Dead Sea Scrolls and More

This will be my last post about our recent travels but I couldn't miss the opportunity to share with you the things we saw and listened to on our last day and evening in Jordan. One of the most beautiful things we experienced was watching the sun set over Amman (formerly known as Philadelphia), while listening to the call to prayer. We tried to film and record the event but had technical difficulties so instead I am sharing a clip from YouTube that will give you an idea of the beautiful echoing sounds during the call to prayer.

On the last day of our trip, we set out to visit the site where Christ was baptized, where Elijah ascended into the heavens and to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Our first stop was to visit the Dead Sea. It is just a 45 minute drive to get to the resort area and during parts of the drive you are on Israel's border. Of course while relaxing on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, you are looking at Israel across the sea. The day we were there is was a bit cool - in the low 60s - but the temperature didn't stop the mud bathers.
We went on to the baptism site. While the Jordan River divides Israel and Jordan, the actual baptism site where John the Baptist, baptized Christ has been confirmed by the Church to be in Jordan. The river has decreased in size because of industrialization. Below is a picture of the baptism site and the Jordan River.

We traveled on to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. The various scrolls were found hidden in a number of caves on the northern end of the Dead Sea. In the Museum of Archeology in Amman fragments of some of the paper scrolls along with copper scrolls are on display. These scrolls confirm the text of the Old Testament and are estimated to be written in 300 B.C.

In other posts I will share stories and even recipes highlighting the food of Lebanon. For now I am going to cap my adventures and try to get grounded back in the States.

Knock knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who?

Orange ya glad it's friday?

Above photos: Houzz

... and a touch of green too...

cause I like the rug.

wshome

Random. I know.
that's just how my week has been.yeeesch.

Find more hooked on Fridays at Julia's here...

Mosaics - Those Incredible Tiny Pieces

I love mosaics and in the Middle East you can find some of the most incredible mosaics imaginable. A few years ago my son was stationed in Turkey so I spent two weeks visiting. One of the places we toured is a city called Gaziantep. To me the city is out of the way but if you want to see some incredible mosaics you will find them in the Gaziantep museum. This museum holds the world's second largest collection of mosaics from the Roman Empire. At the end of my visit my son gave me a mosaic replica of Gaziantep's most famous mosaic - the Gypsy Girl. It is one of my most treasured possessions.

Jordan also has some amazing mosaics. One of the most well-known can be found in Madaba, a city about 30 minutes outside of Amman. Located in the St. George's Church is a mosaic map of the Holy Land that dates back to the 5th/6th century. It is really hard for one to imagine that the floor of the church is completely covered with tiny hand-cut pieces of stone that are laid out to display such a work of art. Of course the walls of the church are covered with a multitude of mosaics displaying all sorts of religious scenes but nothing compares to this masterpiece.

The day we viewed the mosaics my husband and I decided to go to have drinks at a five-star hotel located near our hotel in Amman. You can only imagine how excited I was to open the door of the ladies room to discover a 6x11 mosaic rug in the powder room!! I hope you enjoy this bathroom art as much as I did.
Powder Room Mosaic

small changes....really small.

So...It is a wee small bathroom.

I wanted a bit more space for towels

or bathroom paper

or flowers and candles...

You know. The important things.

Excuse the wonky towels.

They tend to do that when I am not looking. OH!

Small bathrooms.

Ya gotta love 'em.

not.

Rose Red City

Petra is in some ways very hard to describe. It is hard to share with you the size of rocks both in height and in expanse. It was an overwhelming feeling to walk through the long "crack" as walls of rock tower over visitors making their way to the ancient city. It is also hard to imagine that centuries ago a civilization was able to build this amazing work of architecture in the middle of the desert valley. They believe the civilization first began sometime between 1500-1200 B.C. Since this was a city located in the desert, having a water source was of great importance. As you walk through the "siq" (the narrow crack/walkway into the city nearly 1 mile long), you can see "gutters" that were carved into the rock to direct any rainfall into cisterns or a dam. This early ablility to be able to capture and store water made the city somewhat of an oasis though I always imagined an oasis to look different.

A nearly one mile walk in a sometimes narrow rock cavity

It is known that the Nabataeans buried their dead as many tombs have been excavated. There are also caves carved out in some places that appear to be "work rooms" where tools could be stored while elaborate stone cuttings transformed rock into incredible architecture. The view from the siq approaching the Treasury
Notice the size of the people in comparison to the structure

It typically takes 2 days minimum to see Petra. We visited the "back door" on the first day and took the front entrance on the second day. To be honest we would have enjoyed a third day. One of the interesting things about visiting Jordan is to see the bedouins-and there are plenty of bedouin families living all around Petra and Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses). I am sharing a few photos with you but if you haven't heard of Petra, you might enjoy doing some further reading to learn more about this spectacular wonder.

...In the land of squat...

I thought this TV stand was quite creative and inventive,

Cleverly re-purposed.

My husband calls it stupid.

Yep. That's what he said.

Something about picture perfomance and tilting...whaa wha wha wha

cue Charlie Brown's teachers voice

I found it on House Beautiful's website,

showcasing Newell Turner's re-do of a lovely Catskill farmhouse.

He has a great blog where he chronicles his farmhouse reno he calls Twighlight Field.

Check it out here.

Another Easel re-use... from M-Group designs.

