Walking In The Footprints of Ancient Civilizations
Remains of Herod’s Palace on the shores of the Mediterranean.
“Every inch of it holds the confidence of ancient civilizations, their deaths and their birthmarks pressed deep into the viscera and onto the rubble of its edges.” - Susan Abulhawa
Romans, Ottomans, Mamelukes, Christians, Israelites, Canaanites are amongst the various people who have left their footprints all over Israel and Jordan going back even before biblical times. If you’re a history buff, you’ll be in seventh heaven as the names of people and places from the history books come alive.
The hills around us were alive with crumbling stone as we made our first stop at Caesarea in Israel. This ancient city was built by Herod the Great about 25 to 13 B.C. as a major port and administrative center to the province of Judea. The Muslims came after the Romans, followed by the Crusaders in their quest to free the Holy Land. Herod was a great builder, and we would see many examples of his legacy throughout our trip.
At Caesarea, we saw fishermen fishing in the sea, water enthusiasts sailing and water skiing in the water surrounded by the signs of ancient civilization. As we walked the area and talked history and building techniques and the remains of what has been found, I couldn’t help but wondered what those people from 2000 years ago would think if they happened to time travel to this time and place.
Roman and Byzantine statuary at Caesaria. It’s interesting that all of this statuary was found headless. Wonder what happened to the heads and why?
Regardless of religion most people know the story of Jesus Christ being condemned to being nailed to the cross and that Pontius Pilate the then prefect of Rome was the person responsible.
History has left us proof that Pontius Pilate indeed existed at the right time in history to have played this unforgettable role. I had goosebumps reading this dedication despite the bright and sunny day.
The theater at Caesaria. Concerts are still held here. Clearly entertainment was as big a business in those times as it is today since we found so many intact theaters and hippodromes throughout both Israel and Jordan.
The workmanship has endured through the centuries such that many of them could be used as outdoor entertainment facilities in today’s modern times.
The Romans as was further emphasized during this trip were great builders and none better known than Herod. Want to establish a port city in Caesarea. What to do about the water necessary for people to live there? No problem, Let’s build an aqueduct and voila we have water.
This aqueduct is extremely well-preserved running along the Mediterranean Sea bringing water to Caesarea. I’m not sure what Herod would think about using this as the site for a romantic picnic or the people enjoying the sun, sand and water.
We walked across the moat and into the entry way of the remains of a crusader castle at this site. Of course, being an avid reader of that time in history, I could imagine horses rearing, arrows flying from the arrow slits and hot oil and stones coming down from the crenelations on the heads of the invaders.
Capernaum also known as the town of Jesus was an important stopping point for Jesus during his ministry since Peter lived here. Many miracles are attributed to this area on the Galilee such as the water to wine, fishes and loaves to feed the congregation etc. We will explore the landmarks from the bible separately. These are the remains of the Jewish temple at this location.
Bet She’an is another excavation of Roman remains. Many of the theaters and amphitheaters survived in very good condition.
The Roman Baths and the ritual of bathing that was so important consisting of the Frigidarium, Tepidarium and Caldarium. The Romans were great engineers and used fire and steam to heat the baths that were very innovative when you think about the fact that these existed 2000 years ago.
Acre or Akko which was a crusader and templar stronghold. I’m a history buff and I got chills as we walked through this beautifully well-preserved castle and walked through the underground tunnels thinking about the life and times of the crusades.
The knights from many different countries who had their own feuds despite the fact that they were united in a common cause to win the holy land for the Christians by order of the pope. They all had tunnels that led from their quarters to the sea that prevented them from running into each other even as they had an escape in case they needed it.
Since I’m Indian and Peacocks are an important motif in India it was interesting to note that there were peacock motifs in various places that we saw in Israel and Jordan. It turns out that peacocks were an important symbol to Romans representing good and evil, death and resurrection.
Masada that tragic tale of all the Zionists on the top of the mountain who killed themselves rather than becoming slaves and prisoners to the Romans. There are still signs of the Roman camps that surrounded the walled city high on the hill. The wall the Romans built to prevent the people from being able to escape or seek help from outside and the remains of the cutting-edge water storage cisterns that ensured water in this desert for the citizens. Temples and palaces, granaries and baths have been found here. The museum holds many of the vessels and coins found at this location. The scrolls have been moved to the museum in Jerusalem with the other Dead Sea scrolls found in this area.
Mount Nebo where Moses got his first sight of the promised land which he was not allowed to enter, once in the city of Moab (biblical times) now in Jordan. The Brazen Serpent sculpture and view towards the Promised Land–Dead Sea and Jerusalem. On a clear day, this point provides a panorama of the West Bank across the Jordan River Valley, Jericho is usually visible and sometimes Jerusalem.
Of course, this was not a clear day. One of the few rainy, gloomy days during our visit with a cold wind whistling right under our jackets. I don’t think I warmed up that day until after a delightful lunch at Ferial’s (more on Ferial’s story in my Jordan post) restaurant.
Hadrian’s arch marks the entrance to the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan, one of the best-preserved roman ruins in Jerash. This arch was built as a victory arch to celebrate a visit from the Roman emperor Hadrian to this site. As I stood there listening to our guide Wail, my mind was wandering imagining Roman centurions standing to attention as the mayor of the city presented the keys to the city to the emperor.
Trivia question: Did you know that the ancient city of Amman was once called Philadelphia and this gate was also once referred to as the Philadelphia gate?
Under an overcast sky we walked through the well-preserved ancient city. We explored the theater, the temples of Zeus, the nymphaeum, and walked along the cardo. We walked to the beautiful haunting strains of bagpipes being played expertly in the theatre. What got to me was how day to day life in this region is twined around these ruins. Sheep grazed on the hillsides, modern houses could be seen through the pillars and rocks. Archaeologists believe that the rest of this ancient city is located under the thriving modern city.
To cap off this day, imagine my surprise as we headed towards the exit to hear voices in Bengali. I surprised them by saying hello and a few words in their language having exhausted the sum total of what I recall of this language that I grew up with. This group was visiting from Bangladesh, and we shared a few laughs about how we are so far from our own homes and countries. I love this part of the travel experience.
Most of Petra, the treasury and the various caves and tombs are a legacy of the Nabateans who ran a thriving society here in this part of Jordan. The Romans too left their mark here in the pink hills of Petra, an almost fully preserved theater carved out of the rocks.
Qusair Amra a desert castle built by the Umayyad Caliphs served as a hunting lodge and pleasure palace. Inside the walls and ceilings are decorated with figurative motifs that depict scenes from the times.
We drove almost an hour and a half along a rutted highway to visit this castle. While we enjoyed learning the history of this pleasure palace and the naughty caliphs and drinking the Bedouin tea which is such an important Jordanian ritual, we absolutely did not enjoy having to use the squatting toilets that were available here. At the end the jury’s still out whether it was worth making a three-hour drive for this excursion.
This was a trip of a lifetime, and all the history was catnip to the history buff in me.