Blue Fig Cafe Amman

Last night after coming home from Jerash we decided to explore the Blue Fig Cafe in Amman. The Blue Fig is advertised as being the super cool coffeehouse chic in Amman. We took a taxi to get there as it was a distance away. Getting a taxi can be quite the adventure. But, this is another story at a later date, perhaps.

The taxi dropped us off in the middle of what appeared to be nowhere, except for a two-storey Starbucks with a drive-thru. This Starbucks had a huge outdoor terrance on the second floor and its own very large parking lot. (We had been to a Starbucks the day before to have a taste of home. After spending $6.00 for two coffees, we did not plan to do that again. This is the price of a significant meal for two in Amman.) Beside the Starbucks, was the Blue Fig. The Blue Fig was simlar to one of the restuarants in the Distillery District, with very high celings and an ultra-modern mixture of glass and black wood. However, the difference was that everyone at their tables were smoking. It was the place to be seen, with the quality of food being secondary. We had an Idonesia pizza, which was a pizza crust with peanut butter, peanuts and slices of beef on top with pieces of tomato and chives -- very original.
It was a very interesting place to go and see how another culture tries to emulate the Western lifestyle. It certainly gives us something to think about how in terms of how we are perceived.
City of Amman from Citadel:



Today, we spent our last day in Amman. This morning we visited the Citadel. It has some excavated ruins of an Umayyad palace, dating from about AD 720, of which the domed audience hall is the most impressive.


There is also an Umayyad Cistern, a Byzantine Basilica from the 6th or 7th century AD and pillars of the Temple of Hercules. On our way up to the Citadel, a half hour hike up the streets, the locals continued to steer our direction quite emphatically. We wondered about some of the directions we were being given as they entailed going up narrow stairs and paths. However, at the end of our journey, we ended up in the Citadel, past the entrance 'fee' booth, much to our surprise and no one's concern.

After our hike back down into the city, we had lunch at the Hashem Restaurant, at which the late King Hussein would sometimes eat. This restaurant is famous for its falafel, french fries, hummus, hummus and beans, tea and nothing else. We had their specialties -- served with bread, raw onions and mint leaves.
Meal at the Hashem Restaurant



This evening we plan to have our last supper in Amman, Jordan at the Al-Rashid Court Cafe, also known as the Eco-Tourism Cafe. It is a 1st-floor balcony from where we can observe the chaos of the Downtown area, while enjoying the last few hours spent in Jordan.

Tomorrow morning we leave our hotel at 7:00 a.m. to catch our plane back home to Toronto via New York.

From Amman to the ruins of Gadara

Yesterday, we took a tour from the City of Amman and visited the ruins of Gadara which is tucked in the far northwest corner of Jordan, some 25km from city of Irbid. It is both the site of an ancient Roman city and an Ottoman-era village.

The tourist website says:

Known as Gadara in ancient times, modern Umm Qays is in the northernmost part of Jordan, just south and east of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan. Founded by the Ptolomies as a military post after the death of Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BC, Gadara was a member of the Decapolis during Roman times. There are significant Roman and Ottoman ruins, including two amphitheaters, in the area,. From the guesthouse one can enjoy sweeping views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan.

From Gadara site looking out unto the Sea of Galilee:


The hill-top site offers spectacular views over the Golan Heights in Syria, the Sea of Galilee in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the Jordan Valley.

From Gadara site -- overlooking Golan Heights:


We took a picture of the army tower that 'watches over the area'. We also heard the army personnel have a very loud singalong. Here, the ruins went on for a couple of kms -- a good hike.



Next, we visited the Qala'-at-ar-Rabad castle in the town of Ajlun. The castle was again Spectacular. It was built by the Arabs as protection against the crusaders. It is an example of Islamic military architecture. The views of the Jordan Valley from the castle were (yet again) breath-taking. This castle was one in a chain of beacons and pigeon posts that allowed messages to be transmitted from Damascus to Cairo in a single day. The castle is an uphill walk of 2.5 km from the town centre.
View from Castle at Qala' at ar-Rabad:


Then we began the journey towards the city of Jerash back towards Amman. The city of Jerash is in an agricultural area. The City of Jerash is a beautifully preserved Roman city.
Entrance to Jerash:


It is deservedly one of Jordan's major attractions. Excavations have been on on-going for some 85 years, but it is estimated that 90% of the city is still un-excavated. In the past, the anciet city, known in Roman times as Gerasa, had a population of around 15,000.
Ruins of houses at Gadara:


It seems that the city rose to prominence from the time of Alexander the Great (333 B.C.). By the middle of the 5th century AD Christianity was the region's major religion and the construction of churches proceeded at a startling rate. With the invasion of Sassanian from Persia in 614, the Muslim conquest in 636 and a devastating earthquake in 747, Jerash's 'heyday' was over as it's population shrank to a quarter of it's former size.



