Life around Petra
Wadi Musa, Jordan
I knew Petra was an important landmark, a “wonder,” even, but wasn’t 100% sure what it was. Today we visited and now I understand: it’s a city built into rock. There are temples and tombs, homes, an open-air theater, the town treasury - all carved into the side of rock cliffs. It’s really, really remarkable.
Edomites, Neo-Babylonian, Nabataean. These people groups are likely taught in year one of Middle Eastern history, but are new to me. Ancient Egyptians, Alexander the Great and Alexandria, the Pharaonic eras, the Hittites, the Nubians, and soon we will learn about Turkish history and the Ottoman Empire. This truly is bringing history books to life.
Still, the idea that people (think they) choose a religion is odd. A few people here and there convert, but mostly people become Christians or Muslims or Sikhs because their parents are Christians or Muslims or Sikhs. Or, if the Spanish arrive on your shores and force you to disavow your sun and moon gods and force your allegiance to the Virgin Mary, you do that. And then your children and their children are Catholic. If Alexander the Great conquers your kingdom, your parents or grandparents become Christian, then you do, then your children do. Then, when Alexandria falls to the Persians, you become Muslim.
The thing that impressed me the most about the city of Petra was the 4000-seat theater they built. It is, apparently, the only theater in the world built into rock. Prioritizing theater arts is extraordinary and, judging visually, demanded equal resources to water provision. Space was quite literally carved out for what they deemed essential: protection, water, food, burial, trade…and the theater.
Though there were many souvenir solicitors and we were offered camel or donkey rides around Petra a dozen times, Jordanians don’t seem to be as pushy as Egyptians.
Yesterday for dinner we went to highly-rated Time Out for Jordanian food. Our server there told us he had been to Canada twice; once because a friend there learned he had cancer, and another to buy and ship a Toyota Tacoma to Jordan. The Jordanian government taxes nearly double the price of the vehicle on imports (unlike “Saudi” which has no tax). This guy really loves Toyota Tacomas.
