On the Globe » Jordan

Ripples in the sand

andrew princz — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:39:53 +0000

The arid landscape of a contemporary camp at Wadi Rum. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

A journey through Jordan on the paths of Lawrence of Arabia

(Wadi Rum) Setting off through the sandy deserts of Jordan; the mysteriously sand-etched monuments at Petra, biblical sites, baren dunes and starry night skies at Wadi Rum all bring me a step closer to understanding just what it was about this landscape that fascinated the man who became known as Lawrence of Arabia.

A hero to many, a traitor to some; a scholar, a warrior, a recluse, a friend of the Arab tribes or a simple marauding spy. All have been used to describe a larger-than-life character whose legacy has become mythical and sometimes controversial here.

Born Thomas Edward Lawrence, or T.E. Lawrence, he became legendary almost a century ago as he fought alongside bedouin tribes against the Ottoman Turks during the Arab revolts of WWI. He fought these battles possibly believing that the the epic clashes would finally lead to one unified Arab state.

It can even be argued that through his ferocious tactics, he was one of the first modern-day guerrillas to use ploys akin to terrorism as a tool of war. He gathered disparate Arab tribes, and with them blew up train after train that provided provisions for the Turkish army. He rendered his enemy paralyzed with fear.

« A thousand Arabs means a thousand knives, delivered anywhere day or night. » says a coy Peter O’Toole depicting T.E. Lawrence in the 1962 classic Oscar-winning film, Lawrence of Arabia, « It means a thousand camels. That means a thousand packs of high explosives and a thousand crack rifles.”

« We can cross Arabia while Johnny Turk is still turning round, and smash his railways, » he explains to Britain’s commander Edmund Allenby, played by Jack Hawkins. « And while he’s mending them, I’ll smash them somewhere else. In thirteen weeks, I can have Arabia in chaos.”

And against all odds he and the Arab tribes raced their way through blistering hot deserts to lay deafening blows on the much more powerful Turkish army.

But Lawrence of Arabia and the Bedouin tribes were not the first larger-than-life warriors who left their mark on the arid, unforgiving, stunning landscape that is today the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. T.E. Lawrence himself was familiar with the rolodex of history which shows many grand civilizations that have passed this way.

In 333 BC Alexander the Great stormed through this desert before establishing the largest empire that the world had seen. But as empires were formed along these roads etched in the sand, so too they fell; be it Crusader or Islamic armies, Mamluks or Ottoman Turks. Each left their mark in archaeological sites, heavy rock forts, porous castles or mysterious monuments carved in the soft desert stones.

My journey through Jordan begins with less excitement and more comfort at the Mövenpick Resort and Spa overlooking the calm waters of the Dead Sea. This is the lowest point on earth, at 408 meters below sea level. The rays of the sun reflect like a mirror from these waters that are so infused with salt that I can magically float above the waters while reading a newspaper most comfortably.

This luxurious hotel in the Jordan Valley is made up of a series of traditional sandstone complexes landscaped into a village-like setting which leaves nothing to chance. Palm trees, lush tropical plants, blood-red hibiscus flowering all about, with pools and waterfalls topped off by the award-winning Zara Spa – recommended by none other than Condé Nast Traveller.

But in the desert things are not always as they seem. Every morning at dawn two massive water tankers deliver fresh water to feed the misplaced vegetation. Like a false-oasis it is a daily reminder that despite the palm trees and lush vegetation, this setting is something of an illusion. It is very much the dry and arid place that ‘Lawrence’ endured so deftly.

This desert landscape is not devoid of ancient historical roots. On the northern end of the Dead Sea I visit sites that date back to Biblical times. The trickling waters of the Jordan River and the Baptism Site are deceivingly ordinary in appearance; but this is reputed to be the place where the prophet Ilias ascended to the heavens.

Nearby is Mount Nebo and its winding cross overlooking the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho and Jerusalem. This is where the prophet Moses is said to have first seen the Promised Land.

But moving south in this dry and sandy kingdom there is one site that puts Jordan on the map of the culturally curious. This is Petra. Voted in 2007 as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’, Petra is in Wadi Araba. The site is a living museum of ten thousand years of human history.

