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<h4>Ruins of the octagonal sixth-century Byzantine martyrium</h4>
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<p>Nestled on a plateau in the northwestern corner of Jordan lay the ruins of the ancient city of <em>Gadara</em>. From this vantage point, just beyond the sleepy town of Umm Qays, you have a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_the_Golan_Heights">Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights</a>. Like many other places in the region, Gadara appeared on the historical record after Alexander the Great&rsquo;s conquest of the Near East in 333 BCE.<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup> The city seems to have been mostly destroyed and subsequently abandoned after an earthquake in the eighth century.</p></description>
<p>Jordan&rsquo;s location in the geographical &ldquo;near east&rdquo; has exposed it to dozens of civilizations over the course of history. In the last three thousand years alone the region has invariably fallen under the Persian, Greek, Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman empires, the legacies of which are often still visible today.</p></description>
<p>Shortly after moving to Amman <a href="https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/saint-thaddeus-church-amman/">I noticed this unique building</a> on a distant hill and I set out on a sort of scavenger hunt to find it. The walk from downtown to Jabal Al-Ashrafiyeh is packed with winding streets and steep staircases (some of which go nowhere). To this day the church is one of my favorite landmarks in Amman and I often make the trek there when I&rsquo;m feeling like getting some exercise and exploring the city. I like to think of it as a pilgrimage—it <em>is</em> a religious site after all!</p></description>
<p>These days there isn&rsquo;t much to see of the Greco–Roman city of Pella in northwestern Jordan. Sadly, the ancient ruins here suffer from being slightly smaller, slightly less well-preserved, and slightly less convenient to visit than the similar ruins at <a href="https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/greco-roman-ruins-jerash/">Jerash</a>. With a bit of imagination and some historical background, however, they are equally enchanting and even have a unique character of their own.</p></description>
<p>There are apparently two arches built around 130 CE to honor Roman Emperor Hadrian—one in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Hadrian_(Athens)">Athens</a> and one in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Hadrian_(Jerash)">Jerash</a>. The former is undoubtedly more studied, but the latter is objectively more beautiful! Maybe it&rsquo;s the color of the stones in the afternoon light, the unconventional architectural features, or just the sheer size of it.</p></description>
<p>Jordan&rsquo;s location in the geographical &ldquo;near east&rdquo; has exposed the country to dozens of civilizations over the course of history. Over the last three thousand years alone this region has experienced the coming and going of the Persian, Greek, Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman—to name a few—empires, the legacies of which are often still visible today.</p></description>
<p>While not <em>technically</em> in Jordan, Jerusalem&rsquo;s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock">Dome of the Rock</a> is basically just a stone&rsquo;s throw away from Amman (pun intended). Not only is this shrine capped with a golden dome, covered in vibrant Ottoman-era tilework, and adorned with elegant Arabic calligraphy, it also boasts an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Stone">impressive <em>résumé</em> of sacred claims to fame</a>.</p></description>
<h4>Petra&#39;s &#34;monastery&#34; basking in the golden light just before sunset</h4>
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<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabataeans">Nabataeans</a> were a tribe who became filthy rich on the trade of frankincense, myrrh, and spices in the Arabian peninsula around 2,000 years ago. They built Petra as the capital of their flourishing civilization. Hauntingly beautiful stone facades standing one hundred meters tall are amazingly intact and well preserved to this day.</p></description>
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<title>Sheikh Zayed Mosque: the Pearl of Aqaba</title>
<p>The best way to describe the Sheikh Zayed mosque would be &ldquo;the pearl of Aqaba.&rdquo; There is a lot to love about this picturesque mosque by the Jordanian seaside, but its crown jewel—to continue the analogy—is the impeccable Arabic calligraphy inlaid in its façade. Sadly, Aqaba itself <a href="https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/aqaba-dirty-disappointing/">isn&rsquo;t much to write home about</a>.</p></description>
<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hussein_Mosque">King Hussein mosque</a> was built in 2005 and is the largest mosque in Jordan. I haven&rsquo;t visited it yet, but I&rsquo;ve spent quite a few evenings admiring it from a balcony in the <em>Khalda</em> neighborhood of West Amman.</p></description>
<p>Another day, another exquisite, hand-painted ceiling in Amman. Just like the <a href="https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/beautiful-hand-painted-woodwork/">other hand-painted wood ceiling</a> I posted about two weeks ago, the work was done by an old Syrian man. This one is actually in my flat, and I may or may not have taken this picture while laying on my back on the living room floor.</p></description>
<p>Even if the number of mosques in Amman <em>didn&rsquo;t</em> outnumber churches by a factor of ten, the Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic church would still stand out. The unique architecture caught my eye once and then I started seeing it every time I glanced at Jabal Al-Ashrafiyeh. After weeks of squinting and asking myself &ldquo;<em>Is that an Armenian church?</em>&rdquo; I finally went on an scavenger hunt and found it.</p></description>
<p>There&rsquo;s an old Syrian man who does this fantastic hand painting on wood panels in Amman. Three flats in our building have them installed on the ceiling, but this one takes the cake. I&rsquo;m not sure if it&rsquo;s typical for the region or not—the man was referencing pictures from a Russian art book—but they are exquisite.</p></description>
