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The Trip Back |
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According to ancient historians, the Nabataeans brought
about 3000 tons of frankincense and myrrh harvest per year from
southern Arabia to Petra. If this frankincense was moved from
Leuke Kome port in one huge caravan, then this bulky material
would have had to have been loaded on more than 3000 camels.
If this is true, then the 3000 plus camels would have required
watering pools of 2,400 liters of water (3000 x 80 liters of water
per camel) at each stop. Since the caravans would have moved during
the summer months then the camels would have needed to stop every
day or second day. Some of these watering stations can be found
in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and the Hisma desert in southern
Jordan. The others are still lost in the desert, but further exploration
should soon reveal their locations, as well as that of Leuke Kome.
Blow are pictures of two dry water cisterns. In ancient times
the Nabataeans made small channels along the mountain sides to
collect water and direct it to their underground cistern. In the
pictures below, the cisterns used to have arches over them to
cover them. This way bandits riding by would not see them, and
only the Nabataeans would know they were there. Many years later,a
great earthquake damaged many of the water cisterns in the desert,
and most of their roofs fell in.
There is some talk among the camel caravan drivers
about bandits. We keep to the open desert as much as possible.
Bandits don't travel here very often because there is such a lack
of water. But water doesn't worry us. We are Nabataeans. We have
a secret route through the desert complete with hidden water supplies.
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Left: We stop for a while to water the camels,
and some of us try sliding down the sand dunes! |
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Above: This ancient Nabataean water cistern is till
working, and still has water in it!
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