Karak

On our way down the King's Highway to Petra a couple weeks ago, we stopped for a few hours in Karak. Karak is a busy town atop an isolated hill which is still encircled by Crusader walls. Once again, allow me to defer to The Rough Guide to Jordan for a little bit of history:

"The huge and well-preserved Crusader castle which occupies the southern tip of the hill is one of the finest in the Middle East, second only to Syria's Krak des Chevaliers for explorability. The hill on which Karak stands--with sheer cliffs on three sides and clear command over the Wadi Karak leading down to the Dead Sea (features which both the Old Testament and Madaba's Byzantine mosaic map mention) is a natural defensive stronghold. The Crusaders began building a fortress on a rocky spur atop the hill in 1142.

The castle's construction was initiated by the knights of the successful First Crusade, but its eventual downfall is inextricably linked with the personalities of those who came later, specifically Reynald of Chatillon. A ruthless warrior who arrived in the Holy Land in 1147 on the Second Crusade, Reynald was both vicious and unscrupulous, and it was specifically to avenge his treachery that the Muslim commander, Salah ad-Din, launched a campaign to expel the foreign invaders.

I would NOT want to be thrown down those walls...

Safely ensconced in Karak, Reynald began a reign characterized by wanton cruelty: one of his more notorious pleasures involved encasing the heads of his prisoners in wooden boxes so that, when he flung them off the castle walls, he could be sure that they hadn't lost consciousness by the time they hit the rocks below. In 1180, he robbed a Mecca-bound caravan on the King's Highway in violation of a truce; Salah ad-Din was forced to swallow his anger until a suitable time for revenge could be found. A prime opportunity presented itself three years later.

In 1183, the wedding of Reynald's heir was celebrated within the walls of Karak castle at the very moment that Salah ad-Din and his army, having already invaded the town, were poised just beyond the north moat ready to attack. Reynald's wife, Lady Stephanie, sent plates of food from the banquet to the Muslim army beyond the walls; in response, while his men were trying to bridge the moat and catapulting rocks against the walls, Salah ad-Din enquired which tower the newlyweds were occupying. In an expression of his impeccable chivalry, he then ordered his army to direct their fire elsewhere.

Statue of Salah ad-Din in downtown Karak.

Karak withstood that siege, but at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, the Crusaders, stymied the strategic ineptitude of Reynald and others, were defeated. The victorious Salah ad-Din characteristically spared the king and the Crusader lords--all apart from Reynald, who he personally decapitated. The besieged Crusader garrison at Karak held out for months; they sold their wives and children in exchange for food, and resorted to eating horses and dogs. But surrender was inevitable. Karak capitulated in November 1188.

Ayyubid and Mamluke occupiers of the castle rebuilt and strengthened its defenses. Under the Ottomans, anarchy was the ruler than than the exceptions. During a rebellion in 1879, Karaki Christians abandoned their town, moving north to settle among the ruins of ancient Madaba. In 1894, troops finally imposed order but Karak's ruling families--among them, the Majali clan--remained restless. In 1908 they rallied a local force and stormed Karak's government buildings, forcing the Ottoman garrison to seek refuge in the castle. After eight days, troops arrived from Damascus, publicly executed the rebel leaders and declared the Majalis outlaws. Even today, Karak retains a reputation for political activism, yet--a little ironically, considering the family history--the Majalis are now at the heart of the Jordanian establishment, boasting government officials and even a prime minister or two among their number."

Probably a lot more than you wanted or cared to know about this castle, but the history buff in me was positively giddy here. All pictures from our visit can be found in photos #26-57 of this album.

Beautiful sunset to end the day. Now on to Petra!

To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying :
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.

***

This poem was written by a 17th-century English poet named Robert Herrick. Isn't it beautiful? I was reading about him recently on Wikipedia, and was struck with this sentence: "The over-riding message of Herrick’s work is that life is short, the world is beautiful, love is splendid, and we must use the short time we have to make the most of it."

For as much as people poke fun at me for all my random ideas (get my Master's in Azerbaijan! No, wait, Rome!), it sure is fun to dream like crazy.

"Just Because I'm an American Woman Doesn't Mean I Will Have Sex With You" and Other Things I Wish I Could Say to the Shabaab

Al-shabaab ("young boys") is a term in the Middle East which refers to the seemingly endless throngs of obnoxious teenage boys who hang out on street corners, at malls, and in parks. They gawk at female passers-by, smoke cigarettes, harass stray cats, and generally rouse up all sorts of tomfoolery. While the vast majority of them are harmless (as are most human beings who weigh less than 120 pounds), I have to admit that their antics do get old.

