JORDAN
Long round of Jordan - Amman - Petra and Dead Sea
Petra The old state of the caravans, Petra was the capital of the Navata, a people of Arab origin, whose unique source of wealth and prosperity was the caravans. The city, today a remarkable complex of ruins about 30 kilometers northwest of the town of Ma'an, is located in the natural amphitheater of a valley, which can only be reached by a narrow pass between the rocks. Its most interesting monuments are those that are dug in the rocks: palaces, temples, and mainly graves. Between the tombs, two stand out: the one called the "palace" is formed in three levels and has a very wide front. The four doors of the entrance are surrounded by naval pilasters, to which they merge, creating a unique style, Greek, Egyptian and Assyrian elements. On these pilasters there is an arched pediment, while 18 columns sculptured on the rock give exactly the impression of the palace. The other tomb, of the same construction, is called "Corinthian", thanks to the Corinthian pillars that decorate it. However, the most monumental building of the rocks is what is called el-Hazene or Pharaoh's treasure, with its richly decorated two-storied façade. Its portal consists of six columns of Corinthian style and has lateral reliefs. The frieze and the pediment are also decorated with representations, while above is the symbol of the goddess Isis - a tray between two horns of cow. On the second level stands a circular turret, surrounded by columns, with a hydra on its top: on the front side of the dam there is the representation of Isis, while on the side, a dashed pediment resting on pillars, allows to see in the middle the embossed figures two Amazons. The most impressive construction of Petra is however the Ely-Déir or Monastery, which is 50 meters long and 42 meters high is dug up on a rock, on the top of a mountain. They assume that it was originally a temple, but was later used as a Christian church, as the crosses engraved on the walls testify. In these early ancient buildings, many more were added in Roman times. Among them, a theater dug through the rocks, a street with a colonnade and a temple, the only building of Petra. The change in caravan routes has been decisive for the decline of Petra. We know that the Crusaders built a fortress in the 13th century and then Petra is lost to the world for five hundred years without anyone talking about it until the day when the Swiss explorer Johan Burgkart discovers her again in 1812 . GIASER ARAFAT Born in Jerusalem in 1926, a wealthy family claiming titles of noble descent, a Palestinian revolutionary spent his childhood and teenage years in financial comfort, which was lost only when the Egyptian government with a series of confiscations imposed on the real estate deprived the family of its main revenue. In 1947 we see Arafat coming out in battle against his eternal enemies: he is a member of the Arab group that will fight the Jews who are establishing the new state of Israel. From there he goes to Cairo, where he studies a civil engineer. And in the meantime, he establishes a union of Palestinian students, a kind of al-ante litteram. He gets his degree and goes to work in Kuwait, but there, he can not restrain his political passion: he publishes a newspaper and is written on the right wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1957 he returned to Egypt and attended special courses to become an officer and gain practical experience in the use of explosives. In 1956 he was one of the founding leaders of al-Fatah (the "victory") destined for fate to play a key role in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. Opponent of the Palestinian Front of the Palestinian Liberation Front, the organization led by Hamas - most unbearable and decisive perhaps in claiming the rights of the Palestinians, a nation without state - al-Fatah has adopted more moderate positions, while Arafat himself is considered, to the Palestinian leaders, measured, if not absolutely conservative. In 1969, al-Fatah secured the control of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), founded in 1964 by a Palestinian national conference held in Jerusalem with the aim of channeling Palestinian activities to a common stream in view of the reunification of the lost homeland. For his part, the United Nations, in October 1974, recognized the PLO as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinians. Since then, Arafat's struggle has continued until today. Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence, an agent of "Intelligence Service", was working for "Akab Bury" in Cairo, known as "Laurence of Arabia". In 1915 he coordinated anti-Turkish guerrilla warfare and organized the Arab legion that captured Aqaba, Syria and Jordan by evicting the Turks. The legion was dissolved in 1948 and marked the end of good Jordanian-England relations. |