I do like it better in the country house, though...

And here Danny Seo tries his talented hand at it...

I still like it. And while I love My husband and his amazing

technical expertise....sometimes he don't know squat...

when it comes to design.

Harumph.

On to Jordan

After saying our goodbyes to the family we left Lebanon headed to Amman, Jordan. Now I have to admit that normally when planning a trip, even if it is a small adventure in the state of Georgia, I love to plan. I love the process of studying details of the area and the pleasure of discovering new places and experiences. Unfortunately, I never had time to study. I tried ordering a travel guide from Amazon but it was from an independent bookseller who never shipped the book (the very unpleasant vendor eventually refunded my money but I was left without a book). In the end I printed off some brochures from the Jordanian tourism office and packed them to study while traveling.

I had emailed a lovely 2-star hotel that arranged for pickup so we were taken to a wonderful neighborhood, in the embassy district. where we spent 3 nights. The hotel in U.S. dollars was only $80 a night which included a continental breakfast! I still can't believe the affordability of this very nice hotel.Our first day of outings took us to the site where Moses looked out over the Promised Land. It is called Mt. Nebo but you might also recognize the name as Pisgah. From the viewing platform you can look out and see Jericho, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Truly it was an incredible moment for me.

I am still having to pinch myself as I type. I just can't believe that I was really there. The site had a few tourist that day but as my husband and I stood on the viewing platform, we were the only people there. It was so vast and so quiet we were able to "be still and know that I am God."

Pope John Paul II visiting the Holy site in 2000.

Have You Ever Visited a Mosque?

A few years ago I spent two wonderful weeks in Turkey and had the opportunity to visit The Blue Mosque so looking inside the Rafik Hariri Mosque in Beirut was not my first step in a mosque. It was different though. In downtown Beirut a beautiful new mosque has been built in memory of the great Lebanese leader who is credited with the rebuilding of Lebanon after the civil war. He invested millions of his own money to help jump start numerous infrastructure projects and redevelopment of the downtown which had been devastated by decades of war. Sadly two years ago he and his entourage were killed by a car bomb. A beautiful mosque and a memorial has been built in the heart of the downtown.

When women enter a mosque they are asked to cover their heads, much like it used to be in the Catholic church only no hair should be showing. Everyone is asked to remove their shoes. I wanted to see inside the mosque so my husband and I went to visit one night while walking around in the downtown. Unfortunately my photos just don't illustrate the size of the main chandelier. The crystals in the fixtures were made in Spain, all the pieces were shipped to Lebanon, then the fixture was hand-made on site in the mosque. Artist from Morocco were brought in to hand-paint the beautiful Islamic art. Mosques are open to the visiting and touring public accept during prayer times but if you are there for prayer time or services, there are balconies for the women while the men worship and pray on the main level. Men and women do not worship together in a mosque.


There are a few more photos of common sights in Lebanon such as hubbly bubbly, men playing towla (backgammon) and delicious food stands. I hope you enjoy the photos. In my next few posts I will be sharing some of the amazing sights in Jordan.

for you...

A kitchen...

A bath...

a cozy spot...
Just because.

Photos: Architectural digest, Houzz

Where Were You on January 20, 2009?

We will not forget this very historic day as we pray for our new leadership and our new President of the United States. God bless America.

A Day On, Not a Day Off

On Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday it is a tradition for our family to volunteer. By 7:30 I was working on a project at an inner-city school. This event reminded me of a volunteer opportunity I learned about while visiting Lebanon. Ashghalouna (meaning "our work") is the name of the program that helps provide a source of income to the war widows. After WWI a social welfare organization was established to help care for and educate orphans. In the 1930's the organization was named Dar Al Aytam Al Islamiya (meaning "the Islamic Orphanage"). Today the organization has expanded some of its social services, thanks in part to Mrs. Sana Towili (pictured) and services now include a training program as a means to give widows a source of income. Ashghalouna now houses an atelier where on any given day 25 or more women are working and learning needle arts of every sort - embroidery, knitting, crocheting, quilting, applique, etc. In addition there is a kitchen where women prepare traditional sweets, jams, jellies for sale. On Fridays, the women operate a lunch room that serves classic Beiruti dishes to the general public.

I have included a picture of the location where the workshop, restaurant and gift shop are located. The building is across the street from the British Consulate's home. It is actually the former home of the Consulate's driver (okay, I might be in the wrong profession given the size and beauty of the building). Also note in the photo that Sana is wearing a galabiya over her street dress. If you don't have a galabiya, I suggest you get one. These garments are robes made of thick wool and they might be considered similar to a house coat only you can wear them in and out of the house. The are extremely warm but are not confining or restricting in any way. I own two and when "the weather outside is frightful" I pull out the galabiya.

Cozy days....

It is cold...and damp.

I know so many of you are dealing with much colder...much damper.

But I want to light a candle on my nightstand,

and pull the down blanket around me tighter.

Cold hurts in the land of sun.

Our homes aren't built for it,

I can never find my wool slippers...

never have enough warm clothes.

So....I use the down blanket.

...and find a good book,

...and when the sun decides to show it's glowing face....

I'll let it in.

....and maybe tomorrow will be a day of warm breeze,

Doors and windows open...

Pictures: Coastal Living
Warmth is coming, folks....

Promise.