Apr 11 - Umm Ar-Rasas

Third post for today......

We arrived eventually at Umm Ar-Rasas. In 2004, the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is valued by archaeologists for its extensive ruins dating to the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim periods. The most important discovery on the site was the mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen. It was made in 785 (discovered after 1986). The perfectly preserved mosaic floor is the largest one in Jordan. On the central panel, hunting and fishing scenes are depicted, while another panel illustrates the most important cities of the region- 27 cities in the Holy Land, 9 cities on the East Bank of the Jordan, 8 on the West Bank and 10 Egyptian cities. The frame of the mosaic is especially decorative - it looks like a giant Turkish carpet. Another four churches were excavated nearby with traces of mosaic decoration. The colours in the mosaics are just as vibrant today as when they were made in the 8th century. We are going to be watching a mosaic-making demonstration later in the week.

We finally stopped in mid-afternoon for lunch. Ruby called in our order ahead of time so it was ready for us when we arrived. The late lunch is a result of Ruby's having to juggle the schedule because the Dead Sea Marathon is going to be closing roads later in the week.

After another couple of hours of driving, we arrived in the town of Petra. Our hotel is perched on the side of a cliff and comprises two separate buildings with the lobby located on the top level. To get to our rooms, we had to go down one set of elevators, then go down a long corridor to another set of elevators and then go down 8 floors. We had a nice buffet dinner and headed back to our rooms to recharge for tomorrow. To beat the crowds, we are going to be on the bus at 7:15 a.m. and at Petra by 7:30 a.m. This will be our second World Heritage Site of this tour.Read more