Y'all Come See Us!

Reports released in February 2011 showed that Jordan has taken a $70 million hit in the tourism industry. That amounts to around 25% of the kingdom’s income generated by tourists. European and American tourists in particular are avoiding the entire Middle East region.

Mohammad Samih, who chairs The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association reported that around 40% of bookings through April 2011 had been cancelled.

To a great extent most of the blame for avoiding the Arab World is the ongoing turmoil in Egypt and North Africa as well as in Syria and Israel.

While caution is certainly prudent when considering a visit to Cairo, Alexandria, Damascus or Jerusalem, even cursory attention to the news would reveal that Jordan is an oasis of peace in the region. The regular Jummah protests each week have been peaceful, uneventful demonstrations with only a single incident to mar them. Jordan remains a safe, quiet and welcoming destination for tourists from all around the globe.

The recent cancellations have not ony affected tourist companies. When tourists decide to stay home or travel elsewhere we all suffer. Restaurant owners, wait and cook staff, taxis, limo drivers and food vendors also suffer. The cancellations have a ripple effect that engulfs the entire kingdom. People aren't able to afford food, clothing and education for their families. Because they can’t afford to spend, business owners’ sales suffer. All round the country we wait and hope for people to come visit us and help stave off economic disaster.

Jordan can, and should be considered by tourists as a stand-alone destination. We have an international airport and a seaport. Our tourist sites are unequalled and our nation is safe. Yes. Completely safe.

American and European travellers should be educated in the realities of Jordan tourism. According to American travel and tourism industry leaders, Jordan is ranked as the 8^th most popular destination for adventure tourism and it is one of the top faith-based sites. It is the Biblical Tourist I want to address in this article.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is home to the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus and Mount Nebo where God showed Prophet Moses the “Promised Land” and then buried him there. Prophet Jeremiah is said to have hidden the Ark of the Covenant in one of the many caves of Mount Nebo. Prophet Aaron, brother of Moses, is entombed on the top of a mountain overlooking Petra and the town of Madaba has the oldest surviving original map of the Holy Land, showing Jerusalem. It is a mosaic on the floor of St George church and dates back to the 6^th century CE. Noah, a “righteous and blameless” man is also linked with Jordan. His tomb/shrine is located at Kerak in the south of Jordan.

In the north of Jordan Umm Qais is the site where Jesus cast the demons into a herd of swine who subsequently ran down the mountain and drowned in the Sea of Galilee and in the south, Prophet Lot and his daughters lived for some time in a cave near the Dead Sea after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The best available candidates to be the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah are the ancient remains of the walled towns of Bab Eddhra’ and Numeira in the southeastern Dead Sea coastal plain. Until today, they show the remains of a fiery destruction after which they were never reinhabited.

The late Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to Jordan in 2000 and declared five Christian holy sites as pilgrimage places.

Not far from Amman is the legendary Cave of the Seven Sleepers. According to the story several persecuted Christian boys found shelter there and slept for 309 years. It is a truly astonishing story among so many astonishing stories that originated in Jordan.

This part of the Holy Land is blessed with a rich spiritual heritage. Prophets Abraham, Job, Moses, Ruth, Elijah, John the Baptist and the preacher, Paul each performed critical parts of their ministries in this country. Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, and Elijah ascended into heaven from Jordan.

Prophet Job was from around the city of Salt in northwest Jordan. His story, one of the oldest in the Bible, places Jordan squarely in the beginnings of human faith on earth. Job’s book demonstrates the Bible’s earliest sign of human movement toward monotheism and is an important aspect of the importance of Jordan in the development of the three monotheistic religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It was here, in Jordan, that Job tells of the longest recorded speeches of God, Himself; the most profound debate between a human and God; and the first explicit appearance of Satan in the Bible when he asks God’s permission to test Job’s faith.

After being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam stood in the waters of the Jordan River for 40 days, praying and begging forgiveness from God. When Cain murdered his brother, Abel he was banished to the area “east of Eden”. He went to one of three sites east of the Jordan River that were later designated as Cities of Refuge.

Time after time, God named Jordan as a land of peace and refuge. Ruth, Elijah, David, Jesus, John the Baptist and the first Christian communities found safety here. Most of the holy sites where the Prophets performed miracles or reached out to ordinary people have been identified and excavated, and are easily accessible to visitors today.

The King’s Highway passes through the hills of northern Jordan, crosses the Jabbok River (Zerqa River) and Jordan River and then through Jordan Valley around Succoth and up to the hill country of Canaan and Palestine near Shechem (Nablus). Propet Abraham would have certainly taken this route in his travels. The highway was first mentioned in Numbers 20:17 when Prophet Moses requested, and was refused, permission to use it to get to Canaan.

When Prophet Abraham’s wife Sarah got into a snit and forced the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael they traveled eastwards into the lands of southern Jordan and on to northern Arabia. These areas were called Paran and Midian in Genesis 14:6, 21:21. Eventually, Ishmael fathered the Arabian tribes and the “sons of the east” (Judges 8:10, Isaiah 11:14). It was through these two sons that the blessings of God were passed on to all humanity.

Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah, his two concubines and their flock of children fled from the home of his Uncle Laban in Haran (modern Turkey/Iraq) and set their caps for Canaan. Laban gave chase and finally caught up with them in Mizpah in Gilead in the hill country above the Jordan Valley (Genesis 31). After reconciling, Jacob and Laban made a lifelong peace when they said “May the Lord watch between you and me while we are absent one from the other” (Genesis 31:49).

