The Holy Journey (09): Dead Sea, Jordan

The interesting story of this place is that the Dead Sea was once a city where Prophet Lot SAW was sent to guide the people known for their perverse sexual preference. It is said that the word “sodomy” comes from the name of the city, Sodom (in Bible). By divine intervention, the whole city was rained with fire and sulphur and turned upside down.

Note, reference:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_sea
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy

Dead Sea indeed... It was freaking hot and humid there... as expected when you visit a salt - water area on a freaking hot day.

It's not exactly a sea, more like a lake with too high salt content.

It was so hot that there were very few visitors. Some men from our group still jumped in though.


Later we were ushered into the souvenir shops where every price when multiplied by 5 deterred me from buying.

Pictures are free, so here goes, some of my favourite items.

Daggers, made of silver and special hard wood. Super expensive.

Pendants. Aren't they just lovely?

That ends my Jordan tour.

And our journey home was - thank God - peaceful and without any flight delay.

My only grudge is that we have to pay for other people's overload charges since they put it as "we travel as a group, so we will share all luggage cost." Bull, mine did not go over the limit, but minority lose. No more Andalusia for me, next time it's Tabung Haji (for the record, such thing has never occurred with Tabung Haji. Everyone pays their own overload charges).

The Holy Journey (08): Jordan re-route; Cave of 7-Sleepers (Al-Kahf)

One of the popular attractions in Amman, Jordan is the Cave of 7-Sleepers, a religious site uniquely mentioned in both Quran (18. Surah Al - Kahfi) and Christianity ('The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus').

Note reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sleepers

While our blundering tour guide told it off as something like fairy tale (he’s a Jordanian, for God sake), I wandered around snapping pics. No point re – telling, might as well you all read the reference I put up there.

When discovered and excavated later, it was found that a church has been built over the area, along with burial sites. Some artifacts are preserved and displayed at the site itself; such an authentic and rustic touch, much to my delight.


A view from within...

A mosque erected nearby the site.

Gorgeous roses found within the garden surrounding the area.

Too bad I did not take too many good shots.

The Holy Journey (07): Mecca

Mecca has not changed much since my last visit in 2002. It’s the same city where construction works are forever going on; the dry, hot wind full of dust; the Habsyi selling on the streets; beggars; pilgrims; great bargain; great Pakistani food at Pakistani Gulistan Hotel on the way to the mosque where you can get this juicy roast chicken, amazing beryani and crispy naan fresh from the tandoor. (Sorry no pics on this; by the time I got hold of the camera, most of the poor fowl was already eaten up).

The Holy Journey (06): Jabal Uhud, Medina

One of the important historical sites in Medina is Jabal Uhud @ Bukit Uhud (Jabal = hill). This is the site of the second war in Muslim history, where the Muslim warriors lost due to disobeying the orders from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and many of the Prophet's valued right hand men and his beloved uncle were lost.


The Mosque of Saidina Hamzah ra, in remembrance of the great warrior and the Prophet's (PBUH) own uncle. Behind is the Jabal Uhud.


The war memorial site, built to remember the lost of many brave warriors, most of them the Prophet’s (PBUH) closest companions. Here visitors stand outside while reciting prayers for the dead.


Within the area is a bazaar selling the usual stuffs; dates, long robes (jubbah), tasbih (prayer beads), custom jewelry, toys, dried food, drinks and others.


It was too freaking hot so after reciting my prayers and snapping photo I made a go for the bus straightaway. I wonder how those Arab women can stand wearing black jubbah with layers of garments underneath.

The Holy Journey (05): Dates

Still about Medina, but this time a little bit on shopping.

Whenever you go to Mecca and Medina, one of the souvenirs that people will enquire to you is date. Dates are also the easiest form of souvenir to be distributed; just pack up a bunch in Tupperware per person and voila! There are many kinds; most of the kinds are pretty cheap (SR 15 per kg) be it the normal unpreserved or unprocessed ones or the candied ones. The only quirk is that they can weigh you down and easily end up as the extra kg that you have to fork out SR 60 per kg.

Anyway, these are from my tour to a date plantation in Medina, situated just next to the Quba mosque. The small shop at the plantation sold at least 30 kinds of dates, dried and fresh, and candied dates. Pricing, after comparing to Mecca dates bazaar, do not differ much so might as well get your dates in Mecca dates bazaar if Mecca is your last stop. You can still haggle; language is not a problem as most Arabs can speak Malay / Indonesian (thanks to the fact that they received thousands of pilgrims from these two countries). The trick is to reduce 1/3 of the price and to stare them down, two things that I left to my mom to do since she did most of the shopping. My job most of the time was to watch out for beggars as they really pestered you to your wits end.

Too many dates, can’t remember most of their names. According to our tour guide, there is a kind of date that can be eaten by men alone and vice versa. Something to do with virility =p There are other Middle East food products too like olive oil, dried fruits and nuts sold here.

Candied dates and chocolate dates.



Take a break with Arab tea. Sweet!!!


How the plantation looks like. To me, the date palms resemble oil palm.


A bunch of dates up on the tree.



A little note on beggars: in Medina you won’t see too many beggars on the street, but in Mecca they have conquered the roads to the mosque. They even deploy their children – many with limbs disfigurements – to beg. Some children are bold enough to come up to you singing and hugging, or cling to you as you walk around.

My advice, ironically, is to not give in. Once you give in to one, the others will clamor around you and mark you as a target. They go around absurdly saying "fisabilillah" while holding out their palms. At the end of the day, you can see a long line of them at any food outlet, with at least 5 children hanging around.

They are wary of policemen though; I suspect the policemen hit on them pretty rough because I once saw a beggar kid simply tore off at the sight of a policeman few yards away.