The people Above, left: Tea stands are everywhere – some even with water closets. Above, right; A Jordanian woman decorates a pot at a gift shop. Bottom, left; A tourist poses for pictures at Petra. Middle, left; An old man plays his handmade instrument at Little Petra. PHOTOS BY DAVE GIBSON[/caption]

Lying at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Jordan’s landscape is characterized by rolling plains in the Mediterranean climate northwest to the arid mountains and deserts of the east and south. Gaining independence in 1946, Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank. A member of NATO and the Arab League, it is a constitutional monarchy in which the king holds executive and legislative powers. Considered an “oasis of stability” it has a population of eleven million people including at least three million refugees taken in over the years from the volatile Middle East. The annual per capita income in Jordan is $4,200, ranking it 102nd in the world.

Our guide Soubi picked us up at the Amman airport and promptly whisked us away to a roadside tea stand. It was a Saturday so traffic was light in the nation’s capital of four million people (Jordanians’ weekends are on Friday and Saturday). In what would become a familiar sight in a country 95% composed of Sunni Muslims, a mosque’s illuminated minaret shone on the horizon during our evening meal at the hotel.

The next morning, we were driven 38 kilometers south to the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church. Colorful tilework of various saints and Jesus fills its walls. A candlelit altar to Mary sat in the corner. At the center of the basilica is a floor mosaic map depicting Jerusalem and the Holy Land. It was unearthed in 1884 during the building of the church, and is the earliest known cartographic example of the area, dating back to the 6th century A.D.

A brisk wind whipped sand through the air as we ascended the walkway to Mt. Nebo. It is said that Moses first caught sight of the Land of Canaan or the Promised Land from there before his death. Its apex was the location of a Byzantine Christian church beginning circa 500 A.D. Abandoned in the sixteenth century, excavation began in 1933 and continued until the 1960s. In 1993 Franciscans purchased the site. Between 2007 and 2016 they built a historically accurate basilica incorporating the ruins along with founding a monastery. The exquisite mosaics depicting daily life and hunting scenes were restored and may be seen today at the Moses Memorial Church in all their glory.

We saw Saddam Hussein stickers on the back windows of a couple of cars in support of their deposed executed fellow Sunni. Kerak Castle from Crusader times loomed imposingly above the town of al-Karak on our way to Petra. ISIS terrorists attacked the castle on December 18, 2016, killing 10 innocent people and wounding 34 others.

Motoring along, ramshackle shanties with 4WD Toyota pickups parked outside were home to nomadic Bedouins. The trees next to the highway permanently leaned in one direction from the prevailing winds.

The three of us stopped for tea and a falafel while picking up some freshly baked bread before arriving at that night’s destination. Our guide/driver bought 17 chicken eggs from some children by the road, which he said he ate during the 48-hour period we spent together.

Recently named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Petra was established as early as 300 B.C. and flourished through 100 A.D. as a pivotal stop along the trade route. Using Petra as their capital city, Nabataeans carved elaborate facades fronting smallish tombs from the rose-colored sandstone. When the route shifted north, Petra’s fortunes dried up and the site was eventually vacated a few centuries later. The Western world wouldn’t rediscover the magnificence of the ancient city until 1812.

Following a full night’s rest and breakfast we opted to tour Little Petra as a warmup to the main event at “big” Petra the next day. It contained a few smaller facades and steps, rooms, and caves chiseled out of the rock.

A 92-year-old man sitting on a blanket played his instrument fashioned from wood, sheepskin, and horsehair. A good tip was in order as I would have probably traveled to Jordan for that picture alone.

I negotiated a price of six dollars for a metal camel sculpture I thought I wanted. A hundred yards down the path I decided I didn’t and placed it on the last stand out. As we walked away, the vendor shouted out wondering why I had left him the camel. My guide explained that I had given it to him.

As is customary in Jordan, when something is received, something is given in return. On the way to our car, he ran up and handed me a small Roman coin. Surprised but grateful for the gift, I thanked him profusely. Once under the control of the Romans, old coins are often found by metal detectors in the vicinity buried under sand. Once word quickly spread that I liked Roman coins, I was approached by an old woman and two boys offering handfuls of coins for sale.

That evening, originally a Nabataean tomb, the Cave Bar at Petra Guest House was bathed in blue, yellow, and purple lights under a crescent moon during an al fresco dinner.

An electric cart had been arranged for the two-kilometer distance to and from the marquee attraction – the Treasury. Along the way, through a steep and narrow gorge named “al-Siq,” reservoirs had been built above to trap precious rain water and funnel it to the thirsty city below. Stone aqueducts ran along the passage’s sides as we approached the Treasury. Opening up through a slit in the rock, it unfolded in its splendorous grandeur. Carved from top to bottom, standing a staggering 128 feet tall and 84 feet wide, some archeologists believe it served as a mausoleum for King Aretas IV during the first century.

Hellenistic in style with Corinthian columns, four eagle statues are perched atop the structure to carry souls to the afterlife. If you wish, it is here that you can ride a camel, catch a lift on a horse-drawn carriage or straddle a donkey. The Street of Facades is lined with interesting architecture and grottos.

Taking in the giant amphitheater and the Kings Tombs was all the farther my dad and I could walk. Noticing that we would likely need a ride back to the Treasury, we were followed from a distance, by someone waiting with animals for our transport. Momentarily distracted by picture-taking, before I knew it my dad was being loaded onto a donkey. A one-way trip cost fifteen dollars. Although thankful for the physical respite, the stirrups on my beast of burden were set too high and I found myself teetering unsteady for the entire ride.

Safely back in our hotel room, we prepared for the next leg of our journey to Egypt. The Dead Sea salt soap left something to be desired, but the Dead Sea mud shampoo worked surprisingly well. On the way to Amman, Soubi stopped for tea and his prayers.

This piece is the first of a four-part travel series that will appear in The Mountain-Ear in the coming weeks.

To view more articles and pictures, go to www.davegibsonimages.com.