The Return of The King...

water capture feature at High Place of Sacrifice

Yesterday Wadi Musa rejoiced with the visit of King Abdullah II. He spent 3+ hours with many an adoring subject that was ready to royally greet him. As The Jordan Times noted:“His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday underlined the need to preserve national unity and to refrain from any behaviour or action that might harm social cohesion.”   http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=35907  It is often noted to us that 99% of the population love their King and reject calls for a constitutional monarchy. Meanwhile in Petra Archaeological Park, despite wonderful springtime weather, it was the slowest day visitation-wise in the past fortnight. This gave time to reflect on the population of 2,000 years ago: they had water works, piping water to this city-of-trade, but where was their food produced? Much like other metro areas that supported populations beyond their carrying capacity during times of plenty via importation, it was not sustainable (can you say “Chaco” or Los  Angeles?)