The hidden monuments of Petra are reached by an at times narrow road through a dramatic Siq which is carved by nature in the rose-coloured sandstone. During the day speedy horses drawing little carriages dart up and down the trail carrying tourists who hang on to their hats as they come perilously close to hitting pedestrians on their journey to the series of monuments that are disbursed along a vast territory.

The walk or trot ends at the Treasury, the most iconic image of Jordan today and believed to be the tomb of the Nabatean King Aretas III.

On certain evenings you can even see ‘Petra by Night’, where this same walk is done silently at night on a romantic candlelit path which ends at the Treasury, which is also lit by the golden hues of dozens of burning candles and torches.

While the Treasury looks much like the architecture of the ancient Greeks or Romans, the columned facade carved in soft stone dates way back to 100 BC to 200 AD. Through a chance encounter, I learn that is was not until recent history that the many black-char caves were inhabited by bedouin families.

« We are the rest of the Nabatean people, those people who came to Petra. We came from Yemen, from Saudi Arabia in caravans in the desert, » Ghassab Al-Bidul, a bedouin who was brought up in the caves tells me. In 1985 UNESCO officials relocated the bedouin to a small neighbouring village where he was brought up.

While he has become a multilingual guide and adapted his life to the economy of tourism, he still retains some of the core traditional values of his childhood. When asked if he would write about his upbringing in the caves of Petra, his reply was simple.

« I have it in the mind so I do not want to write it. If you have it in the mind it is better because then you are not going to get old. But when you write it down then you must read it again. I remember everything in my life. Why write it in a book when I have it all? T.E. Lawrence knew this mentality well, but also knew that western society needs the written word to commit great moment to memory and posterity. He did this in his recollections in the book « Seven Pillars of Wisdom », which he wrote from his memories of the Arab revolts, and his part in them.

But it was in the heart of Jordan in the Wadi Rum where Lawrence of Arabia found both solace and tribulations. Before hopping onto the jeep to head out to the desert gorges, I buy myself a traditional red and white square scarf, a colourful garb that shelters you from the blowing winds, the sand and cold desert nights.

At the edge of the desert a convoy of jeeps driven by Bedouins pick us up – six to a vehicle – before we speed through the dunes towards the encampment. We whisk through the dunes leaving behind only a fine plume of sand. The only roads here are the faded tracks from previous expeditions which guide the drivers on the bumpy two-hour drive.

We camp at a vast desert expanse of strangely shaped rocks and peaks that poke through a landscape surrounded by nothing but a sea of sand. Here you can hear the echo of your voice as it bounces from stone to stone, and drones of stars dance in the cold evening sky. I am sure that it was the ambiguous feeling of both loneliness, exhilaration and personal freedom that led T.E. Lawrence to feel at home here.

The landscape is doted with tall rocky gorges that rise high above the brick-red horizon. Only the odd dry but very much alive bundle of shrubs breaks the tedium of the ripples in the sand. The brittle vegetation leaves a tail behind it, a wavy irregularity formed by desert winds or sandstorms.

« The Bedouin of the desert, born and grown up in it, had embraced with all his soul this nakedness to harsh for volunteers, for the reason, felt but inarticulate, that there he found himself indubitably free. » writes Lawrence in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, « He lost material ties, comforts, all superfluities and other complications to achieve a personal liberty which haunted starvation and death.”

The Dead Sea. Located in the Jordan Valley and part of the Great Rift Valley (running from East Africa to Turkey), the Dead Sea is located at 408 meters below sea level. It is the lowest point on earth. With a salt content of 20 percent, or eight times levels of the world's oceans, you magically float on these waters. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

The Dead Sea. Watching the sunrise at the Dead Sea. The only life form left in the Dead Sea are eleven species of bacteria. Rich in minerals, these waters are said to have healing powers. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

The Dead Sea. Visitors of the Dead Sea apply local mud to their bodies which is said to revitalize the skin. You leave it on for almost twenty minutes before washing it off in the salty waters. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

