Nabi Musa and Beyond

A couple Fridays ago I went with O, V, S, Ghada, and Ma'moun to the opening ceremonies for the Nabi Musa festival. I mentioned this place previously as the location that Muslims believe the Prophet Moses to be buried and that was once a popular place of rest for Muslims on long journeys. When we came around the corner on the desert road that leads to Nabi Musa, we were all very shocked at the amount of cars and busses parked around the complex. The amount of people there was incredible and I could really sense how it must have been hundreds of years ago during its heyday. We walked into a carnival like atmosphere of children riding camels, and sweets and ice cream being sold. Once inside the courtyard we saw an imam getting prepared to give the Friday "sermon" to dozens of men sitting expectantly on their prayer mats. Although it was an open area, it was clear that women were not supposed to be in the front part of the courtyard so we made our way back to the women only area where we could watch as discretely as possible.

All the various rooms that used to serve as places of rest for weary travellers were filled to the brim with families who had brought food and drink and games for the children. They even put blankets up in the entrances so as to give themselves some privacy as the activities of the day unfolded around them. After the imam was finished and the prayers had been prayed there was a parade by the local boyscouts and then a performance by a traditional music group. Being there, at a Muslim holy site, in the midst of Muslims from all over Palestine, admittedly made me feel a little uncomfortable. I felt that I was somehow invading their space. Despite this feeling, I love to experience things such as this celebration at Nabi Musa. It makes me appreciate being part of something that not many people get to see.

After some time at Nabi Musa, O decided it would be a good idea to go 4x4ing in the desert only to scare the s*** out of the everyone in the car. Nonetheless it made for some incredible views that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Our original plan was to have a bbq at a beautiful monastery very near Jericho, but closer to the Jordanian border; however when we arrived the area that is normally reserved for this was closed. We had a quick look around the church onsite and then decided to try and go to a place called "Banana Land," which is just northwest of Jericho. When we arrived, the parking lot was ridiculously packed and so it was decided that it was better if we found another alternative. So back we went to the eastern reaches of Jericho where O's family owns a house and a plot of land. The house is not exactly in working order, but has a lot of potential as a "fixer-upper." The land itself was amazingly beautiful with a huge garden full of flowers, fruit trees, mint, spring onions, and so on. We spent the rest of the evening sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine, eating delicious food, listening to Spanish music, smoking sweet nargileh, conversating and laughing. What joy!