Before leaving Madaba we stopped at the Handicraft Center Mosaic Workshop. They teach people, especially the handicapped, how to make mosaics that they then sell. The mosaics are incredibly detailed and take HOURS to complete. Each tile is individually cut with special clippers from long strips.
Connected to the workshop is a large retail shop where they sell the items they make. They also have a deal with DHL, who ships everything they make anywhere in the world for free. :)
The road to Petra from Madaba is also known as the King's Highway. The Hebrew term probably just meant "main road." It was a major north-south trade route. The King of Edom refused to let Moses travel on it. The Nabateans used it to trade for luxury goods from Arabia and Syria to Petra. It was also used by the Romans, early Christian pilgrims, and the Crusaders. It was finally fulled paved in the 1950s and 60s.
The drive to Petra was still another 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The weather got steadily worse. The wind picked up and the dust nearly blocked any view we had.
Most of the trip was just desert, but every once in a while there would be something to see. Mostly lots of big fancy gas stations...
By the time we arrived at the hotel in Petra it was very dark and late. But thankfully they had kept the buffet set up for us.
the city of Petra
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