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Jordan - Palestine

Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

Second Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jordan - Palestine (C)

My Holy Land Trip

It was my heart’s desire that one day I would get to visit the holy land. I have heard all the bible stories from my mother, when I was child she always told me the bible stories, from the childhood of our Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection. Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem, His first miracle in Cana, Galilee, the places He lived and teaches his disciples.

Today, when I visit the Holy Land, I had a glimpse back to my own childhood with the memories of my beloved mother.

View from Amman Cham Palace Hotel, Jordan, 
Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

View from Amman Cham Palace Hotel, Jordan,
Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

Me in our Room, Amman Cham Palace Hotel, Jordan, 
Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

Today early morning, after breakfast, we are leaving Jordan. We started about 9.30 morning to cross the border and appear for the Emigration.                           

View on the way to King Hussein Bridge, Jordan,
Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

This more than 10 year old signboard shows that Dead Sea is 390m below sea level. Today however it is more than 420m below sea level. Jordan, Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

Check Point before King Hussein Bridge, Jordan,
Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

At the Israel controlled Emigration Check Point, 

Jordan Palestine Boarder, Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

At the Israel controlled Emigration Check Point, 

Jordan Palestine Boarder, Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

Guide Mr. Sayed, outside the Israel controlled Emigration Check Point , Jordan Palastine Boarder, Sunday, ‎December ‎22, ‎2013

The Lions' gate is located on the north-east walls of the old city of Jerusalem, leading to the Via Dolorosa.

The gate is known by several names: Sha'ar Ha'Arayot (Hebrew for "The Lions' gate"); St. Stephen's gate (its Christian name); Yehoshafat gate - another common name; Bab Sitna-Mariam (Arabic name for St. Mary's gate).

The aerial map shows the 8 gates of Jerusalem, with the Lions' gate on the right (east side), facing the Kidron valley and Mount of Olives. These are the gates, listed clockwise starting from the west corner:

1. New gate

2. Damascus gate (on the north-western side)

3. Herod's gate (on the north side)

4. Lions' gate (near St. Anna) - this site

5. Golden gate (a closed gate, located south to the Lions gate)

6. Dung gate (on south side, near the western wall)

7. Zion gate (on the south-west side)

8. Jaffa gate (tower of David)

Ariel view of the above mentioned eight gates

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Jordan, Continued...

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Saturday, ‎December ‎21, ‎2013

First Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jordan

Your comments valuable:

antonykanappilly@hotmail.com

Jordan

Lunch at Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Lunch at Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Fr Dansy and me, at Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Lunch at Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Snow covered Courtyard, Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Snow covered Courtyard, Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Snow covered Courtyard, Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Tourism in Jordan

Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Jordan's economy. In 2010, over 8 million tourists from various countries visited Jordan, with tourist receipts amounting to about 3.5 billion dollars. An additional $1 billion was earned through medical tourism to the kingdom. In 2011, Jordanian tourism lost $1 Billion due to the political instability across the region.

Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

A clean street outside the Tawaheen Al Hawa Restaurant, Jordan

Its major tourist attractions include visiting historical sites, like the worldwide famous Petra (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, and one of New Seven Wonders of the World), the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, Madaba, numerous medieval mosques and churches, and unspoiled natural locations (as Wadi Rum and Jordan's northern mountainous region in general), as well as observing cultural and religious sites and traditions.

Holy Land Gift center, Jordan

From Queen Alia Airport, we went for quick sightseeing of different places of Jordan, then lunch, and a shopping. Later in the evening we reached to the destination point, Amman Cham Palace Hotel, Jordan. 

View from Amman Cham Palace Hotel, Jordan

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First Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jordan

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My Holy Land Trip

Saturday, ‎December ‎21, ‎2013

First Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jordan

Your comments valuable:

antonykanappilly@hotmail.com

Jordan

About me, my trip to Holy Land wasn't pr-planned, but it was excellent and happy journey as scheduled by God like a call. If I say about the Holy Land, I felt that each inch of the land is blessed by God. People may do anything there, war, slavery, terrorism… whatever, but God is still graciously looking on this land. 

My Holy Land trip was starting from Kuwait on Dec 21, 2013. It was a cold, breezy night. I reached in the early morning at Bahrain International Airport, Manama. In another one hour I had my connection flight to Jordan and reached in Queen Alia Airport, Amman at 12.30 PM.

• The Via Dolorosa street. Near Flagellation Church, Bethlehem

JORDAN

Jordan is a beautiful country; officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an  Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River, and extending into the historic region of Palestine. Jordan borders Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Palestine, the Dead Sea and Israel to the west.  

Flag of Jordan

 Queen Alia Airport, Amman, Jordan

 Queen Alia Airport, Amman, Jordan

 Queen Alia Airport, Amman, Jordan

                                                      

 Leaving from Amman

                                       

Seen from the Bus - Snow covered shoulders, Amman, Jordan 

                                                                                              

 Jordan, View from the Bus

                                         
                                           

 Jordan, View from the Bus

 Jordan, View from the Bus

                     

 Jordan, View from the Bus

                                     

Biblical importance of Jordan

In Hebrew Bible

In the Hebrew Bible the Jordan is referred to as the source of fertility to a large plain and it is said to be like "the garden of God" (Genesis 13:10). There is no regular description of the Jordan in the Bible; only scattered and indefinite references to it are given. Jacob crossed it and its tributary, the Jabbok (the modern Al-Zarqa), on his way back from Haran (Genesis 32:11, 32:23-24). It is noted as the line of demarcation between the "two tribes and the half tribe" settled to the east (Numbers 34:15) and the "nine tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh" that, led by Joshua, settled to the west (Joshua 13:7, passim).

Opposite Jericho, it was called "the Jordan of Jericho" (Numbers 34:15; 35:1). The Jordan has a number of fords, and one of them is famous as the place where many Ephraimites were slain by Jephthah (Judges 12:5-6). It seems that these are the same fords mentioned as being near Beth-barah, where Gideon lay in wait for the Midianites (Judges 7:24). In the plain of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zarthan, is the clay ground where Solomon had his brass-foundries (1 Kings 7:46).

In biblical history, the Jordan appears as the scene of several miracles, the first taking place when the Jordan, near Jericho, was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 3:15-17). Later the two tribes and the half tribe that settled east of the Jordan built a large altar on its banks as "a witness" between them and the other tribes (Joshua 22:10, 22:26, et seq.). The Jordan was crossed by Elijah and Elisha on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8, 2:14). God thrived through Elisha performing two other miracles at the Jordan: God healed Naaman by having him bathe in its waters, and he made the axe head of one of the "children of the prophets" float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water (2 Kings 5:14; 6:6).

Jordan River

In New Testament

The New Testament states that John the Baptist baptized unto repentance^[7] in the Jordan (Matthew 3:5-6; Mark1:5; Luke 3:3; John1:28). These acts of Baptism are also reported as having taken place at Bethabara (John 1:28).

Jesus came to be baptised by him there (Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21, 4:1). The Jordan is also where John the Baptist bore record of Jesus as the Son of God and Lamb of God (John 1:29-36).

The prophecy of Isaiah regarding the Messiah which names the Jordan (Isaiah 9:1-2) is also reported in Matthew 4:15.

The New Testament speaks several times about Jesus crossing the Jordan during his ministry (Matthew 19:1; Mark 10:1), and of believers crossing the Jordan to come hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases (Matthew 4:25; Mark 3:7-8). When his enemies sought to capture him, Jesus took refuge at Jordan in the place John had first baptized (John 10:39-40).