Jerash - as stunning as Petra

 

I have tried to get this as a BIG Header Picture, but am stuck with a mini one. Ah well, it will have to do for the moment.  This was the most IMMENSE site.  I was thinking at the start 60 acres or so but the further we walked and the site stretched out - more than half of it not excavated, it was clear it was about 200 acres of archaeology. Just AMAZING.   It was also known as Antioch, a name I recognized but knew very little about.  It was a Graeko-Roman city, originally known as Gerasa, and then Antioch on the Golden River.  Sadly in 749 there was a massive earthquake, which destroyed much of the city.  Earliest archaeology there dates from the Neolithic.

Sadly, I took SO many photographs, but they have not all loaded from either camera or phone.  I will have to wait until Tam is here and can help me.  There were videos too of the site, and of the chap playing the Bagpipes, accompanied by another on a drum. Then they got a chap to start dancing and we all joined in - imagine a take on Zorba the Greek performed by our motley crew!!! It was SUCH fun!  Gabby has the 100s taken by our tour guide but not loaded them on my computer yet (I fear no room!)

We were first taken to the chariot racing arena - quite small and not on the scale of the Circus Maximus in Rome. The horses they used must have been pony sized as it was a very tight turn either end.  I didn't take photos. Above is a complete circle of the Forum's colonnade. I did do a video but can't find it . . .

Greek inscriptions from the city strongly suggest that Jerash was founded by Alexander the Great and his general Perdiccas, who settled Macedonian soldiers there in 331 BC.  Keith always said that if you went into Northern Turkey - or anywhere that Alexander the Great had been, you would see locals with grey eyes, and I have to say that many of the men we encountered around here (and elsewhere in Jordan) had amazing eyes - grey, grey/green, hazel. 

This was the theatre where we danced to the bagpipes (which our tour guide insisted had been invented by the Jordanians).  We entered it up steps and then you could sit on the upper terraces.  However, there was a drop of about 12 feet to the next row down!  

Oh look, another mosaic!

Above, I think this was the temple to Artemis, but I couldn't get a good photo as there were people swarming over it.  We had been shown a temple to Zeus too, but he clearly wasn't as important as the Greek Goddess Artemis.  She was the Goddess of the hunt and wild animals and the wilderness, of childbirth, and also of the moon.  Zeus was the God of thunder and lightening and the sky, and of law and order.  His temple was half the size of the one to Artemis.  There was a long haired cat . . .

I took lots of photos of broken sculptures, intending to draw them on my return.  WHERE is the time (and where are most of the photos?)

These must all be off my phone, as they are not very clear.

Wasn't this just amazing?  Our guide showed us how the pillars were designed to have a little give in them and when a blade was inserted, would move!

Of course, one of the site cats - rather pregnant too!

HERE is a short video about the site, worth looking up some others too.  I was watching one earlier with a really local guide and he knew SO much.   It truly was such an amazing place.

Gifted Welsh Quilts

 Just a quick post this morning.  When my friend Nia visited this week, she bought along two family Welsh quilts for me to be the new custodian of.  One was a wholecloth quilt, made in Borth (just above Aberystwyth) by a family member, on the occasion of the marriage of Nia's grandparents in 1903.  One side is pale pink, and the other pale blue.  The 2nd quilt, probably a little later, is like a Durham strippy quilt, in pink and blue again and hand quilted within the panels, like a Durham quilt.  Quite often the Welsh strippy quilts would have the design stitched right across the width of the quilt.  They are much used and loved, and sadly faded in places where they were folded and the light got to them.  I will treasure them anyway, and am so grateful for this gift.  Nia's mum has had to go into a home and I gave Nia some advice on the contents of her bungalow, so the good stuff went to auction and not to the charity shop.

I shall research the designs over the weekend.

Then I folded them differently to the way they had been folded (e.g. not in half and half again), and put them away in Keith's chest of drawers.  Someone noticed and took advantage of this!!

The moment I opened the drawer, it had an occupant . . .

Gerroff!!

Right, I really MUST wash my hair and then go out for my Saturday paper.  Only 2 deg. out there so probably not gardening weather . . .

Distracted

 Apologies for no post today.  I got distracted first thing with Devon Inquests and have been working on bits and pieces to do with Family History.  I've also done the shopping, had a short walk and watched yesterday's racing from the Cheltenham Festival.  I shall be back to normal again tomorrow, and post about visiting Jerash.

A church with pagan origins - Ysbyty Cynfyn Stone Circle

I got Tam to set the Satnav on my phone so I could visit this church on my way home yesterday.  I meant to last time I went that way (across the hills and dales) but ended up driving straight past it! The relatively modern church is dedicated to St John the Baptist,  and the ancient stone circle remains, which are built into the early circular church enclosure, are in the Vale of Rheidol.  There is a narrow-gauge railway of that name in nearby Devil's Bridge.    It sits in the shadow of the Plynlimon and Rheidol ranges.

In these photos you can clearly see the stones from the stone circle.  The church is only 19th C and was locked, but you could tell this was sacred ground. Two ancient yew trees were inside the circular enclosure. Once, on the site of the actual church, a Knights' Hospitaller monastic hospice once stood.  They were the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem.  This site was also on the Pilgrim's route from St David's.

Two smaller standing stones from the circle were made gateposts at some point in the past . . .

HERE is the excellent page from The Journal of Antiquities about the Stone Circle and it history.

I cut off the end of the church photo, as the Portaloo sat outside the porch did nothing for the general ambience!  The church dates from 1827, and has a wooden font, which I would have liked to have seen.

