We were Headed to Petra, Jordan

by Rasheeda · Published April 8, 2020 · Updated November 5, 2021

We are Headed to Petra, Jordan

After spending the night in the Dead Sea Marriott resort Hotel, we had breakfast and left for Petra. En route, we stopped at Mount Nebo, the burial site of Moses, and then on to Madaba, (also known as Queen of Mosaics) where we visited Saint George’s Church that houses an ancient map of the Holy Land, created with 2.2 million tiles, which is set into the floor of the Church.

The tradition of making mosaics is strong in Jordan and specifically in Madaba. These mosaics are a valuable vehicle for keeping the tradition of storytelling alive by compiling tiny tiles that depict important cultural tales of lifestyles of individuals, families, clans, and tribes. Our stop at a Mosaic Store where they had a Mosaic school and workshop was as inspirational as it was educational – for me, it was an ultimately pleasurable experience. We were able to see artists creating beautifully harmonious mosaics of varied shapes, colors, and sizes.

We ended up buying two pieces: one Mosaic pendant, and a camel hair rug with intricate, and delightful patterns of subtle colors.

Although we had coffee and snacks from the little cafeteria they were running in the store, we were starving. We stopped at a Restaurant for sumptuous Jordanian lunch. Our tour manager, Omar, really took care of us and informed us about the traditional ways the meals are served and eaten in Jordan. Meze is the first course. Meze, all over the Mediterranean and Middle East, consists of small dishes is an appetizers served before the main meal.

A delicious, and generous amount of Babaghanoush, hummus, labaneh (yogurt sauce), tabouleh with generous serving of olives and salads, with crispy wedges of pita bread was served. It was an absolutely delicious start to an even more generous, and delicious Jordanian main course. The main dish was mansaf, but a variation of mansaf was served with layers of very thin Jordanian bread, fried chicken, and French fries covered with a thin layer of bread. I was sure that it must be the modern version of mansaf and also, may have been, designed for tourists. I say that because I just can’t imagine a Jordanian traditional meal being served without rice or bulgur as complementary items to the meal.

Traditional Mansaf is Jordan’s national dish and eating it is an acquired taste as it is made with and intensely flavored sauce known as jameed (a sauce of fermented dried yogurt), and served with rice or bulgur. It is also popular in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Served in a large platter for all to share as it is normally done in communal dinning.