26 Aug 2009

Jordan, May 2008

Petra

As you start out  towards the necropolis you pass through a valley of tombs.

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You then enter the siq, or narrow causeway, which leads towards to the dead city itself.

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The siq ends, and then you see it : that classic shot of the "Treasury".

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The view from the Treasury steps, looking back towards the causeway entrance.

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And if you ever wondered what was actually in that thing...

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Nothing.  Like everything else here, it was never anything but a home for ghosts from the start.

The Treasury is just the start; as the valley - the northernmost point of the Great Rift - moves along, the rest of Petra is revealed.

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The Medusa Gate (note top left- and right-hand corners) and the weird rocks near it.

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The Place Of High Sacrifice, way above Petra itself.  The hole at left was for immolating infants.

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Wadi Rum

We headed out into the desert to stay with the Bedouin.

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Sand dunes look like an easy climb from the bottom...

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But are bloody hard work, believe me.

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Nabatean carvings, from a long time before.

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"The Bridge"

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A View From "The Bridge"

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Lawrence of Arabia's old crash-pad.

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Our desert camp and environs.

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Sunset from the camp.  Note party moving in distance, left center of picture.

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Night in the Skeikh's tent.  Terrible picture but kind of suits the mood.

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At dawn, the last desert fox abandoned our camp's scraps and headed to the hills; I was lucky to get a quick shot of him before he disappeared.

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Bethany-on-Jordan

The River Jordan, beloved of songwriters, in all its glory.  This picture was taken in Jordan; that's Israel on the other side.

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The traditional site of the Christ's baptism, with the remants of  the Byzantine church they built on the spot.

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Jerash

Once, it was the most powerful Roman city in the Near East.

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In the amphitheatre, Scottish Jordanians celebrate their heritage.

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While outside, a  lurking mob of Monty Python conventioneers threaten to overrun the city.

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But such is Jordan, land of contrasts.  Next up, Syria.










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