Crusader Fortress Near Petra

Crusader Fortress near Petra

I stopped on the road leading to this Crusader fortress because this view was so awesome. In the foreground is an eleventh century crusader castle or fortress set up to protect pilgrims on the way to Petra to visit the tomb of Aaron the first high priest of Israel and the brother of Moses.

 

That tomb is a little white dot at the top of the mountain in the background. It has been and still is a sacred place to Jews, Christians, and Moslem's. It is a considerable hike to get up that mountain but it is well worth the trip.

Narrow Passage Into Petra

Our group from the Ashkelon finally reaches the end of the Siq and the entrance to Petra. It had been an awesome walk and our journey was about to become even more awesome.This entrance into Petra was very easy to guard. With several gates blocking the path a small group of armed men could and did hold off invaders. 

Here I am in 1999 as I am ready to take those last few steps to reach Petra and fulfill a dream from my youth when I studied Petra for a geography class. I fell in love with Petra on that day.

I went back to dig there two more times and I will share all of that wonder with you.

The Main Road in Petra

The Romans built this road in Petra around 107 AD and most of it is still usable today. We could take some hints from the ancient Roman road builders they knew how to build a good road.

The main Roman Road in Petra

This road was once lined with columns and market stalls.

I would love to be ables to see how this looked then.

An Ancient Fresco

A Petra Fresco

In this picture you see what is left of a fresco on an inside wall of a Roman Administration Building in Petra. 

The rather rough wall was covered with thick plaster to even it out and then had wonderful paintings all over it.

This one was being removed for preservation and study. Once uncovered the weather would have destroyed it in short order. 

I was glad that I was there to see it in place before it was removed.

Digging In Petra Jordan

When I was studying geography in Jr. High School I did a report on Petra the city cut out of the living rock. I was enchanted by my research and made a vow that some day some how I would go there. And I did!

My first visit to Petra was in 1999 while I was digging at Ashkelon with Harvard University. We took weekly "Tell Tours" and were hosted by the archaeologist of those digs. On week five we went to Petra in Jordan and were were the guest of Brown University who gave us a tour of their dig and some back ground of Petra. It was awesome! Then we were allowed wander the city for the rest of the day.

In the picture below I am standing in front of the Treasury - miss named by early archaeologist. It was actually what we would call a funeral home. 

Me in Petra at last!

This is a close up of the top where the remains of an urn can be seen. I say remains because some people thought it contained gold coins so they shot at it hoping to break it open and let the coins spill out. Turns out it was solid rock.

I have over a thousand pictures of Petra so stand by for MORE!

On the Sea of Galiee - Tiberias - Gennesaret

The Sea of Galilee also known as the Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Gennesaret in the Bible was the home of some of the disciples of Jesus who were fishermen. Along these beaches Jesus walked and preached and taught. 

This view is from the Mount of Beatitudes 

The Sea of Galilee is actually a small lake that is 33 miles in circumference. It is about 13 Miles long and 9 miles wide and 151 feet deep. The Lake lies 670 feet below sea level and is part of a rift valley that forms the Jordan river and the Dead Sea.

Boats of the Sea of Galiee

This fresh water lake is a great place to swim and enjoy fishing. I loved watching the wonderful variety of boats plying the lake.

The Old and The New Jerusalem

This picture of a divided Jerusalem is a great contrast.  

Inside the Crusader walls is the "Old Jerusalem" and outside is the modern Jerusalem. Inside the walls is a city of narrow crowded streets with buildings from every generation since the crusaders. 

Outside is a city with wide streets designed for cars and the heavy flow of people. There the constructions is on going. Both Jerusalem's are exciting and you would need to live there for years to see all the wonders of that awesome place that is sacred to three religions.