Dear Cha-Wel-Dor-Sue,

As a young man, yearning to learn more of the world, I had hoped some day to visit Babylon, Baghdad, and Damascus, all lying in the area known as the "Fertile Crescent". Today, Babylon no longer exists, Baghdad is inaccessible, and only Damascus was possible.

Our flight took us from West Palm Beach to Orlando and then on to Frankfurt, Germany, some eight and one-half hours later. It was a relatively uneventful flight with only one-third of the seats occupied. Cocktails, a fine dinner, wine, and a movie took up most of the evening, perhaps with a few bits of sleep.

We arrived in Frankfurt an hour or so after sunrise and though it was foggy, we landed without incident. We were glad we had our topcoats with us for the temperature was below freezing and was 28° Fahrenheit. Flughofen is the largest airport I have been in, in that it covered such a vast area. It seemed as though we saw planes there from virtually every nation in the world. Centered in the heart of Europe, it is obviously a hub for passage all over the world. After spending three and a half hours visiting the high-priced shops, we boarded an Air Bus A310-300 for our four and one-half hour flight to Damascus. It was interesting that as we flew from Frankfurt to Damascus, there was a map on the television or movie screen which recorded the progress of our flight and this was the first time that I had seen this form of educational experience while traveling by plane. It seemed that virtually all of our fellow passengers were Arabs. They appeared dark, swarthy, with prominent eyes, and appeared headed for home.

Because of the time change of seven hours and having left Orlando in the evening, we had the unusual treat of observing two sunsets and two sunrises while en route to the Middle East.

Syria in size is slightly larger than North Dakota and 28% of the land is arable. It has approximately 13 million people, 90% of which are Arabs and predominantly of the Sunni sect. Damascas, the capital, has approximately 1.5 million residents. The government is a "Republic" under left wing military control (Hafez Al-Assad). It is home of some of the world's most ancient centers of civilization (Hittite, Syrian, and Persian empires), and at times was conquered by the Babylonians and Egyptians. At one time, Syria was much larger and embraced the entire Levant and parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Jordan, and about 63 B.C. was conquered by Rome. In 636 A.D., it was taken over by Islam and Damascus became the center of the Caliphate. Subsequently, it was ruled by the Seljuk Turks, the Mamluks, Mongols, and finally, by the Ottoman Turks. The latter ruled the area for almost 400 years, or until World War I. Following this, the area was a "French Protectorate" until finally, independence was achieved from France in 1947. It joined the "Arab Republic" in 1958 and seceded three years later. President Hafez Al-Assad took control in 1971 and has ruled ever since. Finally, it is of interest that Syria sent 20,000 troops to Saudi Arabia in support of us in the Gulf War.

Damascus is considered among the most historic and longest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Aleppo and Jericho also make the same claim. The history of Damascus goes back to at least the Second and Third Millennium B.C. At that time, it was the capital of a small Aramaen principality and peopled by semi-nomads who moved up from the Arabian peninsula. The abundant water (Barada River), fertile soil, and moderate climate made it an attractive oasis in this area. The city was conquered by the Assyrians, who came from the East in 732 B.C. and who in turn were conquered in 562 B.C. by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. Only 34 years later, in 538 B.C., Cyrus, the Persian king, took the city and it was under Persian rule until Alexander the Great of Macedonia took it in 333 B.C. marking the first time it had come under Western control. From this time on, for at least 250 years, it was hellenized and under the influence of Greek rule. Later, in 64 B.C. the Roman statesman and General Pompey, annexed Syria and made it a Province of the Roman Empire. It flourished as a major economic center and staging post for the Roman armies and was considered one of the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire. During this time, the beautiful Temple of Jupiter was erected.

When the Roman Empire was divided into a Western Division with its capital in Rome and an Eastern Division with its capital in Constantinople, Syria became part of the Eastern Province of the Byzantine Empire and Damascus found itself strategically placed between Anatolia (Turkey) and Egypt, and literally at the caravan crossroads between trade routes traveling east and west and north and south.

The next great period of its history was the Islamic Era (635 A.D.) when Khalid iLn Al Walid came north with his armies from the Arabian Peninsula and conquered the city and converted it to Islam. Thereafter, for about 100 years, the city was ruled by a series of Omayyad Caliphs; a golden era with beautiful palaces and public buildings among which is the famous Omayyad Mosque.

In 750 A.D., the Golden Age of Damascus came to an abrupt end when the Abbasids (Shiites), a powerful Arab family of Meccan origin, which had settled in Eastern Iran (Baghdad), came down and destroyed Damascus. This constituted the first great Sunni-Shiite confrontation. If you are familiar with the early history of Islam, you will recall that the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Othman, and Ali) are considered lineal descendants, in one manner or another, became shiites, whereas the subsequently elected caliphs became Sunnis. The Shiites justified their overthrow of the Caliphate by accusing them of having strayed from Islam and as a consequence, they defaced the city of Damascus and tore down the beautiful buildings and transferred their capital to Baghdad.

The history of Islam is a series of conflicts between rulers and it was the Fatamids from Egypt who next conquered the Abbasids in 919 A.D. The Fatamids, in turn, were conquered by the Seljuks (1076 A.D.) a Nomadic Turkish tribe, originally from Turkestan. It was during this period that the noted "Assassins" carried out a series of political assassinations in attempt to take power and to spread their religious doctrine.

The launch of the First Crusade in 1096 was a political turning point in the history of Damascus and for the next 100 years, the Crusaders played a role in the destiny of the Levant. It was Saladin,in 1154 who finally defeated the Crusaders and expelled them from this area.

The Mamluks from Egypt held sway in the Middle East from 1260 until Tamerlane crushed the city in 1400 A.D. Just prior to their takeover, the city had been overrun by the Mongol Tartars led by Huls Gan, but due to a struggle for leadership within the Mongol organization, he did not remain in the city.