The Dead Sea. The Dad Sea Movenpick and its picturesque village setting is a unique complex, and feels like a true oasis. The site includes swiming pools, a sauna, massage, restaurants and other facilities. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

al Azrak Castle. The castle in Azrak was build around 300 A.D. and an inscription tells us it was dedicated to Emperors Diocleation and Maximan. Emperor Jovian later enlarged it in 363 A.D. The Arabs rebuilt it between 1213 and 1238 A.D. during the time of the crusades. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

al Azrak Castle. It is said that an ancient monastery once stood on the site, inhabited by a Christian named Ajlun. When the monestary fell into ruin, the castle took its place and the name of the monk continued. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Qasr Amra. A desert castle that is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Built in the 8th century AD, Qasr Amra contains a reception hall, and baths and decorated with figurative murals. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Mount Nebo. This area was inhabited since remote antiquity. It's fame was derived by the biblical event that occurred here, as described in the Book of Deuteronomy 34: the death of the Prophet Moses. He climbed this mountain at the end of his life and is said to have seen the promised land here. Mount Nebo rises from the Transjordanian plateau 7 kilometers west of the city of Madaba. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Baptism site. This site has been recognized as the site where Jesus was baptized by all the major traditional Christian Churches and has been visited by many Christian leaders including the late great Pope John Paul II. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Baptism site. Many churches of different Christian denominations are being built in this area. After the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, the area around the baptism site is no longer a military border zone. World leaders, Christian and non-Christian have visited the site including Vladimir Putin, President Mary McAleese of Ireland or President François Bozizé of the Central African Republic. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Jordanian People. Some 98 percent of Jordanians are Arab, and 92 percent are Sunni Muslim. Other communities like the Bedouin, Circassians, and Christians have also played an influential role in the creation of the modern kingdom. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Aljoun. This castle is located 70 kilometers northwest of the capital, Amman. Aljoun is at the crossroads of where several historic people meet including the early Christians, the Mamluks, from Saladin's nephew Izz ad-Din Usama to King Abdullah I. The region has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Petra. Amidst the rose-coloured sandstone peaks are winding roads that lead you to Petra, a historic settlement that lies at the crossroads of trade. Just a little over a year ago, the site at Petra was chosen as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World”. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Petra. As one descends, the site of the Treasury at Petra reveals itself. Petra is considered a living museum of 10,000 years of human history. From the Neolithic village at al-Beidha, to Sela, the capital of the Edomites, to the top of Umm al-Biyara, to the Nabatean creations of Petra. The Romans, Byzantines and Bedouins all added their architectural footsteps to the site. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Petra. Some forty rock-cut tombs and houses are known as the Street of Facades. Some are tops of doorways. Many of the tombs were destroyed when the Romans enlarged the Nabatean-built theatre to about 7,000 seats sometime after 106 AD. Pictured here is the Treasury of Petra, the best-known tomb. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Wadi Rum. After Petra, it was off to Wadi Rum, and an evening camping out at this vast desert. Our group travelled in a convoy through the beautiful and vast territory. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

King Abdullah Mosque, Amman. This mosque located in El-Abdali district was completed in 1990 as a memorial to the late King Hussein's Grandfather. The instantly recognizable Blue Dome Mosque is worth a quick look inside. Women are asked to wear a gown and cover their hair inside the mosque. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com JORDAN

Jordan hedges bets on the Americas

andrew princz — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:31:21 +0000

Jordan's archaeological site of Petra is the jewel in this country's crown. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

Jordan Travel Mart promotes kingdom as stand-alone destination

(Amman) Jordan is looking to alleviate fears of travelers from the America’s by touting the Hashemite kingdom as a secure oasis within this troubled Middle Eastern region. The kingdom has launched a drive to isolate the kingdom from associations to the challenging political climate of neighboring countries by selling Jordan as a stand-alone travel destination.

« The problem is that we always have to explain to the people abroad that this is a country that is very safe – unlike many other countries in the region, » Maha Khatib, Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities told ontheglobe.com. « Whatever happens in this region does not mean there is any kind of danger or lack of security in Jordan. So changing this perception is occupying much of our efforts. »

Early next week, Jordan will host the second annual Jordan Travel Mart, a travel-trade event bringing together tour operators, travel agents and travel writers from the United States, Canada, and Latin America for two days of pre-scheduled appointments with Jordanian tourism-industry suppliers. The event highlights features including adventure, religious and cultural travel as well as cruises or spa retreats.

