Don Kittle Photography » Toronto People Photographer

The city of Jerash saw human habitation as many as 6500 years ago. At that time it was more like a collection of huts than the grandeur that remains today.  Jerash’s gold era was during the times of Rome, but back then it was really only a sizable town (with perhaps 20,000 people).  It languished after that, with the advent of shipping leaving this land-locked wonder with little role to play.

We spent an afternoon combing through the ruins, taking shelter in doorways and under grand Roman arches when the clouds let loose with rain.  Unfortunately mid afternoon is the worst time of day for a photo expedition.  But the town felt so alive you could almost hear the horses hooves and legionaries boots upon the cobbles.

A couple of weeks ago Ele and I went to Jordan for almost two weeks.  We began our trip by staying a few days in Amman, the capital city.  Ele has a friend who lives there and he was gracious enough to offer us a room, though it was a little chilly  Staying in Amman was the first time I got to see a mosque and hear the call to prayer.  Wow, just sleep-taking.  Actually, I liked being woken up at 4am to such a beautiful voice.

We also did a daytrip to the Dead Sea while we were there.  Well, the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer – so nice!  Swimming in the Dead Sea is kind of like swimming in vegetable oil, the water is very viscous.  The mud from the sea is supposed to be really great for your skin and several people were slathering up.  You have to be sure to wash all that salt from your skin after you get out, though, or you’ll be itching and scratching like crazy in no time!

Here are some photos of the dome of a christian church close to where we stayed and some mosque spires from around Amman.  The last photo in this group is the sunset over the Dead Sea – the land in the photo is Israel.