A precious gem of history - the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Bible, crusades, castles, history spanning thousands of years; Nabateans and even before them, right up to modern times; this is a little gem of history - Jordan. I use the word 'little' not because the history is less, because it has huge dollops of it,  but the country is relatively small.

The old Roman Theatre and the new buildings side by side.

A drive around Jordan reveals this crucible of history, Ibrahim and Abraham; Zeus and Jupiter are the same gods but by a different name. 

A city tour of Amman brings out the melting pot of days gone by, the highlights are the ruins of the ancients, mainly Romans and Byzantines. Now a sprawling city spread over seven hills, it is a sight to see when the sun is setting.

What was once a tall castle still stands, but with one tower remaining only.

...in ruins but still proud Karak Fort

Many castles made by both the Crusaders and those opposing them dot the landscape. Time permitted us to go to only the more prominent and those in better condition. Most of these are in ruins and an avid follower of history may make sense out of them.

Pomegranates of different types...

...Who will buy my carrots? and radish...

It is not a big country, one can drive north to south in about 5-6 hours, the and the roads are good. Driving north of Amman, there are many fruit and vegetable vendors by the side, farmers who sell directly to consumers. Fresh carrots (and lots of carrots), brinjals, radish, tomatoes, oranges, olives of various types, pomegranates, pickles, all line the road.

The main gate of Jerash

The Romans and the Byzantines made many cities in the land, some of which are in good repair and others in ruins. One would see many common features in Roman cities, though varying in size, the layout was nearly identical and almost always had a theatre, main street, shops, and a temple.

a huge dish of Mansaf, and there was one dish for each person

Eat Jordanian food, mansaf, magluba, Sajiya and barbeque; the Jordanians eat a lot of goat, sheep, beef and chicken. In a little lane of Amman there is a tiny but busy shop selling the  famous Kunefe, there are two types soft and crisp; and foodies that we were, we went at it with gusto, standing in the long queue and when our turn came we requested for both. People came and took it home or ate it there at the shop.

Tomb of Obelisks at Bab-al-Siq at he beginning of the walk in Petra

The first glimpse at the Khazneh from the Siq 

Petra is a "rose-red city, half as old as time”.  A city state, complete with piped water, and of course the Al Kazneh (the Treasury). It is Jordan’s most visited tourist site, and is the confluence of many cultures through the ages. Approached by Al Siq (the Shaft). There are many remarkable aspects to Petra, most of which can be found by a search of the internet.

erosion led to these beautiful designs in the sculpture

natural waves in stone caused by the wind and the water

Much of what is overlooked by the harried tourist is possibly the sandstone eroded by wind and water, making fantastic shapes and designs. No picture does justice to this.

graffiti in the Greek Orthodox Church

There is graffiti in most places, can we not avoid defacing historical monuments with 'been there, done this' kind of sayings?

some of the fantastic erosion of the Dead Sea...

...and getting back to sea level

The Dead Sea, named as nothing survives in it, is said to be the lowest point on land earth, it is arguably between 380 and 430 meters below sea level.  In fact, one has to climb a fair bit in one’s vehicle to reach sea level. That’s Israel across the Sea, but worth looking at are that the wind and water give the shores very attractive shapes.

at the viewpoint at Umm Qais 

From Umm Qais one can see Israel, Palestine, Syria, along with the Sea of Galilee of the Bible.  And of course, no military man (and I am one) could say that he hasn't heard of  the Golan Heights which you see in front.   

These and many other memorable sights made Jordan very special to us, passing many places which until then were merely stories, now come to life. A land of wonders, blessed with history and graced with monuments to the past and to nature. 

Forts - If These Stones Could Tell a Story

 

Forts evoke days of yore, proud sentinels of the land, looking in the eye of the enemy, hand to hand battles, chivalry and sieges. Forts could be small city states with fort palaces where the ruler could lock himself and his faithful in. Such fortress palaces extended many kilometres in diameter and encompassed within its walls the entire wherewithal to sustain life for months and even years. 

Koraigarh Fort complex was possibly built where function takes priority over form.  Just a tiny redoubt to protect a village or an outpost to collect taxes, such tiny functional forts dot the Indian landscape, looking out over the countryside.

Citadel of Tikone. The attacker could not reach citadel of a complex fort easily, he got to the very top of the fort,  if he did at all, after hard fought battles over a series of tactically placed obstacles.  He generally saw the citadel after crossing the Darwaza (door or gate ) of the fort, by this time he was quite spent in men and material.
 