Following a comprehensive peace treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994, travel agents and tour operators largely sold this country as an extension of tours from Egypt and Israel. However, as a result of violent flare-ups in neighboring Israel and the occupied territories in 2000, Jordan suffered a drought in tourist numbers of its own – further exacerbated by a three percent decrease due to the impact of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.

These bitter experiences led Jordan to develop a strategy of shaking off its tourism dependency on the markets of others, and selling the country on its own.

Jordan attracts some 3.4 million yearly overnight visitors, and a 2004 strategy sees the ministry doubling arrivals by 2010. After regional tourism from Arab countries, the Americas represent the next most significant market segment for incoming tourism for Jordan.

The US, however, represents not only a significant economic target group but also a politically important market for the western leaning kingdom.

« Why do we have to link our country to Lebanon or to Israel where people have the perception of those countries as having political instability? » Minister Khatib reasons.

For a country with few natural resources to talk about, tourism is of vital importance to the economy of Jordan. It is the both the kingdom’s largest export sector and the second largest private sector employer. Tourism is the second highest producer of foreign exchange, and contributes more than 800 million USD to Jordan’s economy and accounts for 10 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the global market research firm Euromonitor International.

The jewel in Jordan’s crown is, however, the archeological site of Petra – which in 2007 was included as one of the « New Seven Wonders of the World » following a global poll of human-made marvels.

Jordan also boasts such notable travel destinations as the Dead Sea where you can float on waters at the lowest point on earth; the expansive Wadi Rum desert made famous by T. E. Lawrence who described its gorges as ‘vast, echoing and god-like’; or the Red Sea port of Aqaba. The country also is the host to some fifty biblical sites that in 2006 attracted 200,000 visitors.

These sites will be the focus of a showcase of the second annual Jordan Travel Mart (JTM) that will take place at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center at the Dead Sea. The JTM, held between February 22 and 24, will attract over one hundred tour operators, travel agents and travel writers from the United States, Canada and Latin America.

« Jordan as a standalone destination can be sold to Canadians because they are learners who want to educate themselves, and have a cultural experience, » said Priyantha Amarasinghe, Product Development Manager for Toronto-based tour operator Tourcan Vacations, attending last years’ event.

Amarasinghe knows exactly who his target audience is for the destination: moneyed baby boomers aged between 45-55 who have precious time on their hands, and enjoy a strong Canadian dollar that goes the extra distance. Canadian tourism figures to Jordan increased by some 40 percent in the year before the event. However, visitors to Jordan as a standalone destination are still the exception, he adds.

« It is hard due to factors like publicity, advertising, media, » says Amarasinghe, « The information that consumers will have is crucial. If they are told that this is a great destination to have a holiday by visiting a spa at the Dead Sea, treatment packages, sightseeing adventure or nature – all is possible – provided we talk to the consumers through the various channels.”

But far-reaching international advertising campaigns are expensive. Jordan opts for reaching particular market segments. Faith-based tourism, for example, is an increasingly lucrative market that has already experienced a steady growth from US visitors thanks to marketing efforts by the Jordan Tourism Board in North America.

And Jordan boasts archaeological sites which are of interest to three of the world’s most significant religions. Situated between ancient Palestine and Mesopotamia, the kingdom today is the venue for some fifty sites of biblical importance and cited by the Vatican as legitimate pilgrimage destinations.

Sitting on the laurels of these sites is not the answer in a region which hosts the most important biblical sites in the world. The key, authorities say, is using these sites as a hook to lure faith-based travellers to the country’s other attributes.

« Traditionally when people think of religious travel it is defined as being travel to a religious destination or site, » says Kevin J. Wright, President of the Colorado-based World Religious Travel Association.

« The big story, though, in faith-based tourism today is that now its moving into a second and even a third branch. The second is travel with a missionary or a kind of humanitarian aspect which is your volunteer vacation. The third area which is really the big story is travel with a fellowship intent, in other words leisure travel within the context of an affinity group.”

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