The Temple Mount

Day 13

Today was our last day in Israel. Part of me is sad to leave, and part of me is ready to be in my own home. But, before we headed to the airport,  we had a whole day of exploring to do. We began bright and early and headed to the Temple Mount.

After the Six-Day War, Israel officially took over the Temple Mount for the first time in centuries. A day later, they gave the control of the Mount, their holiest location, back to the Jordanians in order to keep things as peaceful as possible. Today it is still used as a religious site for Muslims, and Jews are not allowed up there except as tourists. Israeli guards are on site to help enforce this, and most people in Israel view it as the best way to keep a tense situation stable. But it is still strained on top of the Temple Mount. 

I don't know how to describe what it felt like once going through the gates to the Mount. Definitely not comfortable. One of the unarmed Jordan security men became upset with Uri for using the term "Temple Mount" as he was giving the history of the location because the Muslims there don't believe there was anything on the Mount before the Dome of the Rock (the mosque built on the foundation stone where Isaac was to be sacrificed and where the Temple was). At least that was the understanding I got from the interaction. I could be wrong on that. As I have said before, everything is very complicated here with many layers to it. It's hard to keep up.

The entire complex of the Temple that Harod built is massive--14 football fields wide. Mind blowing. The Temple itself in the 1st century was quite small in comparison (built to the standards God originally instructed). The complex was likely the most magnificent religious site in its time. And then the Romans destroyed it.

On top

Hundreds of years after the destruction, the Dome of the Rock was built there in the 600's after the Muslims took over Jerusalem. Some of the marble from Harod's Temple was used in the construction, which is still there today. In the 1000's, the Crusaders took over and built a church on the complex, which has since been turned into a mosque. The experience on the Temple Mount may have been strange because of the politics, but it is also something I wouldn't have wanted to miss.

We walked off the Mount into the area it is relatively accepted as the spot where Jesus was mocked and flogged by the Roman guards. Pontius Pilate was, until 6 months ago, believed to be housed in the Roman garrison, which would have made the location for the flogging and mocking that we visited an obvious choice as the correct location. However, a recent archaeological finding in the site if Harod's Jerusalem home makes it seem more likely that Pilate lived there instead of the garrison. It is currently up for discussion.

At multiple spots in Jerusalem, there is a "game" sketched on rocks for a Roman guard activity called the "Festival of the Kings." We stopped at one of these sites. During the "Festival of the Kings," which was a four-day event that took place at the end of December, the guards would choose a slave and make him a "king." They then clothed the slave in a purple robe and placed a crown of thorns on his head, after which they ridiculed and beat him. Whoever won the game got to slay the "king." Sound familiar? It's the same thing they did to Jesus. They were such pleasant people.

We stopped next at the Pool of Bethesda. There is no water in the pool anymore, but there were some cool ruins that I explored. I've missed all the archaeological digs from last week! Back when the pool was functioning, there were dams that would be opened to fill the pool for livestock to drink out of. When the water became low, the dams would be opened again and as the water flowed in, the waters would stir. For people who didn't know the workings of the city, it would look like the waters were miraculously moving in the pool. Hence the belief that an angel was stirring them and the waters would bring healing (John 5:1-14).

Ruins of the pool

As we were leaving the area of the pool, I entered the right arch pictured here, which goes into the stone street.

Just before I stepped out, I stopped right in the doorway. A fast-moving tractor whizzed by about 12 inches away.  Yep, I almost got run over by a tractor in Jerusalem.  Val, who was right behind me, grabbed my shoulders as it passed.  I felt so protected by her...until she informed me that she almost bumped into me and sent me into the path of the tractor.  Thanks, Val.

Uri treated us to another destination that wasn't on our itinerary:  the location that is believed to be Caiaphas' house (the high priest...John 18).  There was a church on top of the home, but underneath it archaeologists have found multiple levels of dungeons. I don't know why, but I never thought of the fact that Jesus was probably placed in a dungeon at some point while awaiting trial.  It was a grim area, and would have been very dark during Jesus' time (we had the benefit of floodlights).