The landscape in this area is hilly and green with second plantings of various vegetables. The crops in the area were: olives, cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, green peppers, etc.



Its hard for us to imagine having to come home and wait for another month before planting vegetables in the garden and then waiting until August, September for the crops. This is especially true when we walk through the markets in the various towns and see the very large radishes, cauliflower, oranges, strawberries, etc. at this time of year.




Entrance to Jerash:


2. Church in site of Jerash:



3. Colomn-ized street in Jerash;


4. Street in Jerash:



5. Theatre in Jerash:

More Pictures

1. Crac de Chevaliers;



2. View of Castle;


3. Damascus souk inside;




4. Restaurant in the Souks






5. Back in Amman

After having much fun in Damascus, we decided that we would leave this morning and begin the journey home via Amman, Jordan. So we grabbed a service taxi with another couple. This seems like it would be a straightforward thing to do. However, this was quite the adventure;

firstly, with the service taxi driver, people on the street we 'met', and the other couple we traveled with and the other driver who replaced the first driver, just before the border crossing.

Then, there was the adventure of leaving Syria and crossing into Jordan with the driver, the customs people and the Visa people and the four or five times we 'gave up' our passports.

We arrived back in Amman around 2:30 p.m. today and returned to stay in the Palace Hotel where we had previously stayed when we initially arrived in Jordan.

Editor's note

sorry these posts are going up slow, I've been fighting a head cold. More to come!

Hama to Crac Des Chevaliers and more

On the way, we stopped at a Greek Orthodox Monastery. Here, we toured the New Church, and then went down into the 'basement' of the Monastery to see the 800-year old Church. I was able to light candles on Good Friday. The Monastery was, yet another unbelieveable sight, built overlooking the green valley.




From Hama we drove out to see Crac Des Chevaliers, the 'epitome of the dream castle of childhood fantasies' as described by author Paul Theroux. 'Lawrence of Arabia" called it 'the finest castle in the world'. The castle was first built in 1031, but it was the Crusader knights who, around the middle of the 12th century, expanded the castle into its exiting form. Although the castle was attacked many times, the castle held firm and was never truly 'breached'. The Crusaders gave it up when there were only 200 people living in the castle with enough provisions for five years, surrounded by the armies of Islam and with no hope of reprieve, they agreed to depart from the castle in return for safe conduct.

Declared by UNESCO to be a world heritage site in 2006:
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syrian Arab Republic). The two castles represent the most significant examples illustrating the exchange of influences and documenting the evolution of fortified architecture in the Near East during the time of the Crusades (11th to 13th century). The Crac des Chevaliers was built by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1142 to 1271. With further construction by the Mamluks in the late 13th century, it ranks among the best-preserved examples of the Crusade castles. It is an archetype of the medieval castle, particularly of the military orders and includes eight round towers built by the Hospitallers and a massive square tower added by the Mamluks. Similarly, the Qal’at Salah El-Din (Fortress of Saladin), even though partly in ruins, still represents an outstanding example of this type of fortification, both in terms of the quality of construction and the survival of historical stratigraphy. It retains features from its Byzantine beginnings in the 10th century, the Frankish transformations in the late 12th century and fortifications added by the Ayyubids dynasty (late 12th to mid-13th century).

We drove out from Hama to see Crac Des Chevaliers.

The castle was unbelieveable. The outside wall had 13 towers and the main entrance.


The inside wall and the central construction, built on a rocky platform. The angle of the slope is such that archers firing from the rounded bastion had a clear line of fire at any point. There was literally nowhere for an attacker to hide.



A moat dug out of the rock separates the two walls. We walked through the baths and the great hall to three towers on the southern wall.



Wikipedia says:

The Crac des Chevaliers (an Arabic/French combination meaning "Castle of the Knights") was built at Qal'at al-Hisn by the Knights of St John, who occupied it from 1142 until 1271 when it fell to the great Mamluk leader Sultan Baybars. At it's peak, the garrison at the Crac consisted of over 2000 men and it's extensive underground storerooms could have held provision enough for very long sieges. The young T.E. Lawrence, long before he aquired the "of Arabia" epithet, visited the Crac as part of his undergraduate studies of medieval military architecture. He described it as being "...undoubtably the most impressive fortress in the world." Whilst it lacks the grandeur or scale of the great Moghul castle of Rajasthan it has instead a kind of uncompromising integrity not unlike some of the finer examples of neobrutalist architecture in 20th century europe. This was not a castle designed for comfort or pomp - it was simply the quintessence of defensive military engineering and even now, almost 900 years later, it still stands defiant, ready to take on all comers.

