The day started early, as the golf course was at a one-hour drive from the hotel. I, as well as my friends, were enthusiastic about experiencing golfing in a totally different environment from what we are used to. However, surprise of the surprises, the golf course was far and beyond our expectations.... the greens were not green but black!!! The fairways were sandy and full of gravel which made us feel a bit nervous about hitting a little stone instead of the ball and by doing it, get our clubs damaged, though caddies carried a small piece of synthetic turf that they placed under the ball prior to our hitting it. None of us - we were 10 players - took the play seriously but we had fun.
After having had lunch at the clubhouse terrace, we headed to Jerash, which is considered one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside of Italy. It once had a Roman population of 15,000 to 20,000.
We entered the city of Jerash via the South Gate (dates back to 130 AD) which then opened into what was once used as a marketplace. Once we walked through the gate there were signs for reenactments of chariot races but unfortunately they did not have any scheduled when we were there.
As I walked through Jerash, I tried to follow Lonely Planet’s suggestion to “imagine life 2000 years ago: the center bustling building with shops and merchants, lined with cooling water fountains and dramatic painted facades. Picture today’s empty niches filled with painted statues; buildings still clad in marble facades and decorated with carved peacocks and shell motifs; and churches topped with Tuscan-style terracotta tiled roofs.”
While we were touring the South Theatre - built between 90-92 AD - there was a performance by a trio and due to the bagpipes I thought they sounded rather Scottish.
Leaving Jerash behind, the next stop was Madaba, renowned for its Byzantine-era mosaics. There was the most famous one in St. George’s Church – it was unearthed in 1884 and is believed to have been constructed in AD 560. Madaba's chief attraction is the sixth century map of the Holy Land, found in the contemporary Greek Orthodox church of St. George. It is a wonderfully vivid, Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and the holy sites. With two million pieces of coloured stone, measuring 25 x 5 metres, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far away as the Nile Delta. Originally 25 meters long by 6 meters wide and containing more than 2 million pieces, it is now only 1/3 of its original size.
We left Madaba and we still had time to stop along the way at a mosaic factory/shop.
After having had lunch at the clubhouse terrace, we headed to Jerash, which is considered one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside of Italy. It once had a Roman population of 15,000 to 20,000.
We entered the city of Jerash via the South Gate (dates back to 130 AD) which then opened into what was once used as a marketplace. Once we walked through the gate there were signs for reenactments of chariot races but unfortunately they did not have any scheduled when we were there.
As I walked through Jerash, I tried to follow Lonely Planet’s suggestion to “imagine life 2000 years ago: the center bustling building with shops and merchants, lined with cooling water fountains and dramatic painted facades. Picture today’s empty niches filled with painted statues; buildings still clad in marble facades and decorated with carved peacocks and shell motifs; and churches topped with Tuscan-style terracotta tiled roofs.”
While we were touring the South Theatre - built between 90-92 AD - there was a performance by a trio and due to the bagpipes I thought they sounded rather Scottish.
Leaving Jerash behind, the next stop was Madaba, renowned for its Byzantine-era mosaics. There was the most famous one in St. George’s Church – it was unearthed in 1884 and is believed to have been constructed in AD 560. Madaba's chief attraction is the sixth century map of the Holy Land, found in the contemporary Greek Orthodox church of St. George. It is a wonderfully vivid, Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and the holy sites. With two million pieces of coloured stone, measuring 25 x 5 metres, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far away as the Nile Delta. Originally 25 meters long by 6 meters wide and containing more than 2 million pieces, it is now only 1/3 of its original size.
We left Madaba and we still had time to stop along the way at a mosaic factory/shop.
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