Petra

by Ryan Markiewicz | Oct 18, 2025 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Hi from Petra. Best known from the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, Petra is one of the “new” 7 wonders of the ancient world (“only” @3,000 years old), it is a sight to see.

From CHATGPT:

🏜️ Origins & Nabataean Glory

•      Founded: Likely around the 4th–3rd century BCE by the Nabataeans, a nomadic Arab people who controlled the lucrative incense and spice trade routes.
•      Name: “Petra” comes from the Greek word for “rock.” The Nabataeans called it Raqmu, meaning “multicolored.”
•      Location Advantage: Tucked into sandstone cliffs and hidden by narrow gorges (like the famous Siq), Petra was both a fortress and a trade hub linking Arabia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean.

🏛️ Hellenistic & Roman Influence

•      The city flourished between 100 BCE and 100 CE, boasting monumental tombs, temples, and theaters carved directly into rose-red stone.
•      In 106 CE, Rome annexed the Nabataean kingdom, renaming it Arabia Petraea. Petra continued to thrive for a time but gradually declined as trade routes shifted.

⛪ Byzantine & Islamic Periods

•      By the 5th–6th centuries CE, Petra became part of the Byzantine Empire and housed several Christian churches.
•      After a series of earthquakes and the rerouting of trade, Petra was largely abandoned by the 8th century.

🌍 Rediscovery & Modern Fame

•      Known only to local Bedouins for centuries, Petra was “rediscovered” for the Western world in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, disguised as an Arab pilgrim.
•      It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

✨ Fun Facts

•      The famous façade, Al-Khazneh (The Treasury), wasn’t actually a treasury — it was likely a royal tomb or temple.
•      Only about 15% of Petra has been excavated — most of the city still lies buried under sand.
•      The reddish hue that gives Petra its nickname “The Rose-Red City” comes from iron oxide in the sandstone.

The treasury building. Very recognizable from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Not really a treasury, but a tomb for the Nabatean King and his family

These were tombs for the lesser noblemen and their families

A Greco-Roman temple. The Greeks and the Romans took over the city in the early AD’s.

Everywhere you look there are ancient structures that still survive. And almost 90% of the ancient city remains undiscovered.

And honestly, even without all the ancient history and structures, the beauty and magnificence of the place is still awe inspiring. Nature…

Jordan – Dead Sea & Mt. Nebo

by Ryan Markiewicz | Oct 17, 2025 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Arrived in Jordan yesterday. Though it’s not far from Cairo, it feels like a completely different world — a different vibe altogether. Less crowded (120 million vs. 12 million people) and slower paced — in a good way 😊. This is my fourth time here, and it remains one of my favorite places to visit. It’s a very biblical place — so many of the stories from the Bible happened right around here.

Our first stop was the Dead Sea, the lowest exposed point on Earth. For comparison, Death Valley (the lowest point in the U.S.) sits 282 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea? 1,410 feet below sea level. Crazy low!

Because it’s about 70% salt, no life exists in this sea — maybe that’s why they call it The Dead Sea? 🤪

It’s been that way for tens of thousands of years. We went in — very cool experience — but you can’t really swim; you just bob and float. It’s a strange, weightless feeling. Some people slather themselves in the mud, which is said to be great for the skin (but my skin is already luxurious enough, don’t you think? 😉).

Just across the sea is the West Bank, where you can see Jericho and Bethlehem in the near distance. Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world — people have lived there for over 10,000 years, long before the Egyptians built their pyramids (and I thought those were old!). The Tower of Jericho, dating back that far, is believed to be the first stone monument ever built by humankind. And of course, Bethlehem is where Jesus was born. Like I said — a very biblical area.

From there we drove through the mountains (yes, there are mountains in Jordan!) to Mount Nebo, where Moses — the Moses — died. (Did I mention this place is biblical? 😄) Pretty amazing.

Tomorrow we head to Petra — an incredible site, truly one of the wonders of the ancient world. You might remember it from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I’ll send photos for sure.

Onward! -JB

P.S. Our guide, Aziz, has been terrific — explaining everything from the history to the Five Pillars of Islam, including the custom of praying toward Mecca five times a day. One of the guests asked how people always know which direction Mecca is, and Aziz said most hotels have a little arrow in the room pointing the way. Then he added, “But now, there’s an app for that.” Not kidding. 😄

The Dead Sea. Jericho, on the West Bank, in the distance

Our new friends Tracy and Scott got mudded up before jumping into the water

Floating in the Dead Sea

Camels on the hillside along the road

Mt. Nebo. Where Moses died after leading his people out of Egypt and wandering for 40 years in the desert (supposedly died at the age of 120!)

The Dead Sea from our hotel

Awesome!

Cruising the Nile & More Temples

by Ryan Markiewicz | Oct 15, 2025 | Berlin's Wall

All,

From Luxor, we flew to Aswan, where the famous dam is. This was built in the 60’s to control the annual flooding, which used to wreak havoc with its unpredictability. Now its flow is controlled, so life along the river is less dangerous. So much so that although the Nile River Valley is only 10% of Egypt’s land, 90% of its population lives along its banks. Incredible. They are trying to get people to move westward into the desert, but I think that is a tough sell. Some hardscrabble land.

We took a great small boat ride down to a Nubian village.  Nubians live in southern Egypt and have much darker complexions than Egyptians from the north. Actually, due to the long-time influence of Greeks and Romans on the Mediterranean coast, Egyptians can range from very dark to very light-skinned. Not what some people expect.

We visited several more temples and learned about the rich and wonderful Egyptian culture, and flew back to Cairo today. Tomorrow, onto Jordan 🙂

Onward!

Cruising down the Nile

The land is so fertile along the river. Because of that 90% of all Egyptians live by the Nile.

Locals tied onto our boat, trying to sell goods to the passengers. WAY better than Somali pirates coming after us 🤣

This is the Nile, looking north from the Aswan Dam. And that’s a modern-day Sphinx guarding it hahahaha

This is the Temple of Abu Simbel. Incredible!!!

Lots of pretty violent battle scenes portrayed everywhere on the walls. Keep in mind these are over 3,500 years old.

A friendly face peering out through the wall of the tomb

Pretty incredible, huh?

And this is the inside

Nubian village. 30 miles from the border of Sudan

We took this small boat to the Nubian village. Notice the name: Titanic. I figured it was safe. No icebergs here hahahahaha

Crocodile mummies

Here’s a contest: Guess which one is the captain of the ship?