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Jordan Rift Valley, Lot's Cave and the Dead Sea
Our destination for the evening was the Dead Sea Spa Hotel right on the shore of the Dead Sea. Everyone in the group was on their own to either enjoy the spa services, to float in the super-buoyant waters of the Dead Sea, swim in one of the hotels several pools (including one with a water slide), or to escape the heat with an afternoon nap in their rooms. |
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Today
was a transit and relaxation day. We set out from Aqaba traveling north through
the Araba Valley and ultimately down to the lowest point on earth, the shores of
the Dead Sea. As we rode the bus, Omar talked to us about the geology of the
region, the political system of Jordan, and a very diplomatic presentation of
the reputation of America in the Middle East (both its strengths and
liabilities). As always it was very informative.
There
were only two sightseeing stops schedule for our journey. The first was the
remains of a 5th-6th century Christian monastery known as "Lot's
Cave." The site commemorates the story of Lot's flight from the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah and taking refuge in a cave above the village of
Zoar (Genesis 19). The bus was able to take us about half way up the distance on
the mountain side to the location of the church and monastery (and Faisi
demonstrated the full extent of his driving skills in the process). From their
it was up to us to "hoof" up the 300-plus stone stair steps (no
donkeys here!).
The
sanctuary had all the usual features of a Byzantine era church. The entrance was
at the west (the door opening from the inside into Araba valley). The altar was
at the east end, literally built into the mountain side. To either side of the
altar there was the traditional apse, but here the left apse held the door to
the cave where Lot was said, according to the tradition, to have taken shelter
after the catastrophe (you can see the mouth of the cave just to the right of
the far right short column in this picture. The monastery facilities were
immediately south of the church and reached slightly further up the mountain.
Once
safely back aboard the bus, Reverend Cargal delivered the day's devotional on
the topic of the Lot's wife. Although often interpreted as a story about the
dangers of "looking back," he pointed out that the very telling of the
story is itself looking back. He suggested the probably with regard to Lot's
wife was not her looking back in itself, but her unwillingness to let go of the
past and move into the gracious future God held for her. Just a short time later
we pulled off to the side of the highway to see a rock formation known as
"Lot's Wife." The isolated column must stand some 20 feet high on its
hill. Both from its size and from its location a number of miles north of Lot's
Cave at Zoar, it was clear that this formation was nothing more than an
ancient tourist trap for pilgrims en route to the Sanctuary of Lot.
Just
to the other side of the road was the waters of the Dead Sea. The salt deposits
on the shoreline rocks gave dramatic evidence of the rapid rate of drop in the
water level of the Dead Sea. So much water is being removed from its tributaries
to provide for agriculture and the growing populations of Israel and Jordan that
the level of the sea can no longer keep pace with the rate of evaporation.