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bek, which is in the Bekaa Valley, midway between Beirut and Damas-
cus. The stonework there was amazing. There were large stone blocks at
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sert a knife blade between the blocks. The architecture of the “temples”
was impressive.

We went by car to Damascus and boarded a small bus there for
a trip to Jerusalem. On the outskirts of Damascus the bus was stopped
by two Syrian soldiers who demanded a bribe from me. I pointed out
that none of the other passengers (we were the only Americans) were
asked to pay, and I refused to pay. Fortunately, the soldier gave up and
let us pass.

The area from Damascus to Amman, Jordan was a dry gravel
plain. In the middle of the trip, the driver stopped to allow passengers to
relieve themselves. Ladies went to one side and men to the other, with
no toilet facilities and no privacy. We passed through Amman and then
turned west into Jerusalem. We stayed at the American Colony Hotel,
which was a simple, stone building with a tiny garden.
At this time, Palestine was split. On one side was the newly
established Israel; the other half was now under control of Jordan. The
Old City portion of Jerusalem was entirely in Arab hands. There was a
no-man’s land with barbed wire barricades patrolled by soldiers sepa-
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Jordanian police. After we did so, the captain of the police teased by
informing us that Janet would not be allowed to leave, “She is a little
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part.

We hired a guide and went to the typical tourist sites. In some
areas of the Old City there had been so little change that one could read-
ily feel that it had looked like this to Jesus. We visited the Dome of the
Rock, which is sacred to Muslims as the place from which they believe
Muhammed ascended to heaven; it is of interest to Jews and Christians
alike as the possible spot where Jacob took his son Isaac in order to
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