23 October 2009

Random Pictures From Zeek's Phone





Zeek and Jim at Ajlun Castle
Ayoub and Jim at Ajlun Castle
Jim with one of Salah al Din's archers
Jim with one of Salah al Din's archers
Zeek and Jim atop Ajlun Castle
Ayoub and Zeek atop Ajlun Castle
Jim in the pine grove below the castle
Ayoub having a smoke before going inside Ajlun
Jim laughing with the boys in our guest salon
Sign at a spice seller's stall in Aqaba...remember, there is no Wal-Mart here...
Jim and Ibrahim in our guest salon
Amjad in our guest salon
Ayoub, Omar, and Ibrahim in our guest salon
Ibrahim and Jim in our guest salon
Sunset just inside Amman after Aqaba trip
Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum
If you're going with me, get your arse in the car!!!

21 October 2009

Ajlun Castle

The view from top of Ajlun Castle


Zeek and Jim at the top
Jim, Zeek, and Ayoub at the top
Looking west
Main entrance to Ajlun
Looking north toward Jerusalem
Had to get a rest after climbing to the top!! You can see the outskirts of Jerusalem just beyond the back of my head.
Big Balls!!! {for catapults}
No, I'm not drunk...I thought the picture was finished...
Jordan Valley
Ayoub said "don't make my picture!!"
Pines overlooking Jordan Valley
Just look at the farms across the valley!
My god, it's so GREEN!!!!!


This huge fortress was built by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), in AD 1184-1185. The fortress is considered one of the very few built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from Karak in the south and Bisan in the west. From its situation, the fortress dominated a wide stretch of the northern Jordan Valley, controlled the three main passages that led to it (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes), and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria. It was built to contain the progress of the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan and as a retort to the castle of Belvoir on the lake of Tiberias. Another major objective of the fortress was to protect the development and control of the iron mines of Ajlun.




















Ayoub, Zeek and I drove up to Ajlun Castle a couple of days ago. The further north we drove the greener it was. The area is mostly farms and small villages and just too charming for words! We saw olive trees that were planted by the Romans, and are still producing fruit. The castle itself is a huge fortress built by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), in AD 1184-1185. The fortress is considered one of the very few built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from Karak in the south and Bisan in the west. From its situation, the fortress dominated a wide stretch of the northern Jordan Valley, controlled the three main passages that led to it (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes), and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria. It was built to contain the progress of the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan and as a retort to the castle of Belvoir on the lake of Tiberias. Another major objective of the fortress was to protect the development and control of the iron mines of Ajlun.

08 October 2009

Aqaba/Wadi Rum

Because we still needed a few things for the flat we decided to make a quick trip down to Aqaba to see what we could find in the duty free shops. It was also a nice opportunity to get out of the city for a couple of days and relax a bit by swimming and lazing round on the beach. We found a few treasures to bring home. The drive down was just gorgeous. We stopped a few times to make some pictures of the countryside with the stark, bare mountains. Sadly, the haze was fairly heavy so the pictures aren't of the greatest quality. They are somewhat better on the return trip when we stopped in Wadi Rum. So soon, we will be taking a camping trip down there!

Enjoy the pics!






More to come!!!