In the morning we hiked up the red cliff mountain in the burning heat of the morning sun. We were thankful that the Kermes Oak trees provided a lot of shade.
On the 16 km long hike we walked with 2 new guides- Mahmoud, a retired air force pilot and Moat, a nurse. They explained the vegetation and told stories from the area.
Ale and Lorenz are picking tiny fruits from the Jujube tree.
The fruits had a sweet lemon taste and were delicious.
Often we saw signs of the Roman civilization. The village of Qabla was destroyed by an earthquake and has never been excavated. We walked over  buried temples and houses and saw empty tombs and mysterious caves.
The Roman quarry of Qabla.
Every four hours, the voices of the Muezins from the villages around us were filling the air. We even heard their prayers in the Wadi  Zubia, a valley filled with big and healthy oak trees.
Wadi Zubia
At the end of our hike we visited Jesus’ Â Cave. In Roman times, the area above the cave was already used to press grapes for wine and olives for olive oil.
The millstone of the olive press. The wooden staff was turned by donkeys walking in a circle.
Ancient wine press. Those who made the wine stomped the grapes with their feet in this area.
Inside of the cave, where legends tell that Jesus was fasting for 40 days, the process of making olive oil was continued.
We stayed overnight in a private home with a family with four beautiful children. The whole family was extremely welcoming. The Grandmother of the children showed me how she makes bread.
how gloriously extra-ordinary to simply trod along such an ancient path..
continuing with the humanity of ancient lives lived…
sharing the cultivated hospitality of thousands of years…
walk on
thanks for sharing such wonderful images with words and pictures
it pushes at hope in such a turbulent world
Hi Maggy, your words express excactly what we feel- there is a place for beauty and peace in the world. Thinking about the amount of violence so close to us right now we feel that there is hope for a peaceful living together. The newly created Abraham Trail was made in this spirit- a symbol of peace for people all over the world who walk the path.
Hello! Was the path well marked? Do you think it would be possible to hike this section without a guide?
Thanks!
Hi Lilli, I have walked many hikes alone and would not hike alone in Jordan The trails are not as well marked, the heat can be dangerous when out of water and communiction difficult when you do not speak the Arab language- like in our case. Guides are not expensive to hire and can tell you a lot about plants, sites, way of live.