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August 3, 2009
Middle Eastern Mysteries
I like the fact that there’s still some ancient mystery left in the world—that despite the tremendous efforts of Egyptologists, we still don’t know how the Great Pyramids of Giza were built 4,500 years ago. To think that unlocking the secrets of their achievements will be such a phenomenal achievement of our own … it’s a perfect testament to the greatness of ancient Egyptian culture.
To the east of Giza, still more mysteries reside in Jordan’s red sandstone cliffs. Westerners weren’t even able to confirm the existence of Petra until 1812, when a Swiss scholar had to disguise himself as a Bedouin in order to gain access to the “lost city” of the Nabateans. Today, only 15 per cent of the site has been excavated—and what an amazing wonder this small fraction is, regardless of the fact that we know so little about it. Actually, the air of mystery makes Petra all the more dramatic for me—as if anything could possibly be more dramatic than the very first sight of it, when the Treasury finally reveals itself at the end of a steep, narrow canyon.
What mysteries have evoked your wildest imaginations? I hope you’ll send your stories to:
harriet@oattravel.com
I’ll be featuring Africa next in Harriet’s Corner—and honestly, I can’t wait!
Harriet Lewis