“Seeking Citrus”: Lost Orchards of Gaza
Loss in the Gaza Strip extends well beyond the loss of lives.
Religious and Official Umm Al Jimaal
Part 2 on the Basalt City: While the residential neighborhoods are what makes Umm Al Jimaal unique for archaeologists, its monumental architecture also still stands.
The Homes of Umm Al Jimaal
Part 1 on the Basalt City: Rome has monumental buildings like the Colosseum and Athens the Parthenon, but even Petra only has temples and no residential buildings. Umm Al Jimaal has preserved over 80% of its neighborhoods.
“Fly Away”: life in rubble
I wasn’t sure I understood the appeal of “flash fiction” – the challenge to tell a complete story in a thousand words or less – until Gaza.
Jordan Trail with Tatreez
Two projects of revival converged on this trip: the preservation of Jordan’s nature for tourist enjoyment, and the post-Gaza reclamation of traditional Palestinian embroidery practices.
Wadi Dana: Jordan’s gorgeous gorge
The last time I lived in Jordan, the Wadi Dana trail was at the top of my places I wanted to see, but the only way to get there was a rental car, which would have involved driving in Amman, which was absolutely out of the question for me…. I couldn’t make it happen.
Peace Corps wasta: an oldie but goodie
I knew wasta (connections) would play a crucial role in participant recruitment for my dissertation data collection. I underestimated how outsized the role of my Peace Corps wasta would be.
Ajloun Forest: A riot of spring flowers
Most of Jordan is a high, flat plateau of rocky desert, sometimes sandy to the south and east. Except the west side, from the Dead Sea, almost straight up into the mountains.
Umm Qais: Clifftop Decapolis city
There is nowhere in Jordan I’d rather visit in March or April than the northeastern heights, and particularly the two dozen centuries of ruins at Umm Qais, ancient Gadara.
Restoring the Azraq crossroads
Since prehistory, Azraq’s aquifer close beneath the desert surface supporting the spring fed oasis made it a place of life amidst the desert. From prehistoric aurochs to Umayyad caliphs to T.E. Lawrence, its been a sanctuary for millennia.
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