Then we continued around the wall and entered the inner fortress through the tower at the top of the access ramp into an open courtyard together with three classes of (Grade 5/6, perhaps) students and volunteer parents accompanying them.




In the courtyard there was a loggia, with its Gothic facade on the western side of the yard. It is the most impressive structure in the castle.




Opposite the loggia is a chapel that was converted to a mosque after the Muslim conquest.


Leaving the windy area of the Crac Des Chevalers, we returned to Hama around 3:30 p.m. becoming aware of the some 35 degree weather of the day. Most stores were closed and the town was quiet.


We decided to venture out and find a place to eat supper. As we walked further away from our hotel and it became later, the town came alive again. We walked around past a Greek Orthodox church, having an Easter Service with many, many people. We could hear the drums of the Easter Procession (as in Spain) in the background.



Near the Church, we found a 'family restaurant' with an outdoor courtyard. It was empty and the waiter seated us down at the back of the restaurant. As we commented, how strange it was to have the entire restaurant (some 100ft by 50ft) to ourselves and what an experience it was, it began to fill up with families and teenagers and young adults. Within minutes it was very crowded with the waiters bringing in additional tables to set for people.

At the table next to us, a young girl, some 10/11 years old began practising her English with us, with her family's encouragement. She then pinned a cross on myself and Gerald, as a souvenir of Good Friday in Syria.

This morning, we left for Damascus and arrived here by bus around 11:00 a.m. Back in Damascus, we have our favourite internet cafe and places to visit again.

Yesterday we left Allepo and went to Hama , the town of the famed ancient norias (water wheels). It is famous throughout the Middle East.






There are approximately six water wheels up to 20m in diameter that scoop water from the Orontes River and tipping it into mini aqueducts, where it travels to irrigation channels watering the surrounding fields.


Because both the water wheels and the blocks on which they are mounted are wooden, the friction when they turn produces a mournful groaning. These water wheels have graced the town for centuries.



It is Good Friday today in Syria. Will update tomorrow.

__________


Wikipedia notes:

Its population numbers 410,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth-largest city in Syria, after Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Latakia.

Hama is an important agricultural and industrial center in Syria, with 3,680 square kilometres (over a third of the governorate's area) under cultivation. The governorate produces over half of the national crop of potatoes and pistachio nuts, as well as growing a variety of other vegetables and supporting a healthy livestock ranching industry besides.

The city proper is renowned for its 16 norias used for watering the gardens, which—it is claimed—date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for purpose of irrigation, nowadays the norias are almost entirely aesthetic and traditional.

More Allepo

We left Palmyra early yesterday morning at 8:30 a.m. The bus was scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m. However, the buses wait until they are full before leaving. They did not charge us extra for our backpacks taking up an extra seat -- which was nice. Everyone is always kind, accommodating and helpful on the bus. One fellow gave up his seat in the front so that we could sit together. We are also aware that women are not to sit beside strange men, if at all possible.



It took us two hours to get to Homs, where we took a taxi to another bus station. Our first deluxe bus on this trip. What a difference -- more space, air conditioning. They also served us a candy and a bottle of water for the two and half hour trip. Bus to Homs. Please note the plastic chairs in the middle for additional passengers. There were four chairs.




Aleppo is a city of 1.5 million. Arriving in Aleppo all we could see was a 'sea' of yellow taxi cabs going in every direction and much too close to each other. The traffic has a rhythm of its own, as does crossing the streets, given the traffic. Everyone 'jay walks'. It's the only way you can cross the street. 'Jay walking' requires that you find a small space in the line of cars and begin weaving your way across the street. It takes practice in perfecting this strategy, as a one-second pause can cause another five-minute wait to find the perfect space to begin the crossing.

This picture is a sample of Allepo architecture. Notice cedar from Lebanon.



When we arrive in Aleppo we initially went to a hotel recommended in the Lonely Planet. They only had a room for a night and then we would have to share a bathroom the next night. Last night's hotel had a television on which were were able to get some news from in English. Clinton and Obama are still at it, it seems??? We stayed one night here and this morning, Gerald found another room in another hotel that is very lovely. It has, yet another, huge bathroom -- complete with a bathtub-- which is very, very, unusual. The room has two beds in it and it quite large. It also has french doors opening up to a beautiful balcony with a garden table and chairs (in purple, I might add), complete with various plants the owner grows.

Juice Bar on the corner near our hotel. Any combination of juice you wish. Tonight we had banana and grapefruit. Last night, we had banana, strawberry, orange. The combination juice has fruit, plus carrot. Neither one of us was that brave.



Allepo at night, near our hotel and near the Sheraton Hotel.


Entrance to Mosque. The Mosques here are huge with an outdoor courtyard made of marble flooring.