1st century stairs up to Caiaphas' home

After lunch, we headed to what is known as the Garden Tomb, another possible site for Jesus' death and burial . Our guide there (not Uri) was an entertaining older British man who made the story come alive for us.  He explained that no one knows for certain the location of the events, but this particular site has a hill that looks like a skull and tombs from the 1st century.

Possible site of Golgotha (I took a picture of a picture)

Perhaps what is most compelling is that discoveries there revealed an area that would have been a garden.  They found a 1st century wine press, the only one from that time-frame ever located. Regardless of whether or not it is the actual site, though, I much preferred this place over the one we saw yesterday because I could visualize what it must have looked like back in Jesus' time!  It isn't covered up by buildings like the other.

1st century wine press

possible tomb of Jesus

Something I also never realized was how close in proximity the tomb was to where Jesus was killed.  I always envisioned Jesus' body being carried a distance to the tomb, but at both sites we visited there was only a couple of hundred yards between them.  I just read John 19:41, though, which says, "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid."  There it is.  I missed that somehow over the years. Huh.

The Garden Tomb was the last place we visited.  We went back to our hotels, packed up, and headed to the airport.  Then the sad part:  saying goodbye to Uri. Who knows if we will ever see him again!  He said goodbye everyone, and when he got to me, he hugged me and told me that I made this trip for him. Well, I think we all felt that he did the same for us.  

Our visit to Israel may be over, but there are a couple of things I took away:
1) My understanding of the Bible has been greatly increased.
2) I will never read the Bible or think of the stories in it the same.
3) The word "complicated" isn't strong enough to explain the conflict and politics in that area.  It is overwhelming.  But, as Uri told us, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  So that's what I'll do. 
4) I'm so thankful for the people who helped me go on this trip.
5) Israel is a pretty amazing place.

The Temple Wall

Day 11

I spent most of the day in bed with food poisoning. Enough said.

But here is a picture of a cool model of what Jerusalem would have looked like in the 1st century.

Day 12

I felt much better today, but I was pretty weak. I slogged along with the group as we went to the Temple. Uri led us to an archeological dig that has unearthed the 1st century road where the marketplace along the Temple was at. There was a section of the original Temple wall that Harod had built still there, but there was also a huge pile of massive stones that the Romans had dislodged and pushed over when they sacked the city in 70 A.D. It was quite a sight to see.

From there we went around the corner to the steps leading to what was the main entrance of the Temple. Some of the steps were original from the 1st century, and Jesus would have walked on them. That was amazing.

These same steps are also believed to be the site where Peter gave his sermon from Acts 2. This is widely accepted due to the fact that the steps were a place where people gathered, the area had good acoustics to address such a multitude, and there were multiple ritual bath sites right there for all the baptisms Peter ended up doing when the people accepted Christ.

We made our way back to the western wall, but this time to the section devoted for religious use: the area referred to as the Wailing Wall. People were gathered around praying and crying for the loss of the temple. It was sad to see.

We spent the next few hours wandering through the pretty,  narrow streets of the old section of Jerusalem as Uri have us fact after fact. Information overload. The man is brilliant. If I retained a fraction of what he told us this trip, I'll be pleased.

When Jerusalem was being rebuilt in the 1970's after the Six-Day War (1967), archeological sites were discovered everywhere as they attempted to put in the foundations of new buildings. They had a dilemma: destroy centuries old remains to build a new city, or don't rebuild. The solution: build over the remains and make the basements into archeological digs and museums. As a result, under numerous stores and buildings are old ruins that have been preserved. Brilliant.

Underground section 

Scorched mosiac from when the Romans burned the city. It is one of the sections preserved underground.

We had a low key evening and I was wiped, but I was SO happy to be back functioning more as a human and able to be a part of normal conversations. It was good to be with my friends again.

Tomorrow is our last day in Israel. 