The Ottoman Dynasty, based in Istanbul, ruled Damascus from 1516 to 1918 and had wanted to forge a comprehensive sunni-muslim Empire. By siding with Germany in World War I, the Ottomans were defeated,and the victorious Allied troops joined with those of King Faisal and entered Damascus in 1918. This might have signaled the independence of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine but unknown to them, the British and French had agreed between themselves to carve up the Middle East and Syria became a French Mandate and Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine became a British Mandate.

Finally, in 1945, Syria gained its independence from France and Palestine and Israel gained their independence from Great Britain in 1948. Since then, Palestine and Israel have not been able to agree on the division of their area. It is my impression that were it not for the British and French occupation during the Colonial Era, the Arabs might still be living as they did 1000 years ago. Yet, despite the seemingly backward nature of Islam, they did indeed create some of the greatest triumphs in science (algebra, the Arabic numerals, the decimal system, astronomy, and so forth) and in the arts and especially architecture (Alhambra in Spain, and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, etc.). Were it not also for the discovery of oil in this area, which brought them untold wealth and riches, they probably would not have been able to indulge themselves and buy the consumer products that our Western societies have produced. It was indeed the European foreigners who taught them westernization.

Prior to leaving this country, I read some of the Koran, and several other books on the history and culture of Islam. I was impressed with the beauty of the language, particularly its poetry, as exemplified in the Rubiayet of Omar Khayyam. Apparently, there is a musical quality to the language, a cadence in rhythm, that adds to its appeal, and I understand many Arabs enjoy listening to their spoken tongue even if they do not understand all the words. It exists as more than a simple form of communication. Someone has said "The wisdom of man is best expressed by the eloquence of the Arab tongue."

I read these books hoping that I could get inside the Arab mind and would have a feel for what I was about to see and do in the Middle East. One of the books that impressed me greatly was Raphael Patais "The Arab Mind". I learned from these readings that many of the values governing their societies were pre-Islamic in time (pre 632 A.D.) and resulted from the Bedouin Ethos, the principles dominating the native tribes that lived in the Arabian desert. These people were Nomadic and moved from oasis to oasis, always seeking sources of water for their families and animals, largely camels and goats. They subsisted on oats, some cereals, and camels and goats milk, as well as the meat from these animals. The Bedouins were hardened by desert life and when confronted by privation, would raid their neighboring tribes and carry off their animals and occasionally their women. They abided by definite raiding principles and usually no blood was shed. To commit a murder was a disaster for the individual and a dishonor for his tribe. Raiding, it seems, was something of a national sport. It is understood that an Arab must always keep a "White Face" and not let it be darkened by shame or dishonor. The Nomads usually lived in small groups or kinships and were very mobile and they intermarried. Men were always considered superior and a woman's lot was to serve her husband and to be the mother of his children and his housekeeper. They wore veils and long gowns and every attractive and feminine feature of a woman was to be hidden. They were to conceal all of their assets from males so as not to excite them sexually nor to encourage in them lust. A woman caught flirting was tantamount to courting death and by so doing, would dishonor her husband and his family. The boys were brought up differently from girls and nurtured and pampered as infants and young boys. Later, however, strict discipline was imposed and the child was taught to bear pain without flinching and to invoke vengeance when his good name or that of his family or tribe was "darkened".

During the development of the Islamic Era, many of the above values were incorporated in the Koran or Kurian, and since the Koran was considered to be the very words Allah, or God, spoke to his messenger Muhammad, they became the Arab Bible, and to an Arab Fundamentalist every word is sacred and cannot be altered or modified. Nothing can change even with the passage of time and thus, the followers of Islam are locked into their past. This also explains why the Arabs believe in predestination, for whatever happens on Earth, is the result of Allah's will, or has been preordained. This belief enables them to accept adversity and not be too concerned about their misfortune. "God is in his Heaven and all is right in the World." The word Islam means "To Surrender" and they have surrendered to God's word, or at least as recorded in the Koran.

The Mosque of Omar is a tremendously large structure and really set the stage for the subsequent construction of all mosques. There are no human or animal forms displayed in the Mosque and most of the decorations are geometric forms. A wide diversity of colored tiles are used as well as stained glass in the windows and, all in all, makes a most impressive form of decoration. The beautiful Mosque was built on the site of the Roman Temple of Jupiter and only a small column or two of the original Temple of Jupiter remains today. This great Mosque was built from 705 to 715 A.D. and, as I said, became a blueprint for the other great mosques that were built during and after this Dynasty. As more and more houses were built around the Mosque, the growing city became so crowded with new structures that the streets became labyrinthian passageways and thus vulnerable to fires, which ultimately did happen and destroyed a good deal of the city. While in Damascus, one hears the call of the Muezzins and sometimes one will hear several uttering their calls to worship at the same time. On Holy Days, Fridays, the actual voice of the Muezzin is heard but otherwise, at other times, a recorded voice is used from the Minoret. At one time, Damascus was known as "The Pearl of the Desert".

Syria is a fascinating country to visit but has been almost off limits for the American tourists. For years, it has been a hotbed of international terrorism and until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, has been one of Russia's most ardent supporters. Today, President Assad, dictatorial head of the ruling Bathist Party, is courting favor with the Western powers. Yet, at the same time, he is playing a leading role in the Arab countries endeavor to smother Israel. The recent archaeological discoveries at Mari, Ebla, and Ugarit, have stimulated great interest in Syria's past history and revealed an abundance of flourishing civilizations that existed throughout the ages. The founding of 20,000 tablets at Lgarit in 1928, employing the Cuneiform System (wedge-shaped characters) represented the Archives of the Royal Palace and revealed a great deal of details regarding life at that time. (13th and 14th Centuries B.C.)

