Jordan: Hidden Treasures

Standing on the edge of the red sands of Jordan’s Wadi Rum, we were faced with a large rock formation, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, named after Lawrence’s book.

In the foreground stood a statuesque white Arabian camel; his expression was one of superiority and grandeur, but he didn’t seem to mind when I reached up to feel his white, velvety nose down which he was staring. Mezied, our desert guide arrived by my side and the camel stooped to nuzzle his master’s neck.

In return, his ears received a gentle rubbing to which the animal quietly sang with pleasure. “Travelling by camel is a good way to slow down and experience the rhythm of desert life; to sit and absorb its peace, tranquillity and sweeping vistas. But others relish the challenging climbs up sheer granite and sandstone cliffs,” Mezied told us, pointing to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Saving the camel riding and climbing for another time, we opted for a four-hour scramble upwards and were rewarded with 360-degree views of the dramatic landscape. Reaching heights of over 1,700 metres, many of the mountains have narrow canyons and deep fi ssures cut into their hearts, which provide cool retreats from the harsh desert sun. Here, you’ll often fi nd ancient rock drawings, etched more than 2,000 years ago by passing camel caravans on this main route from the Yemen through Wadi Rum towards Petra.

We were not the only ones to seek shelter in the vast chasm; a pretty green saw-scaled snake slithered past my toes. “Echis Coloratus,” whispered Mezied, sending shivers up my back, “he is a venomous viper.” it was good to feel the warmth of the sun again as we stepped out of the shade.

Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum, and their large goat hair tents are a classical feature of the landscape. We were lucky enough to be invited to stay in a traditional camp, and found ourselves sitting around their fire with our feet in the warm fine sand. We were offered rounds of fresh mint tea and a delicious roasted feast of whole onions, potatoes and chicken pieces, cooked to perfection in a fire under the sand. All this was accompanied with salads and dips such as hummus (chickpea) and baba ghanoug (aubergine) and hummus (chickpea) and baba ghanoug (aubergine) andkhobz, the traditional Arabic unleavened bread. For dessert,there was heavenly sweet baklava – pastry drenched in honey, syrup or rose water – which was outrageously sticky.

Afterwards, Mezied sung to the tune of his rababa (a horse hair string instrument) while we watched the stars and stared out into the darkness of the vast desert. Finally, we fell asleep on rugs laid out around the fire with a warm breeze on our faces.

Apart from Jordan’s endless stretches of sand, the country offers so much more. There’s the Dead Sea and its river valleys, the ancient cities of Petra and Jerash, the desert castles of Qusayr Amra, the roman ruins of Umm Qais, and Mt Nebo, where Moses allegedly looked out over the Promised Land.

Proud of their culture, the Jordanians are extremely hospitable towards visitors. But, squeezed between Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan continues to suffer from its location and visitor numbers are down. As our trip guide, 29-year-old Kamel from Amman explained: “We have suffered; we are a quiet house in a noisy neighbourhood.”

However, those who come to explore Jordan reap the benefits of being in a minority. The hotels, tourist sites and car parks are empty; and, as a result accommodation, tours and travel are heavily discounted. There are few tourist groups, and visiting well-known places without hoards of other people makes them all the more magical.

We opted to visit Petra early in the morning and were greeted with a dramatic sunrise over the unique Nabataean city, which is renowned for its massive rock architecture and hidden location. Walking through the narrow crevice in the rock (the Siq), the vertical walls towering over 100 metres above us, suddenly the Treasury was revealed and instantly we were transported into the final sequence of Indiana Jones and theLast Crusade, where Indy finds the Holy Grail.
A network of walks and climbs around Petra unveil over 800 historical treats, including 500 tombs. The largest monument was the Monastery, which is a fitting reward for the 800-step climb required to reach it. As we looked out across this red rose city and surrounding terrain, we could hear a haunting voice singing in the valley below. Hard to see at first, we could just make out the tiny frame of a child in red sitting alone on a boulder.

By Minnie Burlton 

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Couretsy of lifestyleandtravel.com