Jerusalem

Day 10

I woke up today not feeling the best, so my recounting of things is a bit fuzzy. I have to say, I definitely miss having the energy I typically do. There was a lot I missed out on.

But...we are in Jerusalem! Crazy. It is a weird mix of new and ancient structures. I can't imagine living somewhere that has structures from 3,000 years ago right around the corner and the possibility of ancient artifacts under where I would walk every day.

As we drove around the city, we stopped at an overlook that gave us a great view of the city. Uri explained to us that the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac was on the Temple Mount, obviously long before anything was built there. That is one of the reasons the site was sought out by the Jews. On the slab of rock that Abraham was to make the sacrifice (and ended up sacrificing the ram) was the spot where the temple was eventually built. Really cool.

Mount of Olives on the left, Temple Mount and Jerusalem on the right

The location of Jerusalem is strange. It was built on a hill that is lower than the surrounding hills, thereby making it not a great spot defensively. There isn't much water. The land isn't very irrigable because it is built on the border of a desert. There is no main trade route nearby. These four things were typically sought after when building a city for obvious reasons, yet none were present in Jerusalem. And yet it flourished.

We stopped at the Mount of Olives, in which was the Garden of Gethsemane. I really enjoyed seeing the layout of the city and where everything was in relation to other spots. We were able to look up at the wall (the majority of what is standing was built by the Ottomans in the 1500's) and get a really good feel for things. The Kidron Valley was right below us, with the wall on the other side of the valley.

The wall. You can see the Mercy Gate, which was closed off by the Turks. The Messiah is supposed to return through that gate, and they believed that would stop His return. Not their brightest plan. This was also the gate Jesus would have ridden through on Palm Sunday.

Olive tree on the Mount of Olives

Next, we went to the archeological site of David's palace, which is a fairly recent and very exciting find! It helped clarify the layout of the Davidic kingdom. Plus, it was just amazing...to stand in David's palace?! Wow. Other kings had obviously been there also, and the prophet Jeremiah had entered foretelling Israel's destruction. Archeologists found the names of three out of four advisors to King Zedekiah (who advised against listening to Jeremiah) on site at the palace. We were also able to see layers of the palace wall from David's time to when Nehamiah rebuilt the wall.

Layers of the palace wall

We moved next to an exploration under the city. Gihon Spring was an underground spring that was also protected by an extension of the wall, and this was the location of the anointing of King Solomon. He was anointed underground. Didn't know that one. From the spring, there were two tunnels we were able to choose to walk out through. The first was Hezekiah's tunnel, which was built to provide a route for extra water to the city in preparation of the siege by the Assyrians (2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32:2-4). The second was a tunnel built by the Canaanites prior to the Israelites taking over the area. Hezekiah's tunnel was unlit and had water running though it, but while it sounded like a cool experience, I opted for the Canaanite tunnel that was lit and had an early exit because I wasn't feeling great. It was fun, though! We exited, wandered around some more ruins, then boarded our bus and headed to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem was a different experience. The city is one of the areas controlled by the Palestinians and is completely walled in. As soon as we entered, there was an immediately different feel, sort of dark. The population in the town has gone from about 80% Christian to only about 15%. It is not a comfortable or safe place for Christians to live, and they are being pushed out by the Muslim population. 

We stopped at the believed site of where Jesus was born, over which a church had been built. It wasn't that great, honestly. After, we went to the area where the shepherds likely were at and saw the type if cave they would have slept in and kept their sheep (also with a church on the site). 

Val best verbalized to my feelings about the Christian sites in Israel being by churches: you lose something big when you can't see the landscape where an event took place. I know the churches on site hold value for a lot of people, but I would much rather go to a place that wasn't the exact site of an event and get a feel for what it was like 2,000 years ago than go somewhere and try to imagine what it looked like under the building now on top. This is why I have enjoyed the archeological sites we have visited the most (plus, as I have stated, I like old things!).

