We awoke well rested after our first bed rest since departing Melbourne 44 hours earlier. After a scrumptious buffet breakfast at the Moveenpick, Petra, we walked across the road to the gates of the ancient Nabatean city of Petra that dates back over 2,200 years. Perhaps of greatest biblical significance is the fact that Aaron's grave is located there on one of the highest peaks. Starting at 8.00am in the morning our local guide, Maha, provided an explanation of the place and the people, then led us through the siq (gorge), and through the awe inspiring buildings of the old city, all carved out of solid sandstone. Most of the conventional buildings have long since been reduced to rubble due to fire, earthquake, and the ravages of time, but the stone carved buildings still stand and remain structurally sound 2000 plus years after their construction. Audacious and enterprising are words that spring to mind in relation to the city. That anyone would envisage such a vast project in such inhospitable terrain, and then have the capacity and determination to pull it off, to literally carve a life for themselves out solid rock, is nothing short of audacious. In addition to the buildings, which are all inspiring, the Nabateans were also brilliant at the capture and storage of every available drop of water. They built an elaborate system of gutters, pipes, channels, aqueducts, cisterns, dams, and bridges, all designed to maximise the capture and storage of any rain that fell in this desert region to support the population. The descendants of the Nabateans today are the local Bedouins who in many ways are just as audacious and enterprising as their forebears. Every guest to the city is subjected upon arrival and all the way to departure to a bombardment of pressure to buy locally produced trinkets and wares. Generations of families sell their wares at many vantage points along the way and their sales skills are formidable. A delicious buffet lunch consisting of scrumptious Middle Eastern food was enjoyed prior to free time to further explore the city at leisure - a task that would take days if not weeks to do justice to. Some took the 1000 steps journey up to see the monastery high above the city. In the hour prior to dinner we met around the swimming pool, where Bishop Paul Barnett gave a Bible talk explaining the importance of the areas of modern-day Jordan, the biblical nations of Amon, Moab, and Edom - to the biblical narrative, highlighting the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the settling of the tribes of Rueben,Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh in the lands east of the Jordan, the expansion into these areas under David and Solomon, the story of Ruth, the Moabitess, Jesus preaching in the cities of the Decapolis, including Geradah, Jerash, and Philadelphia, which is modern day Amman; and Paul's three year visit to Arabia (Gal.1:17) during which time there is every likelihood Paul came to Petra. While Bob Davidson read for Paul from Exodus that "you shall have no other gods before me", the Muslim call to prayer was sounding loudly in the background. Another scrumptious Middle Eastern buffet was enjoyed for dinner, before people taking their rest.
Postscript: Remarkably, despite the towering high walls of the siq, the was mobile phone coverage sufficient to be able to receive progress scores by SMS of the A FL grand final as our journey through Petra continued.
Generations
The pilgrims at TheTreasury, Petra
The Treasury - carved from the rock by the Nabataean Arabs in what is now southern Jordon, probably around the first century BC.
