Two foundations
The city’s ancient name is Rekem and it is situated near the Dead Sea, in the desert lands of Jordan. It was discovered by Westerners as late as 1812. Like any ancient city, it consists of various buildings – houses, tombs, a monastery, temple, and other dwellings. Two facts about the city are striking. One is its age. It is so old that no one has any idea when it was founded. There are references to it in the writings of Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Old Testament, but it seems to have been around much longer than that. This survival would be remarkable for any city, but what makes this even more incredible is the harshness of the region’s geographic elements. The region is prone to severe flash flooding. The city has survived millennia of sandstorms, flash floods, and earthquakes, not to mention wars, fires, and various manmade calamities. How is this possible? Because of the city’s other most striking feature: the entire city is carved out of a massive slab of solid...