Jordan

After a welcome few days at home, I found myself speeding toward The Middle East – words which elicit such strong thoughts and emotions – some of mystery, some of fear – most rooted in deep misunderstanding and often in misinformation as well. We have visions of deserts and veiled women - which do exist - but we often fail to see the rolling groves of olive trees and stair-stepped hillsides covered with the famous white limestone buildings of Amman.

For the second time this year I would be visiting and working in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – the stable, docile Switzerland of the region – an Islamic kingdom which has for decades been at the center of negotiations to bring peace to all the peoples of the Arab world. With few natural resources, limited access to international waters, and a less than desirable position between Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria it has long been in Jordan’s interest to cultivate positive relations between all of it’s neighbors. And the rest of the world has embraced them for their efforts and rewarded them with aid in many forms.

Like many of the projects I work on, this one is funded by USAID. (The United States Agency for International Development) USAID projects cover many different programs and have many different goals – all of them with an overarching purpose of improving US relations and hopefully, increasing stability. Most often the focus of these programs is covering basic needs – food clothing and shelter. (I understand now why Maslow and his hierarchy can be found in almost every curriculum of higher education!) These needs are most often meet through intricate feeding programs and the development of Agribusiness models so communities have the capacity to feed themselves. Programs that deal with small business development and income generation such as those I work on in Handcraft are often peripheral.

The program in Jordan though is slightly different. As agricultural development requires one primary resource to work – water – and this resource is in extremely limited supply, USAID is focusing their development in Jordan on the development of the tourist industry – and therefore – on developing products tourist want to buy – enter me.

While many of us have heard of Petra – The Lost City, The Hidden City, The Rose City – or have at least seen it in movies – “Indiana Jones The Last Crusade” among them. Jordan has many amazing sights to behold. It is a land with a rich history spanning millennia.

This land was an integral part in the development of human society and is inseparable from our collective history. The ancient Nabateans – who carved the famous Treasury of Petra – predate Christ by a centuries years. They developed a thriving and vibrant society in a most inhospitable land by carving an elaborate system of channels and cisterns directly into the sandstone mountains to collect that most precious resource of survival – water. These channels and cisterns can still be seen throughout the region and some of them still collect water during the cold rainy winter months. (It took Roman troops three attempts to conquer the hidden city- and was only accomplished by blocking the water channels and waiting for the stores to run empty.)


The Romans, and Ottomans after them, left their mark as well. Sand-worn remnants of ancient Romanesque colonnades can be found in many cities – absorbed into the landscape of modern life – a constant reminder of history marked with centuries of graffiti and no doubt political propaganda (For some reason graffiti rendered in a calligraphic alphabet seems not so offensive.) A perfectly tuned elliptical coliseum was carved into stone during the heyday of the Roman occupation and, of course the classically “recarved” tombs which have made Petra famous.

The Nabateans though – as have their modern ancestors the Bedouins – made sure their influence was known even after the height of their civilization. In lieu of the flora found on most Corinthian capitals, the Nabatean stonemasons used the head of an elephant to bear the weight of their temple roofs. When the Romans re-surfaced the simple geometric patterns of the tombs of their forebears, the Nabatean craftsmen made sure to include subtle references to their cultural design. (Above the classically proportioned facades, there are almost always the geometric staircase designs of the conquered tribe.)


Bedouin encampments can still be found throughout Jordan. Though modern amenities and obstacles have made nomadic life less attractive, these families – or tribes – are legendary for their hospitality. Perhaps it is because of their history of movement, that they are always welcoming of strangers. (The Jordanians in general are a hospitable people.) You are offered tea at every turn – almost always flavored with local spices – cardamom, cinnamon, sage, or mint – it is a sweet wonderful introduction. And be careful with your open admiration of material goods, as it is not uncommon for people to offer you as a gift something you have admired casually, and refusal to accept would be rude. The nomads life cannot be bound to material possessions and hospitality toward a stranger – or a friend – is always a priority.


The religious importance of the region can also be seen in so many places – from the Jordan Valley to the castle fortress of Saladin in the olive draped hills of Ajloun. Places and people from our mornings in Sunday School remind us how this area has influenced, and continues to influence, the fate of the world. The baptism of Christ took place in Bethany on Jordan within sight of Mt Nebo and a short distance across the river from the fabled walls of Jericho. A salt column stands within a few kilometers of this same sight and is rumored to be Lot’s unfortunate wife. At night you can see the lights of Jerusalem across the Dead Sea and beyond the hills of the West Bank. Wandering feels right in this environment. You can imagine the tribes of Israel, the Bedouin caravans, and the Muslim pilgrims making their way across the open plains.


Herod bathed in the waters of the Dead Sea -though modern resorts have replaced the legendary Sodom and Gomorra. The river no longer runs wide or deep (It is so narrow in places you can almost reach across and touch trees rooted in Israel.) but instead runs through a carefully monitored and vigilantly patrolled demilitarized zone. But when you visit you will be struck by how very small this piece of land is. In combination with such limited resources for survival it becomes much more understandable why the peoples of the region have spent so many generations fighting for control. While religion is the visible center of the argument, water rights are certainly a close second. It is also clear why Jordan's role as a peacekeeper has become all the more important.

While visiting the Land of Lawrence may not be at the top of your list, I have to say it holds many wonders – some well known, some still to be unearthed. I definitely encourage you to discover it for yourself - you will not be disappointed.