The Ugarit alphabet was a great advance over the previous method of using hundreds of separate characters (pictographs) to represent syllables, and usually began the phonetic alphabet used by the succeeding Greeks, Romans, Hebrews and Aramaens. Many historical statements in the Old Testaments are being confirmed by the findings in recent excavations in this area of the world. Today, Syria is slowly coming into its legitimate place in history principally because of recent archaeological discoveries, the majority of which have been made only in the last century Prior to that time, its importance was covered over with the sands of millennia; its ancient cities buried so deeply that their presence was concealed from modern knowledge. There is no doubt in my mind that tourism in Syria may some day rival that of Egypt as its ancient dead cities become unearthed and restored and when a more peaceful climate reigns over the Middle East. I am glad, however, that I had the opportunity to see something of it at this period in my life.

Palmyra is the most important archaeological site in Syria and is known as the "Bride of the Desert" or as "The Place of the Palms". There are few ancient sites more rewarding to visit than Palmyra and it is situated some 230 kilometers northeast of Damascus on an ancient trade route. It is about four hours of bus riding over a reasonably good roadbed. Palmyra is said to be the finest ruins of an ancient Roman city, even surpassing those in North Africa. One historian said "Only a supernatural agency could have conjured up so magnificent a metropolis in the middle of the desert." Dr. William Halifax said "I doubt whether any city in the world could have challenged precedence of this in its glory." Seeing this great quantity of ruins surrounded by six miles of walls impresses one with its vastness, let alone its beauty. The city was situated in a desert half-way between the Syrian coast and the valley of the Euphrates and was well-placed with the waters of the underground spring Efqu, which, with careful irrigation, became a fertile garden and a center of flourishing commerce as the caravans traveled East and West and North and South. Hadrian visited Palmyra in A.D. 129 and granted it the rights of a free city and later, Septimus Seberus raised it to the status of a Roman colony. It was indeed a great city at that time.

The visible remains of Palmyra date for the most part from the first three centuries A.D. and the most striking feature of the city as a whole is the extent of its colonnade streets,essentially monumental thoroughfares, which apparently concealed beautiful buildings. Beyond the city limits are its cemeteries (Valley of the Tombs), some of which exist in caves, some are dug into the ground, and some are in towers. Apparently, the remains of the deceased were most important to preserve and no doubt as their Pagan gods dictated. What impresses one most are the "Tomb Towers" or vertical mausoleums in which the bodies were stored in slots, and on each was a replica carved in the likeness of the deceased person or even of a deceased family! One could recognize the deceased from his carving, so precise was the sculptural artistry! Today, in some cemeteries, a photograph is placed on the deceased's headstone and occasionally, the deceased's voice is preserved electronically. The idea is the same; to identify the individual when and if the "Kingdom of God" or of Zeus should return.

Unfortunately, our trip to Palmyra was a one day trip and most of the day was consumed in traveling to Palmyra and returning to Aitsu as each way consumed over four hours of traveling time. Our itinerary should have been arranged so that Palmyra was an overnight stop as there was a fine hotel at the site where we had enjoyed a fine luncheon. The ruins are situated on the outskirts of the town of Tadmor and the town is essentially a museum with many of the artifacts found at the site clustered together in a building that is called "The Museum" Outside of the Museum, there are life-like carvings of the deceased families and this is certainly the most striking feature of the Museum. To be able to see almost precise likenesses of the deceased in the form of elaborate carvings was something that I had never seen before.

Our four days in Syria provided merely a tasting of the many interesting sites to visit and on our return visit, one should see Kadesh, the site of the battle between Rameses The Second and the Hittites in 1288 (won by the Hittites), Krak Des Chevaliers, built by the Crusader Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Mari, the site recently excavated by the French, who found temples, palaces, clay tablets and bronze objects relating to 3000 years B.C., and Dura-Europa, which has a well-preserved synagogue of the 13th Century A.D.

While the history of Syria during its aramaen, Phoenician, Greek and Roman periods was interesting, I was most impressed by the role Syria played in the development of Christianity, and while Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth were certainly essential to the development of Christianity, the major thrust for its expansion developed in Syria. It was St. Paul, whose blindness incurred while en route to Damascus, and cured in the House of Ananias, who spread the idea of Jesus as a divine figure and savior; the one promised in the Old Testament as the Messiah and the one to lead his peoples into a Promised Land. Paul made his headquarters in Antioch, and it was from this city that he traveled far and wide, evangelizing and securing recruits for his new religion. As I gathered from my readings, Jesus never claimed to be a Divine, but it was St. Paul's words that created this mythology. In fact, St. Paul was almost assassinated when he returned to the Temple in Jerusalem, and at this point, I would remind you that St. Paul was a Jew at the time. St. James (Jesus' brother) and the conservative followers of "The Law", charged St. Paul with lying to the people and misrepresenting Jesus's teachings. As everyone knows, the Four Gospels and the Acts were written some 50 or more years after Jesus' death and there are many discrepancies when they are compared with one another. The Dead Sea Scrolls also mention a "Teacher of Righteousness" (probably Jesus) and a "Liar" (probably St. Paul), as well as a "Wicked Priest".

Although Amman, Jordan, was only 60 miles from Damascus, our trip was so planned that we had to fly from Syria to Jordan and this entailed at least a half a day in travel, whereas via bus, we could have driven it in slightly over an hour. C'est La Vie!

Jordan was a fascinating country and made so by the fact that Mamoud Mufti, a handsome young man in his early 20s, met us upon our arrival at the airport. He had been a student of Bruce Esposito at the University of Hartford and had returned to his country to carry on a family business. The family was obviously a prominent one and his uncle, with whom we had dinner, was formerly the Ambassador from Jordan to both the United States and Japan. Mamoud took us to dinner at a most unusual restaurant on the top of a hill and in what was formerly a Palace (Kan Zaman Village), and we sampled a variety of their native dishes and listened to their national music. Being entertained in a country by a native adds much to one's appreciation of the country. Jordan, by cooperating with Sadam Hussein of Iraq, alienated many people in this country, but one must realize that King Hussein of Jordan probably had no other alternative. At heart, undoubtedly, he is a friend of the United States.