Yesterday, we began exploring the souks in Aleppo and found streets of butchers, gold and soaps. Aleppo's labyrinth-like souks are magical. One of the entrances to the souks. It is close to the hotel we are staying in. Characteristic architecture, i.e., basalt (black) and limestone (white).



Today, we discovered that many places to see were closed because it is TUESDAY? We are not certain about the significance. However, the people attending to the places we attempted to visit were quite startled that we did not know that they would be closed.

Shawna's note:

The week dated 21-27 of April 2008 is the so called Long Week (Megali
Evdomada), the Great Week, which is Easter Week for all Greek Orthodox
people. It is also in the middle of Jewish Passover.

As the National Museum and other sites were closed in the city. We decided to see a couple of sites out of town:

Picture of tall shoes in museum. These tall shoes were used by brides (in the past). It was explained to us that because the brides were so young they needed these shoes to make them appear taller. One woman (from Lebanon) commented that the shoes stopped the young girls from running away.


We saw the Basilica of Saint Simeon, which is some 40 km. away from Allepo. In 423 A.D., Simeon climbed to the top of a three metre pillar and went on to spend the next 36 years on top of this pillar and other taller pillars. It seems that he ended his days on a pillar 18 metres high. After his death, an enormous church was built around the most famous pillar. The ruins of the church were quite spectacular.

St. Simeon Church


We also saw some Byzantine tombs carved in rock, just outside of a small town on the way to the Church.


We are thinking that a heat wave must be following us. Today was approximately 32-33 degrees. It was very, very, hot, yet again. However, in the night the temperature cools down for sleeping, which is lovely. It rained around 3:00/4:00 a.m. Given the heat wave we have been experiencing, we were most pleased to hear the rain, thinking that it would cool the temperature. It did somewhat, as it did not get hot at 9:00 a.m. the next day. However, by 11:00 a.m. we were back to the heat wave. We will leave this post with a picture of a Pastry shop. We tried some of these last night and they were truly amazing.

In Aleppo

Here we are in an internet cafe. the other half of the cafe is a 'sweet/treat shop'. Consequently, people are drinking turkish coffee and eat sweets, while smoking and wearing headphones listening to music from the computer. The screens are 21 inches. It is quite the posh internet cafe. the only drawback is the music in the cafe, i.e., Engbert Humperdink i.e., 'American music' I guess.

I am not certain how fashion conscious Syria is.
Here in Aleppo, most women cover their heads, faces and wear black gloves -- just in case. However, they are out in droves in the gold shops, buying gold and in the bridal shops looking at wedding dresses. It's quite the town.

This is an internet description of one of the internet cafes in Aleppo:

e opened this shop three years ago, my seven brothers and I. I’m the baker and my brother Ziyyad is the Internet manager. The others fill in as needed. My brother thought up the name for the shop, ‘Concorde.’ He said people would think of speed and quiet at the same time, just like traveling on the supersonic airplane. We serve a lot of milk cake, ice cream and basbousa. For Ramadan, we make the Syrian specialties ma‘rouk and ghazal al-banat, several kilos a day of each. Many young couples come here to eat pastry together. The Internet customers are mostly men; they drink black coffee and sit at the keyboards for hours.”

Palmyra

Arriving in Palmyra, the city of very old (some 40, 50 years) Mercedes, Volvos, in addition to many motorcycles. They do not wear helmuts here. We spent some time walking up and down the streets trying to find a hotel. There are not many 'good' hotels here and the 'good' ones were filled. However, we eventually found a suitable place to stay for very reasonable.




Palmyra is a city that was built in the center of Syrian desert to accommodate a necessary stop place for caravans taking the shortest route from the Arab Gulf to the Mediterranean because it was a large Oasis. It was also on route for those travelling the silk route from the east.







Palmyra (originally called Tadmor) was mentioned on 'tablets' dating back to the 19th century B.C. For four hundred years, the city enjoyed uninterrupted propersity as a center of trade and a crossroad between the east and the west. This prosperity lasted until the 4th century A.D. when politics (wars, fighting) caused its decline. It never recovered its grandeur and prosperity.

After settling into our hotel, we visited the Valley of the Tombs of three brothers.



Then we visited the garden of a local resident located in the Oasis. We enjoyed some tea in the setting of date palms, olive trees and a small pool area. We discussed gardening and politics for a couple of hours.




Then we went onto to visit the Citadel/Castle to view the sunset.



At the beginning of the 17th century, the Emir Fakhr Ad-Din used Palmyra as a place to train his police and built a castle on the hillside overlooking the city. The castle was spectacular. However, there was a sandstorm which hindered the view somewhat. Although, it was amazing to view from this viewpoint.




This morning, we set out late, as we had been up fairly late last night enjoying the town's atmosphere. We proceeded to the ruins in the desert, on the edge of town.



When walking in the desert it is easy to see how people fall in love with it.