We started the day with a visit to Mt. Nebo where Moses spent the last 12 years of his life.
``The Promised Land``
After that, we went back to Madaba to see St. Georges Church. This church has a mosaic map on the floor of the Middle East (Egypt to Palestine) as of 560 A.D.
Lunch in the alleyway
Everyone, except Karen and I, took an optional side trip to Jerash--a beautiful Roman city. We hired a taxi to take us to a refugee camp near the Jordanian-Syrian border. We knew we would not be allowed into the actual site. When we arrived, a large group of people carrying blankets, food, and pillows for the refugees inside the camp were stopped at the outer gate by the military police. We are not sure why they were stopped. After some vehicles were let out, the military allowed the people and more vehicles to enter through the outer gate. The people surged towards the camp. We followed these people, and got to the main camp gate and fence. Everyone who was bringing things for the refugees were lined up trying to get into the camp. We watched as people used holes in the fence to avoid the wait at the gate.
Outer gate
One of the tents
While there, we talked with a Syrian family whose son had been shot in Syria. He was maybe 12 years old. He had just returned from a Jordanian hospital with his family where the doctors had inserted metal bars to keep his leg immobilized. Jordan is a very small country, and this conflict is stretching their resources to the limit. Twenty thousand refugees have crossed into Jordan in the last 6 days. The traffic to and from the camp is enormous--water trucks bringing water to drink and for washing, and sewer trucks taking out the sewage, large freight trucks bringing in food--for the thousands of people affected by the conflict.
We left the refugee camp to travel to Jerash as it was on the way back to Amman. This Roman ruins is one of the finest Roman cities we have seen to date. It has two amphitheaters which are in excellent shape, the main Roman road--Cardo Maximus, Temple of Artemis.
Hadrian`s Arch
Hippodrome--Chariot Races
Amphitheater
Temple of Artemis
Cardo Maximus
Cardo Maximus
Our tour of Egypt and Jordan is ending. For our last supper together, we went to a Jordanian night club. In Egypt, the young adults would be smoking sheesha and drinking fruit juices while in Jordan the young adults smoke sheesha and drink alcohol Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol. Jordan's Christian population is 6% of the total population.
We leave for Turkey early in the morning. We will miss our travelling companions--their discussions, their jokes and puns, and their laughter.