Similar fun and games in the churchyard was also had at Disserth Church, off the road from here to Llandod.  I think those all got a bit out of hand though, and they were stopped as not very seemly and viewed as insulting to the church services which going to church was meant to be about!

Amongst the older gravestones, this beautifully inscribed one has survived virtually unmarked.  An unusual house name . . .

Now I am already planning my next dream holiday - to visit Orkney and its archaeological sites.  On my own - so I think it will be an organized coach trip.  I need to build up confidence to go further afield on my own (further than Malvern or Carmarthen that is!!) Not cheap, doing it that way, but I can't be organizing flights, (and parking for at the airport), hotel, and trips.

The same company I've checked out do affordable trips to the Isle of Man too, and Tam has suggested that she and Rosie also come along, which would be lovely.  That's been high on my bucket list for years, and Keith and I had planned to go before he became ill.  His paternal line is Manx for 100s and 100s of years.

There are a couple of days more of holiday photos, but you probably won't get excited about Jaresh (the ancient Antioch) - Graeko-Roman remains (nearly 200 acres of them!) or my obsession with Lawrence of Arabia and his Crusader castles, so I will enjoy them myself.

Quilting group tomorrow, so bet get my sewing organized to take.

Into the desert - Wadi Rumm

 

Journal entry:  Then on to Wadi Rumm - we drove to several parts of the magnificent desert and mountains - unique.  We travelled in 4x4 pickups (it helped to be reasonably limber as they didn't let the tailgate down so you had to climb in, but they did back up to higher ground to make it easier).  Bench seats, I've sat on more comfortable!  

We stopped in the desert where there was a big Bedouin tent.  They served us herbal teas and told us about Frankincense and we had the opportunity to buy some perfumed oils  (passed on this).  You can't see the steepness of the dune in front of this rocky outcrop, but several people clambered up it.

The desert somewhat spoilt by the camping experience domes etc round every corner.  Now tourism is down 85%, many of them rarely used these days I should think.  Ours was the one nearest the main road . . .

You can see my pashmina in this photo.

One of the 4x4's.

Our accommodation was in a nice spot, comfy "tents" with all mod cons and I am glad I didn't pack a sleeping bag as recommended, as there was a heavy throw to go over the duvet, and central heating from a generator.  We were too hot! The bed was VERY hard and only had one marshmallow pillow.  There was a generous bathroom, but the only lighting was a bright central bulb up in the roof of the tent.

When we arrived, it was Camel Riding Time.  O.M.G.  They looked at your height/weight and you were allotted the appropriate camel.  Gabs and I got the ones which felt like 18 hh horse and by the time the saddle was on top, 20hh!!  I felt VERY high up an there wasn't much padding between me and the wooden tree of the camel saddle - NOT comfy. Several had Army Surplus grey blankets for padding, and another a quilted bedcover.  Gabby's saddle had a 2" nail sticking out of the back and I got the giggles over this.  She managed to bend it round so it wasn't quite so uncomfortable!  

(Camel riding - I took a video of this on my phone, and other videos but they have gone missing, along with lots of photos.  I will have to look into my phone again and try and make some storage space in the photos).

Well, I can honestly say not the BEST riding experience of my life.  We all got the giggles something rotten when various camels lolled their "tongues" out  and exhaled loudly - the resultant noise was quite disgusting and we couldn't stop laughing.  Apparently it is what male camels do in the mating season . . . and it is not their tongue but a "dulla" which is to attract females.  Our made much louder gurgles!

The worst bit.  Of course, the camels knew the routine off by heart and as soon as Gabby had got off her camel (she was ahead of me), mine dropped like it was poleaxed with no warning at all!  I swiftly grabbed both front and back poles of the saddle and managed to sprain my left wrist holding onto the back, but it saved me falling off!

We rode for an hour - ostensibly to see the sunsetting, but this was the best the sky could do.

They lit the rocks up at night, which made a lovely backdrop.  

The meat part of the buffet - chickens and joints of lamb (or mutton) was cooked in a fire pit.

I did have a video of them uncovering it and lifting it out.

The desert in the morning light.  This was where they filmed Lawrence of Arabia - I bought the video on my return, and greatly enjoyed watching it again.

This is a WW1 engine (now converted to diesel), and in the "good old days" tourists could ride on it for a fee, and they would do re-enactments of the Ottomans (Turks) attacking it.

Next morning a couple from our group had to be dropped off at a (very posh) hotel in Aqaba. O.M.G. - I had been seeing signs for Aqaba and thinking, if only we could go there. . . my wish was granted. Talk about travelling in Lawrence of Arabia's footsteps . . .   I have to say, anyone who can ride 600 miles across the desert on a camel gets my deepest respect.  He only had 45 men with him too - they set off with water and 45 lbs of flour . . .  They were joined by about 1000 other men as they neared Aqaba and virtually wiped out the Ottoman forces in the Battle of Aqaba - only two Arab fighters died.

Middle of Tuesday night now.  I was up at 6 a.m. and on the road to Tam's at 7 a.m. yesterday, to babysit Rosie for the morning as Tam is now back at work part time (3 days a week).  I have to do this on Mondays throughout March, then hopefully Jon's mum will take over.  Tam could only get one day's child care, which is a shame, as it's a lovely child minder too.  She didn't know that you had to get booked in the moment you were pregnant!  Anyway, Rosie and I survived.  I get the full day from now on (and in the holidays too).  That is going to be tiring, with the long drive either end.  I was in bed at 8.30!