Jordan, like all the other Near East countries, had been inhabited since time immemorial. At one time, three tribes, the Edomites, Moabites, and the Ammonites, occupied this area and it was the King of Edom who refused passage to Moses to travel along the King's Highway. Ultimately, Moses found his way to Mt. Nebo, which we visited and from which we looked westward and saw the Dead Sea and the "Promised Land".

Modern Jordan's history begins with the First World War, when the present King Hussein's great-grandfather, Sherif Hussein, ibn Ali, Grand Emir of Mecca, King of the Ijaz, 37th in direct line of descent from the Prophet Muhammad, launched the revolt against the Turks. Working with the British, they successfully defeated Germany and its ally, Turkey. After the War, the British reneged on their promise of independence and the Near East was split up into two Mandates, one governed by the British and the other by the French.

In 1951, King Abdullah, King Hussein's grandfather, was assassinated at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and King Hussein ascended to the throne shortly after upon the death of his father. Since then, modern Jordan has been essentially the creation of this man. Jordan, unlike its neighbors, has no oil and few natural resources and must rely upon tourism, agriculture, and small business operations to make ends meet.

Our headquarters in Amman, the capital, was the Sheraton Hotel, a five star accommodation. From there, we toured the city, visiting its monuments, its renown Roman Theater, its Archaeological Museum on Citadel Hill and the Jordan Folklore Museum. It is a clean city, built on hills, and is quite attractive.

Briefly, Jordan today is a small country approximately the size of Indiana and of which only 47% of the land is arable and is essentially a desert. Population is only 3.5 million and over a quarter of these people live in its capital, Amman. It is a constitutional monarchy and its independence from the British Mandate was only achieved in 1946. Its major industry is potash and phosphate mining. It is thus a poor country, an arid country and dependent upon its neighbors for much of its essential needs. This fact explains why it sided with the Arab Block and opposed the Camp David accords and also more recently, why it sided with Iraq during the Gulf War. Jordan has no petroleum resources! The present territory of the Kingdom of Jordan corresponds to the Biblical Lands of Edom, Gilead, and Moab. The ancient Rock City of Petra, which we visited, was the capital of the Edomite and Nabataean kingdoms at the time of Christ. While in Jordan and using our base in Amman as our headquarters, we made two day trips, one of which was to Mt. Nebo, which is at an elevation of 800 meters, and it was here that Moses ended his travels after 40 years of wandering in the desert and looked down upon the fertile Jordan River Valley and the "Promised Land". A fine Museum and former Basilica occupies this site and in it are old original mosaics dating back to the Fifth Century A.D. It is alleged that Moses died on Mt. Nebo but no confirmation for it exists.

Another of our short trips was to Madaba, where the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George is located, and where we saw a mosaic showing a fascinating plan of the City of Jerusalem as it existed in the Fourth Century A.D.!

A full day was spent at Jerash, some 50 kilometers North of Amman and one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world. It dates back to the Second Century A.D. Once again, I was tremendously impressed with the architecture of the Romans, its utility, beauty, and endurability. The Main Street, or Cardo Maximus, is partially a colonnade and runs North and South, and intersecting it are two cross streets which lead one to the Temple of Zeus, Oval Piazza, Temple of Artemis, the Agora, the Theater,and several churches numbering 14 and built during the Byzantine Period. It was one of the so-called Decapolis cities, or among the ten most important cities in the Roman Empire.

Petra was the highlight of our trip to Jordan and to get there, we drove South on the King's Highway, and this road had been in continuous use as an International Trade Route for the past five thousand years!! En route to Petra, we stopped at Shobak, a mountain-top fortress built by the Crusaders in the 12th Century. The Crusaders, in retrospect, was a sad chapter in the history of Christianity and was more of a commercial venture than a religious crusade. Both Jews and Muslims were slaughtered in the name of Christ. The Christians were finally driven out of Palestine by Saladin The Great.

The trip along the King's Highway was beautiful and the road well-preserved. It was a four hour journey from Amman and our hotel for the night was the Petra Forum. By spending the night at the site, we were able to be up early in the morning and astride our horses, each of which was accompanied by a walking guide.

To acquaint you with a few facts about Petra and its history, I should say that it was the capital city of the Nabataean Arabs and it was carved out of rock approximately two thousand years ago and for centuries was considered one of the marvels of the Classical World. Literally, all that I have met who have been to Petra have returned with glowing accounts of this most unusual city, which for approximately 800 years was lost to civilization! It is no wonder, because it is built in an open area surrounded by high rock formations and approached by a very narrow gorge or canyon almost a mile long. Most people visiting it today ride in on horses, formerly with camels, although it can be trekked with good hiking boots. This remarkable city was covered with the sands of time until a Swiss explorer by the name of Otto Burkhard, discovered it in 1812. Once discovered, a veritable army of tourists, artists, authors and the like came and explored the city, particularly among which was David Roberts, whose paintings are famous. We brought a print of one of his home with us.

The Sovereign Nabataean Kingdom lasted four to five hundred years or approximately from 300 years B.C. to 200 years A.D. Unfortunately, they left few written records or inscriptions which would clarify their history, culture, political relations and religious beliefs. It was only due to archaeological explorations that we learned something of their material culture and technological and artistic skills. Obviously, they were master stone masons, hydrologists, metal workers, and potters. At the time of Aratis IV (The Lover of His People) who ruled from 9 B.C. to 40 A.D., Petra achieved the apex of its importance. At this time, it was a cosmopolitan trading center with a population of 25 thousand people. The city's easily defensible position, plentiful water resources and strategic location astride the ancient incense, spices, and silk routes, served to link the commodity-producing lands of China, India and Southern Arabia with the wealthy markets of Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. It was only when the Romans established their stronghold at Palmyra, Syria, and directed most of their attentions northward, that the city of Petra began to languish, stagnate, and decline in both power and prestige.