I have but scratched the surface of the holy places to be found in Jordan. Come visit us for a truly moving experience and spiritual renewal. No matter where you put your foot, you can be virtually assured that you are in the footprints of one of the Prophets, holy men or women or even of God, Himself.

You are welcome here!

Jerash, "Pompeii of the East"

Hadrian's Triumphal Gate marking the entrance to the city

I was recently asked to produce a short essay on the ruined ancient city of Jerash. As I consulted my notes and files I discovered that I'd never even posted one on my blog. In order to correct that omission I decided to post this today and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed producing it.

Jerash is one of the most important, intact and best preserved cities of the Decapolis and is accepted as one of the finest examples of the Roman city in the East. It has managed to escape the destruction and looting some of the other historic sites have suffered. Because of its remarkable preservation, this ruined Greco-Roman city has been called “Pompeii of the East”. The somewhat misleading name derives from the extensive excavation and level of preservation, though Jerash was never buried by a volcano. Excavation of some of the outer walls has led to the discovery of tools and machinery from as far back as the late Iron Age and the Bronze Age.

This city has gone by many names, one of which is Gerasa, taken from the Semite Gersho and was mentioned in Nabataean writings in Petra. Another name for this astonishing city was Antioch on the Chrysorhoas, meaning Antioch on the Gold River because the Gold River crossed the city of Gerasa as part of the Yaboq River (al-Zarqa).

Some scholars suggest the city was established by Alexander the Great at the end of the 4^th century BC, but most archaeological findings indicate that the Hellenistic era in Jerash began after Antochios III invaded the region in 219-218 BCE

Map of the cities of the Decapolis

The Decapolis (Ten Cities) was a group of ten loosely confederated cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status. The Decapolis cities were centers of Greek and Roman culture in a region that was otherwise Semitic (Nabatean, Aramean, and Jewish). With the exception of Damascus, the "Region of the Decapolis" was located in modern-day Jordan, with one city located west of the Jordan River in Israel. Each city had a certain degree of autonomy and self-rule.

The impressive buildings include places of worship dating from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim periods. In the 3^rd century BCE, the city then known as Gerasa was admitted into the Roman Decapolis. In 63 BCE Pompey conquered the Decapolis cities and left Jerash as a prestigious semi-autonomous state as part of the province of Syria. Due to it’s position and the new road built by Emperor Trajan in 106 CE, the city prospered greatly on the spice and incense trade route.

Corinthian column

Remains in the Greco-Roman Jerash include:

·         The Corinthium column,

·         Hadrian’s Arch,

·         The Circus/Hippodrome,

·         Two large temples dedicated to Zeus and Artemis,

·         The nearly unique oval Forum, which is surrounded by a fine colonnade,

·         The long colonnaded street, or Cardo,

·         Two theatres (the large South Theatre and the smaller North Theatre),

·         Two baths, and a scattering of small temples and,

·         An almost complete circuit of city walls.

Most of these monuments were built by donations of the city's wealthy citizens. From 350 CE, a large Christian community lived in Jerash, and between 400-600 CE, more than thirteen churches were built, many with superb mosaic floors. A cathedral was built in the fourth century. An ancient synagogue with detailed mosaics, including the story of Noah, was found beneath one of the churches.

Jerash was a favorite city of the Emperor Hadrian who visited the city and spent part of the winter of 129-130 CE. His coming signaled a fresh outburst of building activity, and the Triumphal Arch was erected in celebration of his visit. It seems probable that the intention was to extend the area of the city as far as this arch, as the ends were left rough as though to bond to a wall, but the project was abandoned as soon as Hadrian left and attention returned to the city centre.

The 3^rd century CE saw Jerash suffer decline, but it was revived as a Christian city under the Byzantines. The Persian invasion of 164 CE, the Muslim conquest of 635 CE and several 8^th century earthquakes sealed the fate of Jerash. In 749 CE, a major earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings. During the period of the Crusades, some of the monuments, including the Temple of Artemis, were converted to fortresses. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Ayyubid, Mameluk and Ottoman periods. Excavation and restoration of Jerash has been almost continuous since the 1920s.

One example of the many beautifully preserved mosaic floors

The Hippodrome

The colonnaded Forum

Temple of Artemis

The Cardo

Overlooking the ancient city

Thanks to the growth of tourism and Jerash’s location in the heart of Jordan, modern Jerash has developed dramatically. The city is ranked second, behind Petra, as the second most important tourist attraction in Jordan.

The Al-Meradh region was called Souf because they were the only ones to resist the attacks of the looting southern Bedouin tribes led by Bani Sakher tribes. Souf finally succeeded in defeating the Bedouin and they actually reinhabited Jerash and now comprise the majority population of the modern city. Thereafter, Jerash became a magnet for successive waves of foreign migrants, beginning when the Syrians and Circassians camped near the old ruins. They were welcomed by the locals and settled in the city. Later, in 1948 and 1967, Jerash hosted waves of Palestinian refugees.

In 1981 the Jerash Festival was established in the old city of Jerash. The annual celebration is a three week long summer program of music, dance and theatrical performances. It is frequently attended by members of the Royal Family and is unarguably the largest cultural activity in the kingdom.

Jerash Festival

Their Majesties, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania

Her Majesty Queen Noor and Prince Hamzah

Jerash’s economy is primarily dependent on tourism and agriculture. The Jerash Governate is home to more than 1.25 million olive trees. Many of these trees are ancient, already bearing fruit when the Romans occupied the area. 

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