Our trip from Aqaba to Petra on August 28 traversed a land rich in both modern and ancient history.
As we started north from Aqaba, the highway ran just to the west of the mountains bordering the Wadi Rum. This area was made famous by the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia. Many recent movies have been filmed here, too, including Prometheus and The Martian. It has become a popular tourist destination for rock climbing, camping, four-wheeling, and camping.
Our route then joined up with Jordanian Highway 35, which follows the ancient King’s Highway that ran from Egypt to Damascus. This route has been in use for more than 5,000 years. It was a trade route long before the Israelites used it for their exodus from Egypt.
Along the highway is Mount Nebo, the place where Moses was said to have first seen the Promised Land and where he was buried. From our bus, we could also see Jebel Harun, which is topped by a gleaming white church marking the tomb of Aaron, Moses’ brother. (Harun is the Arabic name for Aaron.)
Beyond the mountain to the west lay the Wadi Musa (the Valley of Moses). The land here is below sea level, and marks part of the border between Jordan and Israel. Wadi Musa is also the official name of the town closest to the ruins of Petra.
We passed many Bedouin encampments along the route. The Bedouin enjoy a protected status in the Arab countries of the Middle East, and they can move their flocks back and forth across borders freely.
Bedouin encampments are marked by a long tent, lots of camels and goats, and the ubiquitous pickup truck.
One of the most striking contrasts between old and new was at a wind turbine farm south of Petra. Our guide joked, “The Bedouins like to camp near these big fans to cool off in the summertime.”
