Desert Highway, 16.iv.2004
Jordan comes as a real challenge to the road sign collector.
Even as it is a small country you would arrive nowhere if you called for a stop for
yet another falling rock sign that pops-up before the windshield. You would probably
end up next to one of the study objects staring at the bus disappearing below the
horizon. I thus leaned out of the window and put my faith in my camera's autofocus —
and in the second team that cruised Jordan at the same time.
Busy point-and-clicking I suffered of an eerie feeling.
It wasn't like being at home (see
Men at work);
it was more like a
déja-vu. But I couldn't put my finger on it.
It was only much later that
it jumped to my mind: this was a replay of an earlier expedition in
South-Africa !
Desert Highway, Aqaba, 16.iv.2004
Wadi al Mujib, 29.xii.2000;
pict. Baeten & De Dier
Dana - Tafila, iv.2004;
pict. Vanacker & Kesteleyn
All Falling Rock signs on the Desert Highway
are identical and of the
South-African kind. Inexperienced
readers may think of the
UK-breed, but a quick
look-up will reveal the differences in the numbers and position of the boulders.
A UK-sign counts three pebbles, one big stone, then again three small ones and
ends with one huge boulder.
All finds of this panel were mounted on their sides.
I've explained a probable reason in the text about
Armenia.
Many of the other rock-signs are also inspired
by
South-Africa, I think. Though the number of stones
has dropped from seven to five. Enjoy the diversity.
It's particularly refreshing to look at the behaviour of the cliff.
It starts as a straight wall and at the end develops waves like a
sea under Beaufort 12.
The next few rows show another family of
Jordanian rock-signs. They are characterised by a small number of huge stones
of which one already hit the ground. This is a rather uncommon feature
in Falling Rock signs. More important however is that this collection sheds a light on their making.
Look carefully, then read on.
We have six different designs but the stones come in two shapes only (see detail ¥).
There's agreement about which kind of boulder is at the bottom, but no recipe for the
rest. The assembler may grab in the box of his liking and position the rocks to his taste.
One of each shape is recommended, but if he fancies four of a kind, so be it. Artist's freedom.