Hence, this list.

***

1. Get a life.
2. If every one of your 16 calls today hasn't gotten through, it's because I'M SCREENING THEM.
3. Hey, Mr. Hanging Out the Passenger Side of His Best Friend's Ride, Tryin' to Holler at Me: Don't.
4. I'm fully aware that my Arabic pronunciation is imperfect, but is has to sound better than your English cursing. "Folk ewe dome batch!" just doesn't quite deliver the sting you're hoping for.
5. Deodorant. For the love of Allah.
6. Even if I was single, I would never be ready to mingle with you.
7. A Lexus convertible does not blind me to the fact that my grandmother--and I say this literally--has more muscle tone than you do.
8. I think you'd have a better chance at seducing me if you smoked more cigarettes.
9. My husband's is bigger.
10. The reason you're acting out is because you're sexually frustrated? Sad. I wonder how that feels.

Is There No Balm in Gilead?

Hadrian's Arch, one of the two main entrances to the city.

That I can't answer, but there's an awesome city called Jerash there.

From my beloved Rough Guide to Jordan: "Set in the fertile hills of Gilead, Jerash was founded around 170 BC. It was around this time that the idea of a Decapolis first emerged. From the time of Alexander the Great, a group of about ten important cities of the Middle East began to be associated together. Bastions of Greek culture in the midst of a Semitic rural population these cities were founded or re-founded during or following Alexander's consolidation of power in the Levant in the last fourth century BC.

Although it is tempting to imagine the Decapolis cities working together in a formal league of cooperation, no records survive of such a pact, and it seems instead that the term was used simply to refer to the geographical area of northern Transjordan and southern Syria.

The Temple of Zeus.

Jerash and its Decapolis neighbors were  "liberated" by the Romans under Pompey in 63 BC and granted autonomy under the higher authority of the Province of Syria. The century which followed saw unprecedented growth and stability in Jerash and it was during the first century AD that the basic town plan as it survives today was laid down: a colonnaded north-south axis cut by two colonnaded side-streets, along with a temple to Zeus front by an oval plaza, expansion of the temple to Artemis and the construction of the South Theatre."

Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the eastern Mediterranean. There are a lot of ruins in Jordan--I've visited crumbling castles in Iraq al-Amir, Ajloun, Karak, Petra, and Umm Qais (only scratching the surface of all the desert castles there are to see)--and I'd be lying if I said that ruin-hopping wasn't getting old. But even the most jaded of travelers can't help but be impressed by the beauty of this city. The atmosphere there really gives you a sense for what life was like back then. Can't you just imagine walking down that colonnaded street on your way to the theatre, haggling with merchants along the way?

The Oval Plaza (looking down from the Temple of Zeus) and colonnaded cardo leading to the heart of the city.

Our dear friend from church, George, who is an expat here working as a mechanic, shuttled about a dozen of us up to Jerash one morning in a bus that he owns. There is so much history in Jerash, which makes it nearly impossible for tourists to fully appreciate the city, but we had a great time trying! :) For more photos, check out pictures #100-127 in my Facebook album.

Ajloun and Umm Qais

A few weeks ago we took a day trip up north to Ajloun ("adje-loon") and Umm Qais ("oomk eyes")--two of the most beautiful cities in Jordan!

See Kineret Lake right up in the corner of Syria? That lake has another name: the Sea of Galilee. Umm Qais is set up on a hill and offers and unbelievable view (along with vistas of the Golan Heights and Syria). But more on that later.

Ajloun was our first stop of the day. It's a beautiful city surrounded by forests of pine, oak, and pistachio trees. Its defining landmark is an ancient castle that looms on a hill over the city. Here's some fun information about it taken from my fabulous guidebook, The Rough Guide to Jordan:

"The history of Ajloun is bound up in the story of the castle--in Arabic, the Qal'at ar-Rabadh. A perfect location with a bird's-eye view over the surrounding countryside and over three major wadis (valleys) leading to the Jordan valley. It is said to have formerly been the site of an isolated Christian monastery, home to a monk named Ajloun. By 1184, in the midst of the Crusades, the monastery had fallen into ruin, and an Arab general and close relative of Salah- ad-Din, Azz ad-Din Usama, took the opportunity to build a fortress on the ruins, partly to limit expansion of the Crusader kingdoms, partly to protect the iron mines of the nearby hills, and partly to show a strong hand to the squabbling clans of the local Bani Auf tribe. Legend has it that, to demonstrate his authority, Usama invited the sheikhs of Bani Auf to a banquet int he newly completed castle, enteratined and fed them, then threw them all into the dungeons."

