Aqaba, Jordan

On Day 102 of this fantastic world cruise, I have finally come to a port that I have visited once before.  In September, 2010, I spent eleven days with my daughter, Crystal, and her family in Israel.  They lived in Be'er Sheva which is about 65 miles south of Jerusalem.  During my visit, Crystal and I brought her two children, Emerson (age 3) and Willow (age 2) to Eilat, on the shore of the Red Sea. There I got to snorkel for the first time and enjoyed the beautiful coral. We "crossed over into Jordan" to make the trip to Petra.  There I couldn't decide which was more beautiful--the carved structures made by man, or the multicolored sandstone carved by nature.  My trip to Israel was an incredibly memorable experience that I was happy this morning just looking out of the window.  The top photo is of Aqaba, Jordan. 

This is photo, taken with as much zoom as I could get on my iPhone, is of Eilat, Israel.  I remembered the two buildings that look like steps from my first visit.

The Gulf of Aqaba is unique in that the territory of four countries are within sight of one another.  Israel and Jordan divide the very end of the gulf, with Egypt on the west side and Saudi Arabia on the east side.

The Viking Sun has come to this port to offer the chance for its passengers to go to Petra.  Over half of them signed up to do so, but since I had already had that grand experience, I didn't need to go again.  Consequently, we chose to go on the included excursion which was Aqaba Highlights.


 To begin our tour, we made a visit to the Arab Revolt Plaza which is centered around this massive flagpole 130 meters high.  Sadly, the flag wasn't flying today, but when it is, it can be seen from the three neighboring countries.

David caught a picture of me in the shadow of that flagpole.  Eilat is in the background.

Also at the Arab Revolt Plaza is the former home of Al Sharif Hussein bin Ali, who proclaimed the Arab Revolt.  He became the King of the Hejaz from 1916-1924 and established the Hashemite Dynasty.  He is the great-grandfather of the present King of Jordan, Abdullah II.

 The Aqaba Fort is just a few steps up the hill from the Hussein bin Ali house.  Built in the 16th century, and used as a Turkish stronghold, it was captured as a result of the Arab camel charge portrayed in the movie, "Lawrence of Arabia".  Our guide told us it is closed for restoration, so this was our only view of it.


The fort, the Hussein bin Ali home, and the flagpole are all together just a few yards inland from the gulf.

Jordan is a relatively new country, gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1946.  It has a population of around 9.5 million, but around 30% of them are refugees from other countries.  Many Palestinians came at the time the State of Israel was formed, then another group came as a result of the war in Iraq.  Recently, as many as 2 million displaced Syrians have turned to Jordan for refuge.  Our guide made a point of telling us that while the refugees are putting a strain on the country's infrastructure, they are considered brothers who need to be helped until the situation in their homeland allow them to return.


The traditional Jordanian men's dress is similar to what we saw in Oman, except for the red and white scarf, called a keffiyeh.  I bought one on my trip to Petra and have it in a place of honor at home.

 We spent some time walking in the central shopping area.  Our guide pointed out the many different kinds of olives with pride.  He said they felt that their mountain grown olives were the best in the world.

During our shopping, my memories of the Jordanian men (particularly shop keepers) was confirmed.  They are very inviting and friendly.

This fellow was particularly friendly.  He sold us some spices, musk and amber fragrance bars, and a scarf.

Tomorrow we will go on a 13 hour excursion to the Valley of the Kings and the Karnak Temple.  Can't wait!