A word about Uri: I have to reiterate again that we struck the jackpot with him as a guide. The man is brilliant and adds a level that you can't get from an American pastor. He is native to the area and can tell you things only someone from the Jewish culture would know. He not only knows Biblical history, however, but flaura and fauna, old world history, current politics, and everything in between. Plus, he was a paratrooper. Can you get any cooler? Oh yes, you can...by wearing an Indiana Jones style hat.

Uri, sans hat.

Beersheba to David and Goliath

Day 9

Today was an eclectic, busy day. We drove to and visited so many places as we made our way to Jerusalem, so this post may be a bit choppy.

As we left the Dead Sea, we made our way up around the mountains to the cliffs above the sea. The terrain we went through was so, so pretty. The first part looked very much like the Badlands of South Dakota and is currently a nature reserve with tons of hiking and backpacking trails. Uri said again that I need to come back and backpack the country for 6-12 months. I asked Val if I could take a sabbatical for that amount of time, and she said no. Slave driver.

From the Badlands area we drove through terrain that looked like the desert foothills of southern Idaho. I've found that at each place I tend to compare it with something from the west in the U.S. It will make it easier to remember later when I'm reading my Bible at home. In this area, the tribe of Judah ran their sheep. The Bible refers to a lot of this land as desert, but that word in Hebrew means grazing ground. Their "real" desert is in southern Israel. Uri says that is the land that is completely desolate and wild...and that I need to go visit it. This area we drove through was in the Old Testament the border to Philistine country. 

Our first stop was at the Hebron mountains, which are outside of the town if Aran. This is the spot where Abram and Lot stood as they decided to part ways because their herds were too big to be jointly sustained. Lot chose to journey down to the Jordan valley all the way to the outskirts of Sodom, and Abram journeyed on (Genesis 13). It was a great view and a very pretty area with hiking trails all over. Definitely a place I would like to explore more someday. Israel just has so much to see and do.

View from Hebron

As we continued driving, Uri gave us a recent history lesson and run-down of Palestinian/Israeli issues. There is no way I can recount all we heard, with multiple layers and levels that are involved. Let's just say there is way more going on and it is way more complicated than the news makes it out to be. They are missing a lot of details.

After lunch, we arrived at the archeological site if Be'er Sheva, or Beersheba. The current ruins are from the 8th century B.C., but the actual city has been around for much longer. Before a city even existed, though, Isaac first dug a well there as stated in Genesis 26:23-33. The land there is on the boundary of the Promised Land, with wilderness off to the south.

Ruins of Beersheba

It was interesting to see that the well was built OUTSIDE the city, something that isn't usually done due to safety reasons. Why was it built outside then? The area consisted of city dwellers and nomads. Both were dependent on each other, so the city didn't want to keep nomads away even though they may have sometimes posed a threat. Since the main reason nomads would attack was for water, there was a well outside the gates so there wouldn't be that need.

Beersheba was a small city, but we had fun exploring it and looking around. I loved seeing the landscape and getting an idea of what it would have looked like back in Biblical times. There were other Tels (digs) in the area. Israel is full of them! There are just ruins everywhere! Something that is 500 years old isn't even worth exploring when you are here. Bizarre. We also walked through an old water system and saw streaks from hands that were thousands of years old. Wow.

Our next stop was the completely unique tel city of Maresha. First, the landscape was so pretty! Green with trees, rocks, and rolling hills. It had a bit of a Colorado feel to it, or New Mexico in the spring. This city itself blew my mind. Maresha is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 11:5-8 during the reign of King Rehoboam. Later, when the Babylonians went through and defeated Israel, the Idumeans (descendants of Esau), joined forces with them and took over Maresha. In the 4th century B.C., they were joined by the Greeks and Sidonians. At this time, they discovered they could build some pretty amazing rooms underground by cutting into the 

 soft limestone that is under the bedrock. They constructed an entire city underground. It is incredible. 

Underground pigeon farm

Val in one of the bell caves

There are caves everywhere that you can explore. We went through three of them (an olive press, a cistern, and a pigeon farm), but Uri said you can go spelunking in a bunch of them. It was amazing to see the level of work they had done. 

