Jerash, Jordan: Roman column city

I have always admired Roman architecture, but when Anita and I visited Jerash in northern Jordan, I developed a deeper understanding of how important columns were to Roman architecture.


The city has two main streets  lined with columns; the longer of the two leads into the Oval Plaza, which is defined by columns.

The Oval Plaza

Typical capstone

The two main streets

Columns in front of the temple of Artemis

Petra Sandstone

Petra was carved by the Nabataeans because it was easier to carve sandstone than to build with it. In my view it also gave a very nice interior finish to the caves.

Take a look at some of the sandstone in Petra.

Smoking in Jordan

In the USA smoking is banned in most restaurants; in Jordan it’s on the menu, yes, many menus have a page listing the flavors of shesha you can order. Shesha is the tobacco that is smoked in a Hooka pipe (water pipe). I was quite surprised to see it so prevalent in Jordan.

I had dinner and watched people having a great time at Haret Jdoudna restaurant in Madaba, there were several people smoking.

Pipes ready to go

Glowing embers are placed on top of the foil which is on top of the tobacco. 

Smokers enjoying their pipes

Crossing the road

In Jordan as in Morocco, old ways meet new; I saw an example of this while driving near Madaba. As I drove along a wide busy highway I saw a goat herder bring his charges up to the edge of the road and order them to stop. They obeyed like a line of school children waiting to cross the road. As the flock waited for an opening in traffic, one of the goats stepped onto the shoulder, just like boys in a school clas. The shepherd threw a rock at it and the animal hopped back up on the curb.

It was a very busy road and I did not have the patience to wait for a break in traffic to observe and photograph the goats actually crossing the road.

What a difference a day makes

What a difference a day made in Madaba, Jordan.
The photos on the left were taken one day and the ones on the right hand, the next. A sandstorm had blown in from the Saudi Arabian desert.

Basel at night

The other night with a full moon I went out to take a few photos of Basel, Switzerland.
Basel Munster

Bridges over the Rhine

Les Trois Rois hotel