All images taken on a Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS lens
“We plant our olive trees for our children, just as our ancestors did for us.” Our guide Al Salam explains the business of olives and their significance to Jordanians. Olives grow easily here in Jordan and the use of olive oil in extensive throughout the culture. He tells us that some olive trees are over 1,000 years old and these are called rumi after the Roman Byzantine period.
Older trees are sought after because the best quality olives and oil come from trees at least 40 years. These elder statesmen flora are protected and Salam’s friend recently paid more than $1,500USD for a thousand year old olive tree. ”To cut an olive tree it’s like you are killing the owner or the farmer,” he explains further. And forget politics, at the end of October to November in Jordan, talk is dominated by olive trees and olive oil. A typical couple will buy a supply of at least 20 litres to last a year.
Mount Nebo: where Moses or Musa was said to have looked down
We are on our way from Amman to Mount Nebo, a site of great religious significance. We pass shops on the way where fresh green almonds are sold and these signal of the onset of spring. Squat chickens in cages are alive but they are killed and cleaned and given to customers once sold.
Mount Nebo is the site where Moses or Musa as they call him, first glimpsed the promised land and was said to be his final resting place (although this is controversial). As a result, it is a popular destination for many faiths. From Mount Nebo, the expansive view shows the Jordan River and Jerusalem. Buses deposit school children for picnics on the rocky roadside. In 2000, a monument was installed by Pope John Paul II and on the back lies the Arabic text that reads God is Love.
There was an uncovered Basilica style church discovered here but this isn’t yet open so we busy ourselves with looking out at the view. Ancient mosaics lie behind ropes telling stories of what happened on this religiously important site. Groups of school girls descend on our group, taking photos on their mobile phone. They are friendly and giggle and greet us with “hello!” and ask us where we are from.
We stop at a mosaic and souvenir store called Jordan Jewel. The right entrance is the workshop where artisans painstakingly add mosaic stones to a sketched outline. The Jordanian stones are from Petra and Madaba and each artist has undergone at least three years of training on how to set these.
Placing the stones on the canvas
The smallest stones are the most intricate and expensive and a mosaic like this would take about forty five days to complete. The artisans cut the stones with cutting pliers and then place them rough side up onto the cotton. These are then set in concrete and flipped over so that the smooth surface faces up. The shopping here is on the expensive side and we are left to roam the shop to buy souvenirs. There’s an interesting style of furniture and at first glance they appear to be white side tables that resemble marble. It turns out that these tables are made out of wood topped with a layer of ground camel bone.
There is a short drive to the town of Madaba a city almost 5,000 years old tracing back to the Middle Bronze Age. Madaba is a popular town for tourists and its streets are busy with shops and places for lunch. People are friendly and there is no shortage of shops selling souvenirs and traditional clothing.
St George’s Greek Orthodox Church
Our main stop here is for lunch but first there is a visit to St George’s church, a Greek Orthodox Church in the heart of Madaba. When Christians first arrived in the town, they wanted to build a church so they starting rebuilding an old church.
During the renovation they discovered a complex sixth century mosaic inlaid on the floor consisting of about 1,600,000 stones. It is said to be the earliest depiction of the holy land. This was made by the monk Salaman and his team of five. Parts of it were damaged during the 747A.D. earthquake. It’s awe inspiring to think that we could get so close to something as old as these mosaics.
The discovered mosaic in Ancient Greek
By now it’s around lunchtime and the best restaurant in town is said to be located at Haret Jdoudna which means ancestor’s or grandfather’s neighbourhood. There is a souk and handicrafts centre alongside the restaurant Al Saraya.
A group of women sit in the restaurant smoking shisha pipes and the aroma is sweet and pervasive. Sugar, flavouring and glycerine are combined with tobacco to create a fruity scent. It’s a busy restaurant with quite a few tourists and we are partaking of a set meal. Prices are reasonable – a main dish like the chicken further below is around $6.80JOD/$9.24AUD.
The mezze comes out quickly and it consists of gorgeously puffy pita bread. We pair this with the baba ganoush, again this one is made without the tahini and it is strong in smokey eggplant and less creamy than the type we have in Australia which they call moutabal.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