Working the olive press

Our final stop today before getting into Jerusalem was the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17). We pulled onto the side of a busy road and walked back a little ways to a plowed field. It seemed like a weird spot, but it blew my mind when Uri explained the setup in that valley of the Israelite and Philistine camps. The Israelites were on one hill, and the Philistines were on another. Neither army wanted to go down into the valley and lose the high ground. Enter Goliath. Uri explained that scholars believe he had a condition known as gigantism, which would have made his sight pretty bad, and he would have had a large protruding forehead. In verse 44, Goliath says, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." He wants David within his grasp so he can squish him like a bug. Instead, David keeps his distance and uses his slingshot on him. Good slingshot users could send a rock almost to the speed of a bullet. It hit him between the eyes and likely pushed his nose into his brain, probably killing him instantly.

The Israelites would have been on this hill

I loved this spot because I was able to visualize everything! Where the armies were, where the battle took place, what the terrain looked like. It was a really cool experience.

As we left the area, Uri said that developers are trying to build housing complexes on the hill and into the valley. Groups are trying to block it, so there is hope that it won't happen. The thought of building there bothers me so much. How can they even think of doing that in that area? So much history. I was livid as I looked out the window. I hope they fail.

The day was very informative and involved a lot of amazing exploring and info. We drove into Jerusalem, and grabbed dinner at the hotel. At dinner, our group (Val, Steve, Elizabeth, and I) were out of control. Everything that was said was hilarious. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, and Steve had tears streaming down his face. It was by far a highlight. Just another great part of this trip!

From desert to sea

Day 8

I woke up to this view of the Dead Sea:

I could get used to this. We boarded our bus at 8am and headed to En Gedi, which turned out to be one of my favorite spots. It was behind the town of En Gedi that David fled and hid when Saul was seeking to kill him. David and his 300 men went to the hills (think of the Badlands of South Dakota, only taller) and hid in it's numerous caves while Saul chased him with 3,000 men. You read these stories, but until you are in the landscape it just doesn't fully come together. Caves dot the walls all over the place. The terrain is rocky, sandy, and very difficult to climb. Flash floods occur without warning. While there is very little water, there was a small stream fed by springs and runoff from above the cliffs somewhere (I have no idea where) that flows down to En Gedi.

We took a short hike up it to three pretty waterfalls (that I may have stood under). The area is gorgeous and rugged, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Val and Elizabeth are also hikers, so the walk up was enjoyed by us immensely. It is just fun doing things with people who share your excitement.

It's in a cave in En Gedi that David and his men were hiding when Saul entered to relieve himself. David sneaked up to Saul and cut a piece of his tunic off (1 Samuel 24). There was a reenactment of that moment that was capture digitally:

From En Gedi, we journeyed to Masada, a fortress built on a giant mesa overlooking the Dead Sea. Harod constructed it sometime during his reign from 37 B.C.-4 A.D. as a winter palace and a refuge if needed. After he died, the Romans used it as a garrison until it was taken over by the Jewish rebels during the Great Revolt in 66 A.D. It was there that the Jews made their last stand in 73 A.D.

Masada ruins

The story of Masada is not a pretty one. The last of the Jewish refugees/rebels lived on the mesa for about three years before the Romans surrounded the fortress and began a 3-month siege. They couldn't go up via the regular route because it was a small footpath (and therefore easily defended by the Jews), so the Romans built a massive ramp up to the city walls. From there, a tower was built and a battering ram was used on the gates. They didn't get them open the first day, however. The Romans had to quit for the night and the rebels gathered to talk.

It was 8,000 Romans against 960 Jews, with only 40 of them being fighting men. The rest were mainly women and children, and some untrained men. The Romans were brutal to those who resisted them--their method was rape, torture, kill the adults and babies, and sell the kids into sex slavery. What do you do? The Romans were going to get in the next day. In the end, the Jews decided to kill each other in a quick and fairky painkess fashion, with the final person committing suicide. When the Romans got into Masada the next day, they found the storehouses on fire and their intended victims dead. It is Israel's version of the Alamo.