Intense, eh?! It was really neat to see and Ajloun is beautiful. I have to admit that it wasn't as cool as Jerash, but definitely still worth the trip. 

Hold on. Have I not blogged about Jerash yet?!!? Welp, guess I know what my next post will be. You know what I think my problem is? After I come home and edit/upload/write captions for all the pictures I post to Facebook, I mentally check off that even has having been documented. But this week is the perfect opportunity to play catch up (it's Eid al-Adha--no classes!), so get ready for lots of posts.

Anyway, where was I? Umm Qais! Our second stop of the day. The main attraction of this city is exploring the sprawling ruins of the Decapolis city of Gadara. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, Palestinians who were expelled from or fled their homes have come here specifically to savor the spectacular views of their homeland. From the highest point of Gadara, you can see the lush countryside of Galilee, the choppy lake itself, and the waterfront city of Tiberias. The city's primary claim to fame comes from the New Testament itself, in Matthew 8:28-34:

28 And when he was come to the other side into the city of Gadara, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of the swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

Pretty amazing! It goes without saying how surreal it was to stand where this happened. And to look out over the Sea of Galilee and think "That's where Jesus walked on water. That's where He calmed the seas." The more and more I visit Jordan, the happier I am to be here.

The initial plan for this study abroad was for it to happen in Cairo, but that plan changed when the revolution broke out (BYU can't send kids to places on the State Department's travel warning list). I'll admit that I was kind of bummed at first to be going to Jordan. What the heck is in Jordan? There's no pyraminds! No hieroglyphs! No Nile River! No history!

But oh how wrong I was. Jordan more than holds its own against its more famous Middle Eastern counterparts like Egypt or Israel--I wonder how long it will take before the rest of the world realizes what a gem this country is? Don't get me wrong, tourism is big business here, but mostly for Europeans (everybody always thinks we're from France, Italy, or Spain). If Americans knew about all that Jordan had to offer--how dynamic its people are, how beautiful and varied the country is, how deep its history runs--they would be flocking here! And how great would that be? 

We need more Americans to visit the Middle East for two main purposes: To get rid of horrible stereotypes about Arabs, and to better understand the dynamics of the region (especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict). What better place to do that than Jordan? A country that not only offers something for everybody (history geeks, adventurers, etc), but also happens to be the safest and most peaceful place in the region?

Long story short: Umm Qais is an extremely special place, and I'm so grateful I got the chance to visit it. We couldn't have gone at a better time of day! We arrived right as the sun was beginning to set, and my was it a sight to see (check out my Facebook album for more pictures, photos 166-194).

One of the coolest things about Umm Qais was the full-service restaurant that was built right into the ruins of the city. The patio had a stunning, once-in-a-lifetime view of the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, everything (not to mention great food!). We sat and chatted over dinner with our friends for the better part of an hour, watching the sun melt across the horizon.

It was, unequivocally, the most amazing dining experience I've ever had.

We Have Received, and We Need No More

Let me tell you something about Dr. Dilworth "Grammar is your friend!" Parkinson.

Your average 60-something man is far from intimidating, but Dil is not your average 60-something man. At 6'2'' with broad shoulders and a lean build (courtesy of the laps he swims daily), he seems ages away from qualifying for Social Security--let alone months. He speaks with a deep, cavernous, bone-rattling voice. His sentences are short. He does not wear a tie.

More than a few would-be students of Arabic have been shaken by his curt, no-nonsense unruffability. But behind his apparent Scroogeness (direct quote: "I hate parties.") lies a man who is irrepressibly endearing.

He sings in a baroque choir and goes on walks with his wife each morning. He laughs easily and infectiously. He obsesses over relative clauses ("WHICH!") and often scratches his head when explaining Arabic grammar to students. He enunciates the h in what and where.

Seven years ago, he gave a speech at BYU called "We Have Received, and We Need No More." I read its transcript for the first time a few days ago, and it changed my life. I am so grateful for my professors in the BYU Arabic department--Dil, Kirk, and Ustaaz Doug--who taught me a second language in a way that has jolted me out of years of spiritual passivity.