I thought I'd close out 2011 by posting some shots of my visit to Jordan back in September, 2010. I'd be pushing the limit of 'urban photos' placing this in the city section so here it is in the general section. I was only in Jordan three days, a tight schedule to say the least. I managed to visit the Roman ruins of Jerash, to the North of Amman and Petra in the South of the country.
The ruins of Jerash are pictured first. Notice the stones are yellowish-white and the architecture is Roman (AD 400-600). The state in which the ruins was preserved was phenomenal. Amazing details in the stone work; the desert is much kinder than humid climates when it comes to decay.
After Jerash it was on to the much larger and more famous Petra. The Nabataens built Petra nearly 1,000 years before the Romans were in Jerash. Petra functioned as a naturally walled fortress and the capitol city for the Nabataens. The area covered by the ruins is vast and would take several days to see it all. Most of the elaborate structures are grave sites and function only as facades. The interiors are really just empty shallow rooms. I heard archaeologists estimate 90% of the ancient city still remains buried under the desert. Every year they dig out a little more.
Ok, on to the photos. I usually shake it up but this time they are in chronological order.
I have no idea why these guys were playing bagpipes and drums. Not exactly Bedouin music...
Driving south to Petra, not much to see along the way. I can vouch that Jordan has a littering problem, trash everywhere.
One has to walk about a mile through a narrow canyon or siq to enter the ancient city of Petra. The walk is vissually stunning, sometimes the canyon narrows to just a few feet.
The Indiana Jones shot, the building is called the Treasury.
The Monestary. It is a long trek in the desert heat to the top of a mountain to see this. I think this was in one of the transformers movies. I only saw the first one so I can't vouch.
A Bedouin family that has lives just outside Petra. They used to live in the ruins until the government of Jordan moved them. Very friendly and nice. I had tea with them on my walk down from the monastery. The tea was as sweet and as thick as maple syrup...
It is virtually impossible to get a shot of the Treasury unobstructed during the day. Too many locals and tourists milling about. I decided to get up early and try to beat the crowds. Not many people entering the park at 6AM.
Another Indy shot
Two shots from the ancient Christian town of Madaba. Some famous mosaics are inside the town's main church. Yeah, I did a terrible job documenting this area.
That's everything, just a quick thread this time. Hope you enjoyed.
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