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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