In the land of milk and honey

Delicious food, centuries of history and unbeatable hospitality — what’s not to love about Jordan?

As soon as the airplane touched down at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, I knew things were about to get very tricky. I had made the decision to show up in a country I knew nothing about. Here I was, accidentally bumping my luggage cart into people at the airport, staring at them when they loudly exclaimed, “Yallah, miss, Yallah!”, and wondering what on earth ‘Yallah’ meant. ‘Yallah’ mixed with ‘Wallah’ and I wondered, how would I survive five weeks in a place where I couldn’t tell the difference between the two most frequently used words in the Arabic language?

It turned out that I had no cause for concern. Arab hospitality is to die for. From being plied with steaming cups of Turkish coffee and delectable baklava to having my plate heaped with delicious mansaf (a traditional Jordanian dish of lamb) I was treated like royalty in every home I visited. As I was living five minutes away from the market town of Madaba, I was able to visit the glorious tourist attractions that this wonderful country has to offer.

The promised land

Mount Nebo is a ridge in Madaba, 817 metres above sea level. It was here that Prophet Musa (AS) was granted a view of the land of Israel and even today, Mount Nebo provides a panoramic view of the ‘promised land’. In fact, on a very clear day, the tower of Jerusalem is easily visible from this vantage point. According to some religious beliefs, Prophet Musa (AS) is said to have been buried here. A monastery built near Mount Nebo contains the first mosaic map of Jerusalem.

Thirty minutes from Mount Nebo exists a field of dolmens. A dolmen is a single chamber megalithic tomb which was often the last abode of kings. PHOTOS : SYEDA RUMANA MEHDI

Madaba is a city frozen in time. Thirty minutes from Mount Nebo exists a field of dolmens. A dolmen is a single chamber megalithic tomb which was often the last abode of kings. Although most of the dolmens here have crumbled due to natural causes or have been destroyed due to modern construction, some still remain. The hike to the dolmens is  relatively easy and the stone structures provide a timeless feel to the vast mountainous terrain. Some of the structures are said to have been built by Prophet Musa (AS) himself in order to protect the tribes from enemies.

The stuff of silver screen legends

Two hours away from Madaba lie the desert castles in Azraq. These castles speak of the grandeur of the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad empires and of Arab legends such as Lawrence of Arabia. At Qasr Azraq, standing in the very room where Lawrence of Arabia plotted to conquer the land gives you a rush of adrenaline and the intricately painted wall murals here give an insight of the day-to-day transactions of the previous generations.

Near Qasr Azraq is the Azraq oasis, which was said to be the largest oasis in the world until it dried up. The Nabateans and the Romans were attracted to the area because of its strategic importance as the oasis was the only source of fresh water within 4,600 square miles of the desert of Azraq. What’s left of the mighty oasis is a pond that is home to the Azraq killifish, an extremely rare breed that originated here.

Next up on my itinerary was the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – a mountain climber’s dream. The enthralling and adventurous Wadi Zarqa Ma’in near the Dead Sea is a challenging yet fun rock climbing experience, and the hike offers a 35-metre and 40-metre descent through waterfalls. This day was one of the most memorable days of my life - I tripped on rocks, fell in a stream twice and screamed my lungs out during the rock climbing sessions. The scars on my hands and legs were a painful yet exotic reminder of the gorgeous canyon that I had the pleasure of traversing.

The city of stone

Arguably, the most popular tourist attraction of Jordan is the city of stone, Petra. Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, the city is half built and half carved into rock and is a labyrinth of gorges and passages. The moment you walk through the sik (a narrow passage leading to the city), you enter another era – that is, if you are not run over by the horse carriages racing through. Tour guides bustle about, giving advice to excited tourists about which trekking route to take and proficiently speaking multiple languages. One hears squeals of delight when the Monastery, Petra’s largest monument, comes into full view. After all, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was shot in this very place.

Moses is said to have placed this rock here to protect his believers from attacks. PHOTOS : SYEDA RUMANA MEHDI

Pretending to be Indiana Jones, my tour group determinedly set off towards one of the hiking routes. On our way, we ran into local families that still live in caves in Petra and ended up having tea with them. One of the families even offered me a present! About an hour later, we had reached one of Petra’s highest points and had a bird’s eye view of the marvelous red sandstone structures before us.

From the cosmopolitan city of Amman to the archaic city of Petra, Jordan is a country of love and warmth. Even as it wages war with the Islamic State – King Abdullah of Jordan has called the country’s battle with the militants “World War 3” – Jordan is not a hub of terrorism. It is the land on which Prophet Essa (AS) and Prophet Musa (AS) walked. It is the country that is home to dolmens that are thousands of years old, and mosaics and churches that have been here for centuries. It is a haven for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and a preserver of the glorious Arab culture.

Jordan taught me the essence of life, the true meaning of cultural relativism, the beauty of peace, poetry and the art of living life under any circumstances. My Arab friends taught me that life is a dolmen that can be conquered by doing cartwheels, but above all, they taught me that life is all about living in the moment.

As I left Jordan in the midst of a snowstorm, I remembered the powerful words of Ghassan Ghammoh, one of the many enlightened young men that reside here. He remarked, “Jordan is a place filled with history but also youth that is hungry for knowledge and real learning. They are beyond hospitable and are very interested in your story because they recognise the awe of human existence.’’

Syeda Rumana Mehdi is a sophomore studying Conflict Resolution at Bennington College, Vermont, USA.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 20^th, 2015.