Many visitors to Petra come via Acuba, a port on the Gulf of Acuba, an arm of the Red Sea, and Jordan's only seaport. From here, it is only one and a half hours by car to the ruins.

In the morning, and astride my horse and incidentally, Pat, with a fellow companion, rented a carriage and rode in this manner ,I entered the canyon, or a towering defile, called the Bab es Siq, or Gateway to the Siq. From then on, one's eyes never ceased to wonder as one's views the Djin Blocks or early Nabataean Tombs, then the Obelisk Tombs and below it the Trichenium until the narrow passageway or Siq ends in front of "The Treasury", a monumental tomb probably built for Aratis III in the First Century B.C. It has been called "The Treasury" because the inhabitants believed the urn on top held the hidden treasure of the Pharaoh. The German scholar Gustav Dalman, in 1911, called it "The most perfect two-storied facade preserved from antiquity."

At this point, I should say that the original names and original purposes of the monuments and structures are unknown and the present names and purposes are all attributed to them by scholars studying the area. The truly amazing thing about everything in Petra is that it was carved out of rock and not built out of blocks of rock. There are ancient sites in India such as in the Elephantine Caves where cities are also carved out of solid rock and where we have visited in the past.

In the center, there is a vast open space called the City Center and abounding it on all sides are magnificent structures, including the 40 row theater seating 7000 people, carved out of bedrock. There is a stage and staircases on each end and it is typical of Roman construction. One is also impressed with the colonnade street with its arched gate, the Great Temple, (Agorian), the Temple of the Winged Lions, The Royal Tombs, and many more structures well-designed, with classical motifs, all presumably used as tombs for the deceased nobility.

In a Dad-O-Gram of this kind, one can only mention names and cannot do justice to the complex and beautiful edifices carved out of the towering rocks. There is a High Place of Sacrifice situated on top of one of the mountains and this entails a walk of one to two hours up a winding trail to an elevation of 800 feet above the City Center, and I did not elect to do this venture. The view from the summit, I am told, is well worth the effort. There is also a Museum containing a small but nice collection of Nabdtaean and Roman artifacts and there is also a small Cafeteria that was most welcome and provided an escape from the hot sun of mid-day.

After spending the day at Petra, we departed for Amman in the early evening and arrived at our hotel weary but elated at our good fortune at having seen this most unusual antiquity.

In the "Dossiers d' Archeologic" edition of Jerusalem, the statement is made "No other city in the world has had such a long and turbulent history; no other city has seen so much bloodshed; no other city has held such spiritual and religious significance for mankind." After six days of seeing this renown city through the eyes of our soft-spoken, sensitive and mature tour guide, Shoshana, one concurs in this description.

Teddy Kollek, the Mayor of Jerusalem for 26 years, writes in his introduction to the aforementioned book that in 1990, it will be 3000 years since King David came to a Jebocite village and made it his capital. He notes that this was the seminal moment in its history and all of Jerusalem's glory follows from that act of the Warrior King, Beloved of God, and that 3000 years later, people are still singing the psalms David composed and visiting the remains of what he and his son Solomon wrought.

Our headquarters were at the Hyatt Regency, a beautiful and modern hotel in the Northeast quarter of the city, virtually on Mt. Scopus, not far from the new Hadassah Hospital and the new Hebrew University. Our accommodations were superb but I was never happy having the restraints imposed upon me by the Dietary Laws of Judaism. I like an ice cream dessert after a hearty steak but this requires visiting two separate restaurants! There were reasons for these practices in the past but it all seems so senseless to one brought up in our modern era. It seems to me that the only reason for continuing these practices is to keep the memory of the past alive in the minds of successive generations of the Hebrew people.

Virtually all tourists start seeing the city by visiting the "Old City", a walled city of approximately 250 acres and containing the focus of devotion for three religions: Judaism (Western or Wailing Wall), the only residual structure left from David's Temple; Christianity's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built upon Calvary, the site of Jesus' Crucifixion; Islam's Dome of the Rock, from which Muhammad ascended into Heaven after his miraculous flight from Medinah to meet Abraham, David, Jesus, and the other prophets. As one walks about the Old City visiting the Christian, Armenian, Muslim or Muslim and Jewish quarters, one realizes immediately that it is a city built upon the remains of a city upon the remains of a city, etc. By digging deeper and deeper, the archaeologists have determined that the city goes back to the Third Millennium B.C. At present, excavations go on continuously and more and more of its past is being revealed. One digs down until only bedrock is encountered and it is only then that the archaeological explorations are terminated. While we were there, we visited the Cardo, and this is a lovely shopping mall some three tiers below the present grade level and that at one time was the Main Street that existed during the Roman occupation. Today, it is a very attractive Art Gallery Mall. It was there that I made a purchase and bought one of Agam's art works and which now hangs in my condo in Florida.

The easiest way for me to appreciate the vast panoramic history of Jerusalem was to acquire some knowledge of its various historical periods and one can do this beautifully by visiting the Tower of David Museum. This is situated at the Jaffa Gate. The Museum lies within the Citadel or Fortress built by King Herod, who reigned from 70 B.C. to 4 A.D. This magnificent Museum traces the history of Jerusalem through twelve successive periods, and which I would like to just list for your enlightenment.

l) The Canaanite Period (3000 to 12,000 B.C.E. or Before Current Era). At this time, primitive peoples lived in the land of Cana and were largely influenced by the cultures of Egypt.