Clouds come over the Sahyadris. Except for naval forts guarding harbours and river mouths, forts were almost always sited on a height so that they could imperiously survey the area around.  Clouds obscured vision, so a defender had to compromise between line of sight and altitude. 

Orchha Palace fort, reminiscent of glorious days gone by.  Forts were designed essentially for two purposes, the first being to dominate and defend territory or access to harbours. They also projected the might of a ruler, as the more ornate fort palace complex the mightier  the line of rulers. 

The grandeur of Gwalior Fort and Palace at sunrise. The second reason for making or extending forts and palaces were at times of famine when the ruler needed to disburse to the population the grain collected as taxes. Probably the original concept of giving food for doing work. These two reasons often overlapped so that battles across the country with accompanying famine gave us many forts.

The Bastion of the fort at Jhansi.  Being essentially defensive, forts were designed so that minimum soldiers could dominate far more vast armies or populations. These locations also served as sally ports for enhanced troops that the emperor may send to attack an invader. All features of a bastion were then oriented to these purposes. The steps, crenellations, embrasures, served to concentrate defending troops at points of decision.  Walls were so made that defenders could concentrate on sides where the attacker was maximum, effecting economy of defensive forces.

The steep approach Visapur Fort.  To space out an attacker, most approaches were narrow, up steep hills, the steps or path allowing for at most one or two men at a time. This forced piecemeal deployment of the attacker also enabled a defender to stop far greater numbers with the relatively few men available to him. 

The path up to the citadel of Tikone Fort.  By now the attacker would have been decimated by the outer walls and the layers of obstacles in his path.  The narrow and steep approach also meant that the attacker would have to use his hands for climbing and not for weapons. The degree of difficulty was increased by making the approach slippery with water and having high walls on either side manned by the defender.

A lone Monkey now sits sentinel on the mighty and extensive walls of Kumbhalgarh Fort.  The main gate of a fort was often at right angles to the path up, this was by devious design. Elephants or other gate-breaking devices could not charge the gate, having to turn at right angles meant slowing down and  reducing or negating the momentum of a charge.

The attacker of Tikone has the Bhuyari Darwaza to contend with.  The approach had rapid changes in light and dark for the attacker, this prevented his eyes from adjusting and disorientated him. Allowing the defenders on shelves in the dark to decapitate the attacker without being seen. 

Turret and walls of Jhansi Fort. The walls of a fort had crenellations, slits and turrets (bulges) to enable a fewer defenders to face a larger number of attackers. The slits were so designed that the defender would have a large field of fire (bow and arrow; later musket) while exposing himself the least.

A large weapon emplacement at Visapur. These weapon positions were funnel shaped, being wider towards the defender inside with a narrower slit visible to the attacker from the outside. The turrets allowed the defender to see the base of the fort walls on either side so that an enemy could not hide there. 

Water Cistern at Tikone.  In the days before gunpowder, it was nearly impossible to capture a fort by force of arms alone.  It was generally captured only by guile or treason, or by the attacker laying a siege, sometimes for years. To withstand a siege, the defender had to have adequate stocks of food and ammunition.

Reflection in a water cistern at Rajmachi.  The most important supply was water, as most forts were on hilltops, naturally occurring water was inadequate or non-existent. So almost without exception the defender made huge underground cisterns where rainwater was collected in the monsoon and stored for use in the dry months.

A large water storage facility at Tikone.  Water was (and is) needed for drinking, cooking and washing, sometimes for years. Besides the soldiers, often the local inhabitants of the area would withdraw into the walls to gain protection, so there was a very large need of water.  To cater to this copious need, huge water tanks were made above and below ground.  

Tuljadevi Mandir at Tikone.  Religion was (and is) very important to a soldier, after all he was being asked to lay down his life and there is no greater sacrifice.  Every fort has a temple which is dedicated to a ruling deity and many have more than one. In fact many forts are named after a deity. 

Another symbol of victory.  Battle was mystical and religious and most modern armies too have some form of worship to weapons and Gods of war. Shastr pooja (religious ceremonies pertaining to weapons) is an integral part of military life even today.   All parties to a conflict feel that God is on their side and the righteous will win, this belief has held true through the ages.

