JoBeebs' Shared Adventure: Two Ancient Cities of the Middle East

The days are flying by since we initially arrived in Israel almost a week ago. Everything feels alive here. Even the desert buzzes with an aliveness that is difficult to describe. I don’t know if it is possible to distinguish between a location’s innate energy and the vibe that people bring to it. Is there something truly mystical about this unique region of our planet? Or does this mysticism derive from the collective unconsciousness of its inhabitants and visitors? I believe it’s all connected, and I suppose you could get all “chicken-eggy” about this question. But, let’s not. Let me just say that it feels amazing to be here.

On our first evening in Israel, we watched the sunset as we floated in the Dead Sea. The next morning, we visited the Masada, a natural mountain-top fortress of rock that overlooks the Dead Sea. This sight holds a special prominence in the national psyche of Israelis. The fortress was originally constructed on the mountain by the Roman Herod the Great. In 66 AD a group of Jewish Zealots defeated a Roman Garrison and established a compound there during the first Jewish-Roman War. Around 70 AD, additional Jewish refugees fled to the Masada following the destruction of the 2^nd Temple. With their numbers at 967 including women and children, the Zealots resisted a Roman siege for months. During this time, the Romans utilized slave labor in order to construct of giant ramp of dirt and wood that would ultimately enable them to enter the fortress. On the last night before the Romans would breach the western wall of the Masada, the inhabitants drew lots to determine which of them would systematically take the lives of the others. As Judaism strongly discourages suicide, the system was such that only the last survivor had to take his own life. The Zealots chose to accept death at their own hands rather than to accept defeat and enslavement or death at the hands of the Romans. When the Romans entered the Masada the next day, instead of resistance they found all of the inhabitants dead with the exception of 7 stow-aways. To this day, the saying that “Masada shall not fall again” is a sacred oath amongst Israelis.

As we ascended past the original siege ramp, and then looked out from the breach point of the western wall, it was impossible to not be moved. We took time to contemplate how that could have felt to watch for months as the enemy methodically drew nearer, and then to have the courage of conviction that the Jewish Zealots had to not accept defeat and disgrace. It is not too difficult to draw parallels between that resolve and the same determination that drives modern-day Israel to survive in a region that is for the most part hostile to its existence.

From Masada we headed south to the Yitzhak Rabin Border Crossing to Jordan. We found the border to be mostly deserted, save for a cashier, a customs agent and a couple of guys in street clothes brandishing machine guns. Before we knew it, we were crossing the no-man’s land into Jordan.

Roughly two hours after entering the country, we were dropped off in front of the Cleopetra Hotel in Wadi Mousa, the city that sits at Petra’s gate. If you’ve seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then you’ve seen the most iconic images of Petra, the Siq and the Treasury. In the movie, these sights mark the entrance to the fictional ancient city of “Alexandretta”, where the Holy Grail is kept. While in Petra, we did not uncover the Holy Grail, however it can be said that the entire city is a huge treasure in and of itself.

Originally established in the last couple centuries BC, Petra was the home of the Nabataeans, descendants of ancient Arab tribes from the Arabian Peninsula. Petra was a major hub for the region’s trade routes and hosted endless streams of caravans carrying goods such as spices, silks, ivory and animal hides. Due to this prominence in the trading world, Petra was exposed to many different cultures. As well, during its heyday, the passing caravans were a great source of income. This wealth combined with the Nabataeans’ openness to outside cultural influence provided the stage upon which the architectural magnificence of Petra was built. After many centuries of affluence, Petra was gradually abandoned after the 14^th century until it was rediscovered by a Swiss traveler in 1812.

We spent two full days hiking around this massive place and still did not see everything. I could go on and on about the magnificence of Petra, however, I believe it is best to let the pictures speak for themselves. Thus, I will leave you with one short anecdote. In a previous entry from Olympos, I spoke of Larry and Maureen, a wonderful older couple from Ireland with whom we had the privilege of sharing some time. In that entry, I marveled at their vigor and adventurous spirits, especially given the fact that they are well into their 70s in age. This anecdote contains yet another shout-out to our friends.

The main entrance to Petra is through the 2 kilometer long narrow gorge called the Siq. To the right of this entrance, there is a tunnel that leads to another gorge and an alternate, more challenging hike in. Larry and Maureen highly recommended we make an effort to explore this hike. So, excited for a challenge, we set off to check it out during our second day. We hadn’t reached the tunnel before a security guard yelled at us to stop and come back. We were told it was too dangerous and that we could not pass that way. Our plans foiled, we were left to draw one of two conclusions: Either a guard was present when Larry and Maureen entered and determined that they could handle the same hike that we had just been told was too dangerous, or, Larry and Maureen snuck in and successfully completed a hike that the well-intentioned guard felt was too dangerous for two fit 20-30 somethings. Either way, two things are certain: Larry and Maureen are supreme bad-asses, and neither Jo nor I enjoy being told that we can’t do something we really want to do.