2) The Monarchy Period or First Temple Period (1000 to 586 B.C.E.) During this period, David conquered the city of Jabus, united all the tribes of Israel and brought the Arc of the Covenant to his new capital and Holy City of Jerusalem. His son Solomon built the Temple on Mt. Moriah, the Temple Mount, and traditionally considered the site of the Sacrifice of Isaac. During this period, Jerusalem became a great and wealthy state and many beautiful structures were built. After Solomon's death, the country was divided, Judea in the South, and Israel in the North. Jerusalem at this time was a wellspring of religious creativity and Clarion Calls were made by people for justice, morality and peace, all values shared by mankind today.

The Kingdom of Israel and its capital, Samaria, fell to the Assyrians under Sennecharib in 721 B.C. but he was unsuccessful in conquering Jerusalem, which was the capital of Southern Judea at that time.

The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and its inhabitants, who were largely the 12 tribes of Israel, and these people were exiled to Babylon. They remained there for the next 50 years and after that, a few of those were permitted to return to Jerusalem while the rest traveled Northward and elsewhere and became the Diaspora.

3) The Early Second Temple Period or Return to Zion (536-353 B.C.E.) King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and permitted the exiles to return to Jerusalem and during this period, the Second Temple was built. Nehemiah rebuilt the City of Jerusalem.

4) Hellenistic Period and the Hasmonean Age (333-337 B.C.E.) In 333 B.C.E., Alexander the Great vanquished the Persian Empire. At first, Jerusalem came under Ptolemic Egypt, followed by the Selucid Syrians, an Hellenistic culture, an Amalgam of greek and early Eastern cultures prevalent under Antiochus IV. It was at this period that the Hellenistic Jews and the Traditional Jews confronted each other and the Hasmonean Revolt led by Judah Maccabee broke out. Jerusalem was liberated, the Temple purified, and restored as the People's Spiritual Center. Eighty years of Jewish political independence followed.

5) The Period from Herod to the Destructions of the Second Temple (37 B.C.to 70 C.E. or A.D.)

The Romans under Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. and in 37 B.C.E.King Herod was brought to power under Roman patronage. Monumental building projects including the Second Temple, a new Temple Mount, and the Citadel was built. Markets, theaters and hippodromes followed.There was considerable religious and social ferment, and controversy broke out. Jesus of Nazareth was active during this period and gathered apostles and supporters in Galilee and confronted the contemporary Jewish religious establishment. It was during this period that Jesus was crucified and the reason given was that he was a rebel against Rome and this was done by orders of Pontius Pilate. There is considerable controversy regarding the roles that the Roman rulers and the established Jewish hierarchy played in Jesus's death at this time.

After Herod's death, war broke out between the Zealots and Rome and the city fell to Titus and his legions in 70 A.D For the next 60 years, the city lay in ruins and desolation.

6) Late Roman Period - Aelia Caputolim (135 A.D. - 324) It is interesting that in 135 A.D., Hadrian built a new city on the site of Jerusalem but Jews were not permitted to enter the city and Christianity was still a forbidden entity.

7) The Byzantine Period (324 - 638 A.D.) During this period, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity from Paganism and it became the Roman Empire's official religion. Churches were built on sacred sites and pilgrims came to Jerusalem from all corners of the Empire. Under the auspices of Empress Helen, or Constantine's mother, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Resurrection were built. The site of the Last Supper was consecrated by the building of the "Mother of Churches" and "Domition of Mary". Jerusalem again fell to the Persians in 614 but 15 years later, Emperor Heraclius restored Byzantine rule and returned the Cross to its place.

8) The Early Arab Age (638 - 1099 A.D.) The conquest of Jerusalem by Omar, Commander of the Arab Force, in 638, was bloodless, and Christians were guaranteed the right to maintain their religion and Holy Places. At the end of the 7th Century A.D. Jerusalem was recognized as the third holiest city in Islam after Mecca and Medinah and as a destination site for Muslim pilgrims. The Temple Mount was identified by Muslims as the place which Muhammad reached in his night voyage from Medinah and from which he ascended into Heaven. At first, the Omayyad Dynasty ruled Jerusalem from Damascus and later of course to be ruled by the Abbassids from Baghdad.

9) The Crusader Period or Ayyabid Period (1099 - 1250 A.D.) In July of 1099, Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders after a five week siege and then the victorious Crusaders proceeded to massacre the Muslims and Jews and restored Jerusalem to Christian hands. During the Crusades the, Western culture prevailed with French the day to day language and later the language of prayer. The Dome of the Rock became the Temple of the Lord and the Al Aqusa Mosque, the Temple of Solomon. The Temple Mount became the seat of the Templers, an Order of Monastic Knights. This Crusader Period ended in 1187 A.D. when Jerusalem fell to Saladin the Great who at that time was Sultan of Egypt and Syria and of the Muslim Empire. During this period, the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem.

10) The Mamluk Period (1250 - 1517 A.D.) During this period, the Mamluks of Egypt conquered Palestine and Islam flourished.

11) The Ottoman Period (1517 - 1917 A.D.) The Mamluks were defeated by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 and Palestine came under their rule for the next 400 years. During this period, Jews returned from various sites in Europe and Spain. The common uniting factor among them was their Hebrew language.

12) The Era of Modernization or Europeanization. At the end of World War I, Jerusalem surrendered to the British Forces under General Allenby. Subsequently, Jerusalem fought for its independence against the British and finally, Jerusalem declared itself an Independent Nation in 1949. Thereafter, a continuous struggle has existed for control of the city of Jerusalem by the contending Arab and Jewish forces. The Arabs in Jerusalem were joined by the Jordanian Legion and Egyptian troops and it was not until the War of 1967 that the city was reunited.

Today, the city is still divided into sections but under Israeli rule. The country of Israel is divided by the Gaza Strip on the West and the West Bank of the Jordan on the East and at this moment, Arafat and the P.L.O. and the Government of Israel are trying to eke out a peaceful resolution of their dilemma. The Arabs want a land of their own to which they believe they have been dislocated, and the Jews would like to have their City of Zion and one that is provided with sufficient security to enable them to carry on securely in the future.

