In the middle of November I had the opportunity to travel to the country of Jordan for 4 days.  Although there aren’t as many Biblical events that happened there compared to what happened in the country of Israel, it was still a very important area and it played an important role within the Biblical narrative. 

At the height of the Roman Empire, during the first century, a number of cities were established in Jordan.  These cities were known as the Decapolis cities.  These cities were very pagan in nature.  Inhabitants would worship a number of different gods and they were typically a center for theater, education, entertainment, and politics.  Each city had similar characteristics; however the layout and  size varied.  A good comparison would be the major cities in the US: NY, Miami, Chicago, Dallas etc.  Each city has a sports stadium, a theater, schools, parks etc., but they don’t all have the same layout.

On our trip we went to 4 of these cities (Philadelphia, Gadara, Gerash, and Pella).  Here are a number of pictures from these very impressive cities.       

All Decapolis cities are known for their paved roads, theaters, hippodromes, and columns. 

Gadara is especially known for their black basalt columns.  None of the other cities posses something like this. 

Philadelphia is known for its huge temple dedicated to Zeus.  As you can see I am significantly smaller than the columns in the temple.  It is also known for its large theater.  At this site we were able to spend time at a museum that had a number of ancient artifacts from the past 3000 years. 

Our next stop was the city of Gerash.  This is my favorite Decapolis city.  They call it the city of 1000 columns, but as you will see from my pictures the city has significantly more than a 1000 columns.  I like to compare it to the Minnesota slogan “a land of 10,000 lakes”.  I really like this city not only for its columns but also because of its hippodrome and its large theaters that are really fun to sing in.

As you can see, every street throughout the city is lined with columns.  It is really impressive.

These are just a few of the pictures that I took at these impressive Decapolis cities.  I didn’t show you any pictures from the city of Pella, because it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 572.

On the third day, I went to Petra, a Nabatean city.  It was a very impressive city back in the day.  The Nabateans were known for their ability to collect water.  Petra is located in the southern part of Jordan.  They get very little rainfall there and the Nabateans created ways to collect every drop.  In addition to their ability to catch water, they are also known for their graves.  They created huge burial chambers for themselves.  Here are a couple of impressive chambers. 

FYI this actual tomb was featured in the final Indiana Jones Movie.  In the movie Indiana Jones goes far into the tomb, but that’s not how it actually is.

This is picture is of the “monastery.”  In order to get to the monastery you need to climb 975+ stairs and walk a good distance to get to the top.  I was with a bunch of younger guys who didn’t know how to pace themselves.  Let’s just say I was huffing and puffing when I got to the top. 🙂  An average person with good knees, a strong back, and a positive attitude usually takes about an hour.  My group got there in 35 minutes. 

In order to fully appreciate these pictures it is very important that you look at how small the people are.  The doorway into this is huge.  In order to get inside it takes a lot of work. 

Here are some of my friends.  See how small they are!

Here are some other tombs that are located throughout the city. 

We spent 7 hours at Petra.  It was a full day of hiking and taking in the sites. 

After Petra we headed north.  We stop at the Edomite capital of Bozrah.  There wasn’t much to see at all and it was cold, but I can say that I was there.  If you are interested, read Obadiah.  It references the Edomites.

The final stop on this field study and our last stop of the entire semester was at the top of Mount Nebo.  Mount Nebo is the place of Moses’ death and the place where Moses saw the Promised Land.  Check out Dt. 34.  This is a picture of what Moses saw when looking towards the present location of Jerusalem.

When it was all said and done, I was able to travel on both sides of the Jordan River and see a number of Biblical sites.  I have shown you a very small sampling of my pictures.  If you are studying the Bible and have any questions dealing with the land please feel free to send them my way.  I would be more than willing to provide answers for you and send you some pictures. 

I will be posting soon regarding my trip to Egypt.  It might take me awhile as I have close to 1000 pictures to sort through. 🙂