Weapons positions at Visapur.  Stones were precision cut, in most cases being held together by gravity or lime. Weapons slits were always tactically cut, never to accommodate a particular size of stone.   Depending on how long a fort had been in use and the time available, such places were austere or engraved and adorned. 

Stones in the wall of  Shreevardhan.  The line of the cut was so precise, that it each stone rests perfectly on the other. One wonders at the time taken to cut so finely such heavy stone blocks at  height with very restricted access. Most forts were made from stone quarried from where the fort stood.  These stones have withstood the centuries and structures made from them are still standing in places.

A tower at Gwalior Palace/Fort.  If the fort was meant to project power or had a palace within, embellishments were added to the more ornate carving in stone. Craftsmen would decorate the edifice with local or imported skills and materials.  In some places semi-precious stones or fine inlay work is evident where these have withstood the ravages of time and invaders through the centuries.

Tung Fort as seen from Tikone.  Communication means at that time were line of sight, smoke or reflections by day and fire by night. This was why many forts were within sight of each other, in many places one can see two or three other forts from one.

Langurs Frolic where soldiers once stood.  Fort walls are now decrepit, repaired in places and falling apart in others.  The fearsome crenellations of yore are now sadly overgrown with vegetation. Gunpowder and the industrial age gradually rendered fixed defences untenable, with these went forts. For a while some forts were re-purposed, as prisons, outposts or granaries, but now even these uses are no longer required.

Once proud walls look out over the country side.  Forts were once glorious but with time they have become irrelevant and mostly allowed to go to seed. In some places desultory repairs have been effected, but mostly these proud monuments to our military past are falling apart.  Tourists gawk, picnic and tragically litter what remains of this ancient military heritage. The tales of valour , heroism, treachery and daily life these stones  would tell if only they could talk.

Reis Magos Fort – Gunsmoke, Ghosts and Mario Miranda

Guarding the sea approach
A cannon and the turret typical to this fort on the
upper ramparts

Forts...... Evoke visions of battles, gun smoke, chivalry, heroism and even a touch of romance. India is replete with forts from time immemorial, everyone made them, ancient civilisations, the later invader turned rulers, and finally the European colonising powers. The industrial revolution really put an end to forts and fortifications as a pivot from which to wage war. A classic case being during the Second World War when the Germans outflanked the French fortified Maginot Line, arguably the last ‘fort’ constructed.

Silent Sentinel
A cannon with Portuguese coat-of-arms
guards the approach to the Mandovi

A fort was the symbol of power and writ and they were made for many reasons. These were primarily defensive (most Mughal, Rajput and Maratha forts), but often as the bastion of a city state (Vasai fort in the Mumbai suburbs), revenue collection (the many tiny forts around Gwalior and Central India) and symbols of primacy like the many the many fort-palaces in most erstwhile kingdoms. Colonising powers too made forts to protect trading rights and like the forts at Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. Sometimes forts were made or extended as 'food for work' projects where, in times of famine, the ruler disbursed grain from the royal granaries in exchange for work.

the Protected Steps
from the upper ramparts to the lower river landing

Naval forts were important links in a shore based seaward defence and the Indian Coast is dotted with them. Usually made to protect important cities, harbours and navigable river mouths. These were usually sited in pairs on both shoulders of a harbour or creek, thus controlling entry and egress from these harbours. Reis Magos is one such fort, which in conjunction with Gasper Dias fort on the opposite shoulder of the Mandovi, protects the entrance to the Mandovi River in Goa. Made by the the Portuguese in the 1550’s, it rises steeply from the headland. The fort was designed for primarily two purposes, control passage of ships through the Mandovi River and regulate the use of the river landing at the base of the fort. Thus it has high turrets, typical of the age overlooking the entire approaches seaward and a fortified corridor leading to the river landing itself. It has multiple gun-decks at various levels with ports for 33 guns which dominated the area around and room for a small garrison. Like most Goan construction this fort too is built of red laterite stone.

The Lower Gun Decks
had cannon to protect the river landings

By the 19th century naval forts became less important and Reis Magos was converted into a jail for convicted freedom fighters. It continued as a jail till the 1990’s when it was abandoned and fell into decay.

Restored and opened to the public in 2012, it is site worth visiting. Apart from the history associated with the fort, it today houses a superb collection of Mario Miranda pictures and extracts from his childhood diaries.

Don’t miss this fort on your next visit to Goa, Portugese ghosts and the booming of cannon through the ages will make it worth your while, as will the exquisite drawings by Mario Miranda.