Desert castles, Madaba, and baptisms in the Jordan

Saturday took us east out into the Syrian Desert to visit three desert castles, Qasr al Kharana, Qasr Amra, and Qasr Azraq. Of the three, Qasr Amra, built by the 8th century Muslim Ummayids, was the most impressive. The castle is actually gone, but a small pleasure house for visiting royals remains. It had cold, warm, and hot baths and was decorated with frescoes of hunting scenes, dancing girls, musicians, and a zodiac dome.

 

The Qasr Azraq fortress was established by Romans, but the present one dates to the 13th century. It was Lawrence of Arabia's base during the Arab Revolt of 1917.

Since there were no trees but palms, the ceilings and doors are of stone. This one weighs 3 tons; I couldn't open it.

USAF photo

We did turn left, but Qasr Azraq wasn't far. On the way back, I spotted a Reaper drone going low and slow  in the direction of Syria. They are being used by the US to attack ISIS. Glad we were in a safe area.




Arriving in Madaba in mid-afternoon, we visited the Greek Orthodox church of St. George, famous for a 6th century mosaic floor map of the Holy Land that was part of an earlier Byzantine church and discovered during the construction of St. George's.

Mosaic showing the Nile delta

We also stopped at St. Stephen's church, which commemorates the beheading of St. John the Baptist. They have a nice little shrine to him under the church.











He wasn't the only one. Have a recipe calling for a goat's head? Here's where to get it.

Being in another country always brings new insights, but some things get lost in translation.

On Sunday we first visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses is said to have received a vision of the promised land. Remains of a 4th century Byzantine church were found here in 1933, and a chapel was built to protect the mosaic floor, which is being restored.

The mountaintop site offers a sweeping panorama of the Jordan Valley encompassing Jordan, the Dead Sea, the West Bank of Palestine, and Israel in the distance.

On the way down into the Valley, we passed many Bedouin tents, as we had elsewhere in Jordan. The nomadic Bedouins move their flocks of sheep around to find the best grazing. Some of the tents are labeled "UNHCR," not because the UN gave tents to Bedouins, but because some enterprising Syrian refugees have sold theirs.

Down on the Jordan River, I was surprised to see that it was not much wider than a New Mexico acequia, or irrigation ditch. The word acequia is derived from Arabic, so I guess that's appropriate.













The Jordan River changed its course over the centuries, and archaeologists found that during Jesus' time, the bank was where this spring-fed pool now is. Christians recognize this as the location where Jesus was baptized by, yes, St. John the Baptist. The ruins of three small chapels built in the 5th and 6th centuries and a patch of mosaic floor can be seen.

Sunday was an opportune time to visit, as two groups were conducting baptisms in the river from the Palestine side.

Back in Madaba, we stopped at the Church of the Apostles archaeological site, which dates to 568 AD and was excavated in 1902 and 1967. The shell of the church stands intact with an expansive mosaic floor inside.













Now we're off to get a closer (and wetter) Dead Sea experience, and relax at a spa.