Our first day in Jerusalem was spent in the Old City and as I mentioned, it is a walled city with two and a half miles of walls approximately 30 to 60 feet high and seven to eight feet thick. These were constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1542. There are 34 towers and seven main gates. Within the city are four well-defined districts: The Jewish Quarter in the Southeast, the Armenian Quarter in the Southwest, the Christian Quarter in the Northwest, and the Muslim Quarter in the Northeast. Each district contains sites and ruins important to their religious backgrounds.

The Jewish Quarter contains the ruins of the Burnt House, raised in 70 A.D., one month after the Fall of the Temple, and containing artifacts of that period. At one time,there were 56 Synagogues but most of these were destroyed during the Jordanian occupation from 1948 to 1967. Of interest was the Rothschild House, built in 1860, which enabled immigrants to Jerusalem to live there for three years, during which time, they hopefully would find work and become independent. As mentioned previously, the restored Cardo, or Old Roman Road, is currently an arcade of gift and art shops.

The Armenian Quarter contains the House of Caiphas, the Church of the Archangels, and several churches, one of which houses the Armenian Patriarchate.

The Christian Quarter houses the offices of most of Christian Religious sects. The Street of Sorrows, or the Via Dolerosa, is the route presumably taken by Jesus from the Judgment Court to the Place of Crucifixion. We traced the 14 Stations of the Cross. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built near the Site of Calvary and is accepted as the site of Jesus' Tomb.

The Muslim Quarter is undoubtedly the most impressive, with its magnificent Octagonal Dome of the Rock, often called the Mosque of Omar. It is 130 feet high and 150 feet in diameter. There is a hole in the floor within the Mosque revealing a rock, traditionally David's Altar and Abraham's Place of Sacrifice. Across the large Plaza is the el-Aqusa Mosque, first built in 710 by Caliph Malik on the foundation of Solomon's Palace and the Palace of the Kings of Judah.

King Herod's Museum is an absolute must for any tourist for it contains dioramas of Jerusalem's history and is a good place to start one's peregrinations in the Holy Land.

Most of our time in Jerusalem was spent outside the Old City, seeing:

1) The remarkable Museum of Israel, with its eight divisions, only one of which we visited (the Shrine of the Book), housing some of the scrolls found at Kumran.

2) The Citadel, or Tower of David, build by Herod the Great.

3) Mt. Scopus with its new Hadassah Hospital and relatively new Hebrew University.

4) The Mt. of Olives overlooking the Kidrom Valley with its ancient Hebrew cemeteries.

5) The Garden of Jessemine and its adjacent Church of the Assumption and Church of All Nations.

6) Dormition Abbey, traditional site of Mary's death.

7) The Hall of the Last Supper.

8) David's Tomb.

9) Knesset, or Israel's Parliament.

10) The Holocaust Museum.

There are also others, too numerous to mention.

Bethlehem the alleged site of Jesus' birth, is only four miles South of Jerusalem and is contiguous with it. It is a cosmopolitan community, a communal center, all revolving about the Church of the Nativity, which is situated on a high ridge overlooking a valley which is neatly terraced and leading down to the Judean Desert. The word Bethlehem in Hebrew means "House of Bread" and in Arabic "House of Meat", both synonymous with prosperity. En route to Bethlehem, we passed Rachel's Tomb, the favorite wife of Jacob. During the Roman Period, a period of paganization, Jesus' birthplace was overgrown by a grove erected in honor of Adonis, and it was only in 330 A.D., during Constantine's Period, that a Basilica called The Church of the Nativity was erected on the site of the Manger. This church is the only church in the Holy Land to have survived the Persian invasion of 613 A.D.and this particular church was spared because the Persians saw a mosaic of the Magi dressed resembling their Persian countrymen. They assumed that somehow or another, this church was related to their past and the church in this manner was spared. The church is shared by Greek, Latin and Armenian chapels, each with their own separate altars. The town itself abounds in museum shops and with all sorts of religious relics. Olive wood is a favorite material for their sculptured forms.

One of our most interesting day trips was to the town of Jericho and then South along the Jordan River to Kumran, the Dead Sea, the Spring of Ein Gedes, and the Fortress of Masada.

Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world and is considered a "Layer Cake" of successively destroyed cities, each new city being built upon its predecessor, as in Troy. Extensive excavations are constantly going on here and recent walls were unearthed thought to be Joshua's Walls. Neolithic remains dating back to 7000 B.C. have been found here. It appeared to us to be a very dusty town, an oasis, and blessed with nearby springs. It is located 820 feet below sea level!

Kumran consists entirely of archaeological ruins and was brought into prominence in 1947, when a Bedouin shepherd, searching for a lost goat, fell into a cave and discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hundreds of parchment fragments were unearthed in 11 different caves. These were written by the Essenes, a Jewish sect, who sought refuge and seclusion in the Judean Desert from the established hierarchy of High Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem, who were being influenced by the invading Greek or Roman cultures (Hellenization). They wished to follow the Law more closely and to wait for the coming Messiah as predicted in the Old Testament. They believed in two Messiahs: One, from David's line, for the Monarch, and the other, a descendant of Aron for the High Priesthood. The city was destroyed by the Romans in 68 A.D. but just prior to its destruction, the Scrolls, all about 1900 years old, were concealed in the caves as safekeeping from the Romans. Much controversy surrounds the translation of the Scrolls and the final word has not yet been written.

The Dead Sea is nearly 1300 feet below sea level and is the world's lowest point. It is truly a Dead End Sea for it has no outlet and is the termination point of the River Jordan. Because of hot weather in this area, there is great evaporation and salt concentrations build up greatly, or approximately ten times that of sea water. The salts, consisting of potash, bromides, magnesium, etc., are harvested and used therapeutically. We went bathing in the Dead Sea and it was almost frightening. How does one lower one's legs to walk or get out of the water! I was unable to lower my feet to find stable ground. The Spring at Ein Gedes, on the Dead Sea, is a resort area and houses a hotel, restaurant, and bath houses. The water has receded so much in recent years that one usually takes a shuttle van to the water's edge in order to bathe in the Dead Sea.

