Hadrian's Gate

The castle was but a 2 hour stop over so we jumped back in the car, wove our way down the hill...oops...wrong way....wove back up the hill...finally down the other side and found the route Nuvi liked (she's our navi system with a penchant for finding the narrowest and twistiest routes possible) and headed off for Jerash...one of the best preserved Roman cities in the near East. While the area had been occupied for thousands of years, the Romans took over in about 60 BC, building their city complete with a chariot racetrack, baths (two sets, most likely rich people/poor people) amphitheaters, temples and more. Once again, trade was a big reason for the city and the Romans capitalized on it, developing roads and bringing in more people to the city.

Now...our hotel was right across from the main gate and was, appropriately, called "Hadrian Gate Hotel". It was built right on top of a outcrop of rocks and even has a cave underneath. Small hotel but the people were great!

The entrance is through the great Hadrian Gates, built to honor the Emperor Hadrian when he came to visit. They are a huge monument, making you wonder, once again, how in the world were they able to raise the stones to create these gargantuan structures? Right next to the massive gate is the Hippodrome -- the chariot race track. Walking out into the arena, you can picture tournaments and races happening here - with people up in the stone bleachers looking out at the chariots flying by. They still have races there but sadly not on the day we roamed the streets. Ah well.

Roman Forum

We continued on to the Forum, a large circular area surrounded with great columns supporting huge blocks on top. The forum was used as an area where people sold or bought things, met friends or listened to the news or announcements. Sometimes even classes would be held there.

Even now it turned out to be a meeting place for all sorts of groups. You could sit on the hills around and look back to the forum, where people met, tour groups talked and kids played around. Things haven't changed a lot in the last few thousand years.

Roman Amphitheatres

Up the hill from the forum was the larger of the two amphitheatres in the city. This one was huge, holding about five thousand people (not as large as the one in Petra but very impressive with the columns and larger stage area).

Now...here's another bit of trivia for you. We were sitting up in the larger theater, looking down on the stage and two men, in traditional military dress, came out and played...a bagpipe and drums. The acoustics were amazing and we actually found we could hear them playing from a long ways away from the theater. However, I was astonished that they'd be playing bagpipes...in Jordan! Turns out King Hussein really liked bagpipes so he had a bagpipe corp in the army. Something new to learn every day.

We actually liked the smaller of the two theaters. It seemed more intimate (though it still could seat about 1500 people). It was beautifully preserved and the way it curved it was easy to see everything. The stage was quite large and it looked like it would have been a great place to have seen a performance. The picture is taken from the top row - what a view!!!

Mosaic floors

Next to the smaller theater there was the ruins of a small church, Isaiah Church I believe. While the walls were pretty well gone, the mosaic floor was still there. It must have been spectacular. The intricate patterns were still beautiful and the color astounding. Each section of the floor was covered with a different intricate pattern. The tile pieces are so small, it must have taken years to have covered the entire floor!

A Real Yard

When we arrived, our entry space was barren...a great expanse of bricks with nothing to break it up. Very hot in the summer sun and not all that inviting. I must admit, all that has changed. Jeff found a gardener, Kalim, and he and his helpers performed a small miracle in a single day. We went from solid bricks to green spendor! Hopefully all will survive over the winter when it is cooler and have a good start before the heat comes again.

We have 3 trees that will provide shade for our car and our living area out there. We have a table and chair, with umbrella, coming and Jeff has plans for a barbecue. We'll be ready for outdoor living....at least when it is cool.

Dhow Trip 2

Voyages out in the harbor at night are a bit different from the day. For a start it's much cooler - the setting sun and darkening sky sends promises of cooler weather. The dhow, cruising through the bay, creates its own breeze, keeping things cooler for all aboard. The open top - shunned by many in the heat of the day, was welcomed by all as a great, comfortable spot to sit, visit and enjoy a night away from reports, computers and never ending stacks of papers.
The skyline at Doha is in continuous development. People who have been here for years have memories of a flat, horizontal skyline of the city - (check out the sand dune with trees view) now it is filled with unique hi-rise towers being built for...??? Hmm....no one is sure of the answer to that...has someone already purchased the space? Are they hoping that if they build, someone will come? Are they competing with Dubai (their skyline is very similar...and very tall). We have dozens of buildings in the process of being completed - a crane skyline at the moment, though the cranes are mercifully hidden in the nighttime view.

Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to celebrate New York - at least part of an area of New York, after 9/11. The purpose was to support small and international film producers, a place where thousands could come together to view films from around the world. This year, they brought it to Doha.
Jeff, being the movie-goer, eagerly purchased tickets with our neighbor, Roeland, to view as many films as possible. I managed to join them for a few of them, though I admit, not many. They were interesting, some short clips, other longer, generally well done with a wide variety sources and settings. This particular festival included a lot of producers from the Middle East. They had some pretty outstanding films.

The pictures are, again, of the museum you've seen before....this time in startling blue - a wonderful background for the films.