FEBRUARY 25 - QUMRAN, JERICHO, ST. GEORGE'S MONASTERY and much, much more.......

Today, we were supposed to visit Masada and continue by cable car up to the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots.  However, as most know, Michael does not like heights so Moody scheduled a whole lot of other places for us to visit.  And were we busy!  

First stop:  Qumram.  According to the website, "Perched on an arid plateau overlooking the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, Qumran is an archeological site dating back to the Iron Age. During its heyday the community was home to about 200 people, and included homes, cisterns, a fortress, a cemetery, and most famously, a series of caves in which scriptures were stored. The discovery of these caves – and the Dead Sea Scrolls contained inside them – was one of the greatest archeological discoveries in history, and gave Qumran a permanent place in the imaginations of scholars, historians, theologians and believers around the world."

Next stop:  Jericho - the oldest city in the world.  We could actually see the lights of Jericho across the Dead Sea while we sat at dinner at the Kempinski Hotel while we were in Jordan.  

 Of course, we stopped and had a little dessert called "Kadaif" - made from "girl's hair dough."

We also stopped and did a little shopping.  I think I bought a couple of magnets but no hand creams, mud masks or anything else like that!  

There was something very interesting that I asked Moody to try - it was some sort of mud pack that was removed with a magnet.  Hard to explain, but it was quite something.

Nearby - Hisham's Palace and its magnificent mosaics.

Hisham's Palace at Khirbat Al Mafjar (the ruins of Mafjar) is an Umayyad structure that is listed among the last of the surviving antiquities of Romans and Byzantines. It was built by Walid Ibn Yazid in 734 CE near Jericho in the Jordan Valley during the reign of Caliph Hisham Ibn Abdelmalik between 724-743 CE. This palace is among the last of the very sophisticated desert palaces in the region and is renowned for its elaborate mosaics, stucco carvings and overall sculptural magnificence. It is famous for the decorations that represent illustrations belonging to early Islamic classical art. It was built mostly from sandstone and baked brick.

                   All of these beautifully intricate mosaics are housed in this structure.

                                     

                                     Probably the most decorative toilet in the world! 

                                                   My favorite:  The Tree of Life

It was time for lunch and George had recommended a restaurant owned by one of his friends, Rawditna View.  However, when we got there, we found out that they weren't open for business yet.  They were lovely people and the owner was actually George's doctor.  And very gracious.  They were trying out dishes made by their chef, Johnny, and offered us bread and a slice of pizza.  Their table was full of salads that everyone was trying out! 

We eventually got to the Samar - Green Valley Restaurant for an incredibly wonderful lunch.  There were TWELVE starters with a main course of Musakhan which is an Arabic dish made of chicken baked on top of pita bread.  

Bellies full, our next stop was Nabi Musa - Tomb of the Prophet Moses and a Muslim holy site.  But, not until we stopped on the road for a strawberry.  Look at the size of these!

Also spelled A-Nebi Moussa, it is the Arabic name for “The Prophet Moses” used in the Qur’an.

The site’s location is in the eastern Judean Desert close to the Jerusalem-Jericho road and a few kilometres west of the cliffs overlooking the northern edge of the Dead Sea.  What we found very amusing is that this site was going to be made into a hotel, however, when renovations were going on, there was partying going on with a lesbian DJ which stopped the project in its tracks.  That was the end of the hotel. 

 

This had been my first time in a mosque.  I, of course, had to enter the mosque through a separate door leading into a separate area for women.  There was only one woman praying.  No photos were allowed nor would I have taken any out of respect.  What did catch my eye, however, was a long, white, vertical, rectangular something or other that I have since learned was an air conditioning unit hanging on the wall.   Odd that it would be hanging on the wall that people faced while praying.  

 

 

Here, there is a lit sign that shows the hours of prayer with two sets of hours showing the time frame in which each of the five prayers should be performed.   According to our guide who recently confirmed this information,  "If you look, there are six sets of hours and not five. The second one defines sunset in which you should not pray so you wouldn't seem to worship the sun as it was common during the time Islam was created." 

  

One of the most magnificent sights in Israel was the Monastery of St. George.  It's not something you see from the road, but after walking towards a cross up a small hill, it suddenly appears!  Information about this wondrous place is here.  "St. George’s Monastery is a Greek Orthodox cliff-hanging complex carved into a sheer rock wall in the Judaean Desert and is one of the most breathtaking sights in the Holy Land."

 

Back in Jerusalem, we visited the Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. According to these websites, the Room of the Last Supper (Upper Room; Coenaculum or Cenacle) is the traditional site where Jesus ate his last meal with his disciples. The event took place on the second floor of a building on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. The building we know today as the Cenacle dates back to the Crusader era but archaeological excavations show that houses would have stood here during Jesus's lifetime. On the ground level beneath the Room of the Last Supper is the Tomb of King David.

 

If I remember correctly, Michael and Moody (men) entered through one door and I had to enter through another. 

The last stop of the day was to the Pontifical Institute - Notre Dame - of Jerusalem Center to enjoy the city's skyline with a scenic sundowner.  More wonderful hummus and other starters.  It was during this time together that Michael mentioned to Moody that I had been at Woodstock - something Michael considers a "big thing" while I think it was overrated.  It was then that I learned that Moody had seen Leonard Cohen in Israel in 2009.  Moody was impressed I was at Woodstock but I would've traded places with him any day - I doubt that he would've given up Leonard Cohen for a mud pit! 

It was Friday night, Shabbat, and few places would be open for dinner.  I have tried over the last week to figure out where we ate that evening but I have no recollection, notes or photos of that night.  I have a feeling that our lunch at Samar's along with the additional appetizers at the Pontifical Institute were enough to fill us up for the remainder of the day.  

Shabbat lasts until three stars show in the sky on Saturday evening.