A few miles South of the Spring is the Fortress of Masada, rising 1400 feet above the Dead Sea shoreline. One can ascend it on a foot path but most take the cable car to the top of this tabletop mountain. The Fortress was designed by Herod the Great and contained two palaces, bath houses, and many amenities seldom seen in such fortifications. Today,it stands as a tribute to Jewish resistance against Rome and for over two years, 960 men and women and children defied the Roman Tenth Legion of 10,000 troops. Finally, rather than submit to Roman rule and captivity, these staunch defenders commuted mass suicide. The conquering Roman soldiers could not comprehend such an action, whereby a group of Zealots choose to die in the name of their religion than submit to the Pagan.code of the Roman Emperor.

After spending five days in and about Jerusalem, we boarded a bus and drove North along the Jordan River to Tiberius, on the West shore of the Sea of Galilee. En route, we passed many Arab towns, all of which of course are in the West Bank and that were largely agricultural in nature and there were also some Kibbutzes. The River Jordan is 65 miles long as measured from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and along its banks is a rich maze of fertile fields. Irrigation is responsible for all of this, as the River itself is hardly more than a slow, shallow, wandering stream. As we crossed the Allenby Bridge from Jordan to Israel, I thought I could jump across it!

The Sea of Galilee is a harp-shaped fresh-water lake, 14 miles long and 7 miles wide and lies 480 feet below sea level. The water in the lake arises from three rivers North of the lake and each year, the national water carrier pumps 320 million cubic meters of lake water up into mountain reservoirs, from which huge conduits carry the water Southward to the arid regions. This magnificent irrigation system is what explains the "Greening of Israel'.

Our hotel in Tiberius was the Mariah, and an excellent one designed for tourists. It was located on the shore of the lake and afforded beautiful views in all directions. The city was initially built by the Roman Herod Antipus and later occupied by the Hebrews. It was here that the Talmud was compiled. We spent two nights at Tiberius from which we made the following day trips:

1) Nazareth is a hilltop town at an elevation of 1230 feet and it was here that Jesus was raised as a child and during a period when the chatter of revolt and rumors of scandal among the High Priests and the expectation of the coming Messiah was rampant. No doubt, his policies of a reformation of Judaism was formed here in Nazareth. The most important edifice here is the Church of the Annunciation and is considered the spot where Angel Gabriel appeared before Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. It is a new church, built in 1966, and replacing an old Franciscan Church built previously in 1720 over older Crusader and Byzantine structures.

While driving in the area, we drove through Magadalan, the home of Mary Magdalene, but there was nothing of interest here for us to see.

2) On the North Side of the Sea of Galilee, we visited Takja, the site of Jesus' miraculous Feeding of the Multitude, and there is a church called "The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves", containing some beautiful flower and bird mosaics. Nearby is the church of St. Peter, where Jesus is alleged to have revealed himself to the disciples a third time after his Crucifixion. On the hill behind Takja, is a round chapel called the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. It it's the site of one of Israel's most beautiful panoramas and particularly as one looks down. upon the Sea of Galilee.

In Capernum was the center of Jesus' Galileean ministry and where he gathered his disciples. There is the remains of a synagogue here which predated Jesus' era by two to three centuries. On the shores of the lake, we visited a Kibbutz and had lunch there, and also the Galilean Boat, discovered at low tide during the drought years of 1985, and believed to be a Fisherman's boat dating back to 70 to 20 B.C.

One of the most interesting towns we visited was Safed, today an artist colony and a picturesque popular holiday resort. In the 16th Century, it was the center of Kabalhsin, a renaissance of scholarly activity in Judaism. It was here that an attempt was made to resurrect the Sanhedran, the Supreme Council and Highest Court of the Jewish Nation. It was here that Rabbi Joseph Cairo wrote a comprehensive collection of Jewish Laws and Rituals.

After leaving Tiberius, we drove Westward across Northern Israel to the border of Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea. We saw the barbed wire fence separating Israel from Lebanon and actually placed one foot in Lebanon. It was well-guarded and fortified and while there, we visited the Rosh Anihra Grottoes. There is a railroad tunnel there that is now sealed but that formerly carried trains from Palestine to Lebanon or Beirut. As we drove South along the Mediterranean, we stopped at Mount Carmel and visited the Monastery of Elijah and the Stella Maris Monistary. Further South, we stopped at Haifa, Israel's third largest city and essentially an industrial city of little interest to one concerned with the history of Judaism. However, we did visit the World Center of Bahai Faith, a beautiful shrine surrounded by a beautiful garden. The Gold Dome Shrine contains the remains of el Bab (Baha Ulla and his successor, Abdul Basha. In this regard, perhaps I could consider myself a Bahaist, for in addition to its moral and ethical principles, it has preached the need for a World Federation or World Authority to govern mankind. We also visited Acre, at one time one of the Crusader strongholds. It was here at Acre that Baha Ullah was exiled from Persia and where he died.

Our stop at Caesaria was interesting as this was the seat of the Roman government in Judea after Herod's death and it was here that Pontius Pilate resided during his term as Procurator. It is a remarkable tribute again, and a testament for that matter, to the magnificent architectural accomplishments of the Romans.

Our final stop in Israel was in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Jaffa was an ancient Canaanite city and port and today is a charming city of art and culture. It was here that I visited Frank Meisler's studio and purchased two of his camels, which I have named Muhammad and Fatima. Jaffa is a sister city or extension of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv itself is on the Mediterranean and is today the business and entertainment center of Israel, offering the finest in hotels, museums, and shops. Two of Israel's most famous diamond businesses are located here, where the cutting and polishing and well-established jewelry outlets are established.

Love,

Dad