View from Masada. You can see how it is easy to defend.

We explored the ruins of Masada as Uri told us the story and showed us Harod's palace. Afterward, we headed back to our hotel to float in the Dead Sea. It was a weird transition from experiencing something so sobering to becoming a full blow tourist. But...the Dead Sea is soooo cool! The water feels almost like syrup, and it just pops you right up as if you were wearing a life jacket. I went out a little ways and was able to just float there vertically as if I was standing on the bottom. Once the beach closed, we went back into the hotel and enjoyed the jacuzzi before dinner. It was a good day.

The Dead Sea

 Day 7

A lot if our final day in Jordan consisted of driving to the Israel border. We retraced our route back toward Ammon and stopped in the village of Madaba, the home of Ruth.  After a quick visit in the city to St. George's Church to see a Byzantine mosiac map of the Holy Land (really pretty), we continued on to Mt. Nebo. 

Mt. Nebo is the location that the Lord took Moses up to in order to see the Promised Land before he died (Deut. 34). He died on top of the mountain, in view of the land he led the Israelites toward for years. He had a great view, though!

Looking into Israel from Mt. Nebo

From the vantage point, you can see the stark contrast between Jordan and Israel. Israel is lush and green, but Jordan is very dry and barren (at least in that region). Apparently there used to be more trees and plants in the Moab region of Jordan, which is where Mt. Nebo is located, but due to the Turks cutting down the trees years ago and current over-grazing, it is just brown and dusty.

We made our way back to Israel, crossed the border with no problems (I barely made it through Israeli security when I was still in the U.S., so I was very happy about this), and were reunited with Uri. Our Jordan tour guide was really sweet, but Uri is honestly just a spectacular guide. He immediately launched into details of the region we had entered: the Dead Sea.

Where we crossed the Jordan River into Israel is believed to be in the vicinity where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. We also drove around the ancient city of Jericho, and right behind that is likely the wilderness where Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11).

Jericho and the wilderness Jesus was tempted, off in the distance

And then the highlight of the day: Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. It was incredible. Qumran was the town where a devote sect of the Jews, known as the Essenes, lived in from 31 B.C.-68 A.D. They had separated themselves from society and spent their time worshiping God as they awaited His return. The information we received claimed that John the Baptist was a part of their sect for a while. I'm not sure if this is true, but Jewish scholars seem to think it is, which obviously holds a lot of weight. 

In 68 A.D., the Essenes abandoned Qumran during the Jewish revolt in order to escape the Romans. They hid the scrolls they were copying and writing in many different caves near the town, but the sect members all ended up dying on Masada in 73 A.D. with the last of the Jewish rebels. As a result, no one had any knowledge of their writings...until 1947 when a young Bedouin shepherd/goatherder found them hidden in a cave when looking for a lost goat. He threw rocks into the cave to scare the wandering goat out and heard pottery shatter. After investigating, he found the scrolls that had been stored in a pot almost 2,000 years ago. These scrolls ended up helping to prove the validity of scripture.

The cave the first set of Dead Sea scrolls were found in. What?! You can see more caves dotting the hillside in the distance.

The area around the Dead Sea was so gorgeous. It looked like a cross between the Badlands in South Dakota and Moab, Utah, with carved out rock and canyons. The sea itself was flat and beautiful. Through one of the canyon passes, people used to make the trek toward Jerusalem rather than journey around the mountains. Ruth and Naomi would have taken that pass on their way to Bethlehem.

The area around the Dead Sea is 1300 feet below sea level, the lowest in the world. The coastline has dropped by a significant, alarming rate within the last hundred years. It is well over a mile lower than it used to be! Part of the reason is the diverting of the Jordan River upstream for farming, the use in Jordan (which is on the opposite side of the sea) of the runoff water, and the mining of minerals and salts for beauty products. Thus, more water is being used and less is going into the sea. The beauty products alone cause a drop of 3 feet a year. Crazy. It really saddened me to hear that and see the dry land that once used to be covered in water. There is such a loss in that sort of thing.

