David Foranand Fintan Gillespie
WEEK 12:After a fascinating time in Iran we battled through the madness of Middle Eastern border bureaucracy to reach Turkey. Passing the stunning, snow-capped Mount Ararat, we travelled southwest towards Sanliurfa. Our route skirted Lake Van and took us through some of the most picturesque countryside we've seen.
We pushed a bit too hard towards Syria and were caught speeding for the first time by Turkish police, who demanded an upfront cash payment. Much to their annoyance we insisted on paying at the border town's police station. Trying to get the better of them, we took a detour to a different crossing and were caught again by even more vigilant Turks. Refusing the cash payment again, we scanned our map for another border, in the mountains overlooking the Mediterranean. Spotting the coast was a huge milestone, highlighting the distance we've covered.
We escaped across the Syrian border and drove towards Damascus. Syria's capital is the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, and its extraordinary Old City district is testament to this. We explored its vibrant souk and the intricately decorated Umayyad Mosque.
Bound for Jordan, we continued south and, after a relatively painless border crossing, reached Amman, its capital. No trip to this country is complete without a visit to Petra, a spectacular hidden
city of magnificent palaces, temples and tombs that was carved into sandstone cliffs by Nabataean Arabs in the third century BC.
It is accessible only through a 1.2km canyon path that opens dramatically into a view of the Treasury, the city's undisputed gem (and a location for the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).
Passports with Israeli stamps are no good in most Middle Eastern countries, so now, to reach Egypt, we must catch a car ferry across the Red Sea from Aqaba, in southern Jordan.
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