previous post). It's not cheap, but for approx $US90 a night you get said pool, you're five minutes from the Petra site entrance, complimentary buffet breakfast, and the staff are super accommodating. WIFI is complimentary as well, but only available in the lobby, which is fine.




Petra's also one of those places you don't want to rush. Three nights should be plenty, and two days should give you plenty of time to do the main stretches of the site. 1 day pass is 50 JD, two is 55 - you do the math. Didn't quite have my act together on Day 1, it was 7.30am by the time I got there. Still, I managed to get enough done by 11 before it got too unbearable. Entrance to the site, through the As-Siq (that narrow gorge that links Petra to the outside world) up to the Treasury, takes about 25 minutes each way, so that's something you should consider.




Also worth noting is the fact that although the signs say the the site officially "closes", you can pretty much be there till the sunset, and then some. That pretty much you can be leaving the site between 7.30 and 8 in the evening, with some light still to spare, and for the afternoon/evening two and a half to three hours should be plenty. Having said that, its important to give yourself enough time to get from wherever you are back to the site entrance/exit. It can take a lot longer than you think, and can get darker a lot faster than you'd allow. On my first night I made the mistake of leaving it till about 7.30 before I started making a move back.




That actually turned out to be a lot scarier than I'd anticipated. Seems silly now thinking about it, but at the time I started freaking out a little as the dark began closing in. On my way back, I had my usual offers of donkey/horse, and even those in vehicles were offering me lifts. Their desperation (ok I might have imagined that, but it seemed real at the time) seem to reek of more than just trying to make a buck. And being exhausted and delirious wasn't helping. Bare in mind Petra is NOT lit up in any way (apart from the candlelight on Thursday nights), so by the time I'd hit the As-Siq, the dusk was well and truly setting in. And when you're hot, exhausted, and delirious, those gorges and the lack of light can play all sorts of tricks on your eyes.




I began envsioning that desperation in the locals' eyes as something akin to those warning Jonathan Harker before heading into Dracula's castle "Please mister, accept this life, the vampires will soon be coming out". That's right, I'm over forty and still getting freaked out by things that go bump (or even that, just simply move and shift) in the night. Then of course I started getting paranoid about being "locked in" for the evening, or in the very least having some border give me a going over about staying out late and being an inconvenience for the rest of them.




I could drag this on, but I'll spare you - I got to the exit just fine, and no one was there to abuse me. I even managed to make my to the Petra Palace for a well earned before heading back to mine, and finish watching 'Stealth' on the MBC Action channel. Magic.




Second day proved to be a little more civilized. Started at six with a walk along the main drag before hitting the Roman Theatre, before heading up climb amongst the Royal Tombs. Luckily I was doing this so early, it would have been exceptionally hard going doing it in the heat of the day. Did that till 8.45, headed back to Hotel, had breakfast, then swam and lay by the pool for a couple of hours. Come 5pm, was ready to head back for my final assault on the site, this time taking in the Byzantine Church, the Royal Palace, and the Temple of the Winged Lions (opposite the Great Temple, which had been my last port of call the night before, before enduring my delirious paranoia). Come 7pm, I was getting ready to leave.




After two days I was aching, sun-stricken, exhausted, and in need of more Petra Moon Hospitality via a a quiet beer at the Petra Palace. I stopped one more time at The Treasury, giving it the longest of gazes, and farewelled it, having accomplished a boyhood dream of laying eyes on the place where the Holy Grail was hidden (a la Last Crusade). Though having loved being here, Petra Fatigue can hit pretty quickly, but no matter, I'm sure if I visited again it will be just as awesome.
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