The Dead Sea from Qumran ruins

We got to our fancy hotel on the Dead Sea around 5pm and settled in before dinner. It was such a nice place, but I wanted to be outside. Our drive from the Dead Sea scroll site to our hotel was during sunset and dusk, and that is the prettiest time in the desert. All I wanted to do was set up a tent and have a campfire with my brother. I ended up having a lovely evening drinking coffee and talking with Steve and Val, which made camping not as appealing...I'm all about people more than anything else. And I am more than thankful for our hotel, having taken advantage of the great food and cozy bed.

Petra!

Day 6

Our day began with a 3.5 hour drive to Petra from Amman. The country was SO dry and brown, and it reminded me of Nevada. I loved it...I just love the desert. There is something about the barrenness and open sky that draws me.

Land of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites

Our drive took us through the land of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites (the Edomites are the descendants if Esau-Genesis 36:43), which is so wild to realize I have experienced. It is a land that only roaming nomadic tribes could live on back then. Both Abraham and later Moses both journeyed through that area. I can't imagine taking hundreds of thousands of people across that terrain to the Promised Land, but he did!

We drove along a part of the King's Highway, which was a major trade route thousands of years ago. The highway received it's name from when nine kings banded together and fought another group of kings near the Dead Sea (the Valley if Salt, or Siddom). This group of kings captured Lot, and Abram gathered his servants and came to the rescue of his nephew (Genesis 14).

We finally arrived in Petra! Petra is in a slot canyon, so as we entered the lower area from the cliffs and I saw the area below, I was immediately blown away by how it looked almost exactly like Moab, Utah. That has got to be why they used the name Moab in Utah. The original land of Moab is very close to Petra, and the two areas look EXACTLY the same! The color of the rock, the shape of the mounds, the slot canyons in the distance, and then the actual slots themselves. I was way more excited than I should have been. Plus, I have a deep and passionate love for slot canyons that only seems to grow the more I visit them. Sorry, Lindy. We will never hike enough of them. Just accept it.

On the hike down

Petra was in the land of the Edomites which, as I mentioned, are descendants of Esau. Obadiah prophecies against the tribe in his book, and scholars agree that he is most likely referencing the canyons of Petra when he says in verse 3, "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwellings, who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'"

So what exactly is Petra? Well, it is freaking awesome. It was settled by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe, a little before the first century. They were cliff dwellers, and carved intricate caves and sculptures into the sandstone canyons. If you have never heard of Petra, think Indiana Jones. It is featured in one of the movies (I don't know which one. I'm not a guy). 

The canyon leading to the main settlement is a massive slot that we walked down for about a mile. As we meandered, we learned about the Nabataeans' system of creating aqueducts and cisterns to collect every drop of water they possibly could. The number of aqueducts and how they were set up was ridiculous. Those were smart people. We saw sculptures and monuments etched into the cave walls and dams they built on side slots...and I wanted to hike down all those side slot canyons. See, Lindy?

After about a mile, we rounded a corner and...

Our first glimpse of the Treasury (featured in Indiana Jones). The picture doesn't even capture a fraction of the stunning beauty and massive size as it first came into view. What?! How?! Amazing. The intricacy of the carvings and the amount of time it must have taken! You can see steps cut into each side of the tomb for workers to climb up and do their job.

The Treasury isn't actually a treasury but a tomb for their greatest ruler. The canyon is dotted with caves that are used for tombs or homes, some of which people still live in today (the homes, not the tombs). Val talked to an Arabic man who lives in a cave on nice nights, and also rents an apartment (although our your guide said that wasn't true).

I really can't describe what Petra is like. It is just so massive (they say you need three days to really explore it). If you have ever been to Utah, envision a slot canyon that leads to a more open area with smaller, wider canyons going off. Then just imagine hundreds of caves dotting the canyon walls and rock slabs. Throw in a few massive and intricate tomb patterns. And then go visit Petra.

We wandered down to a restaurant for lunch in the canyon (it is a pretty touristy spot...vendors everywhere...in the middle of nowhere). After lunch, we were on our own to make our way back to the top for dinner. I loved the flexibility and freedom of that. Some people rode donkeys and camels and some people spent time exploring and walked back up later. Val, Elizabeth, Terry (a really awesome woman from our group...although they are all pretty awesome), and I opted to stay in the canyon for a while and do some exploring. We went to a roman temple (the Romans took over in 106 AD), then stopped at a Byzantine era church, and finally made our way up the side of a cliff to explore a bunch of caves and tombs. It was just a pleasant day! 

Checking out the caves

By the time we were done exploring, most of the tourists had cleared out of the canyon, so it was much less crowded. Win. We were able to get some great shots of the Treasury with everyone gone, then we hiked back out of the canyon with practically no people around us. It was so peaceful and quiet. We were the last of our group to get to the hotel. We cleaned up, had dinner, and after dinner I had coffee and chatted with Val and her husband. Then, bed!

I love slot canyons.

Crossing the Jordan

Day 5

Today was a bit if a slower day because we traveled from Israel into Jordan, and a good chunk of the morning consisted of crossing the border and driving to our first destination. Jordan is much different from Israel. It is a more economically depressed country, and it saddened me to see all the poverty around us, especially as we are the rich tourists. I have never liked being that person. But you can tell the people of Jordan take pride in their nationality.

Another difference I noticed between the two countries was that the area of Israel we have traveled in so far had had a sort of California landscape feel to it. Dry, but with vegetation and lots if farming. Jordan (at least initially) made me think of Nevada. Brown, rocky, and barren...which I loved. I thought the landscape was gorgeous and intriguing, and I tried to see as much as possible as we drove. Our new Jordanian tour guide (Uri can only guide in Israel) explained that the region we were going through was the land that the Gadites, Reubenites, and half of the tribe of Manasseh chose to settle in rather than crossing over the Jordan into the Promised Land (Numbers 32). We were driving right through Biblical history once again.

Our main stop today was ancient city of Jerash, which was part of the Decapolis and is just unbelievably massive in size. 

Whereas the other archeological sites we visited have been smaller sections uncovered here and there, Jerash covers 8.6 miles, and a large part of it has been uncovered and restored. Archeologists have been reconstructing it since the 1920's when it was first discovered, and it truly looks like a city. 

Greek roadway

There have been multiple layers of cities found on the site, so the reconstruction includes Roman buildings from the 1st century along with Greek buildings from earlier. The place was just absolutely massive, with columns everywhere, roads (with chariot ruts in them), sewage systems, and temples for Zeus and Athena. 

It was a gorgeous day and thoroughly enjoyable. Until it started raining on us. But, I really didn't mind because it cleared out the majority if the tourists. Perfect!

We left Jaresh and stopped at an overlook of River Jabbok. It was along this river that Jacob wrestled with an angel before meeting Esau again after many years (Genesis 32;22-32). There is so much Old Testament history in this region! Val gave a short devotional while we were there, which was my favorite so far. I know I'm biased, though.

Val sharing at the overlook of the river

Val is one of my very favorite people. She is the international director of Campus Ambassadors, and is an absolutely brilliant woman. I could listen to her talk for hours. She is also just so humble, and she has an absolute trust in her staff that makes you feel like you can do anything when she encourages you. She also knows how to have fun and is constantly making jokes or picking on you (which I appreciate). She is energetic and loves running around doing ridiculous things. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Val on this trip, from racing through castles, being the brunt of her jokes, making ridiculous comments about pretty much anything, getting called troublemakers by our tour guide (with Elizabeth of course!), and having really good conversations/receiving life advice. I feel looked after and taken care of when I'm around her. I respect her, adore her, admire her, and love her.

Oops.