On Friday, January 11, Dr. Barbara Porter, ACOR Director, accompanied a large group of members of Congress and their staff to Petra at the invitation of the US Embassy in Amman. The congressmen are all members of the House Appropriations Committee. Congressman David Price also chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton serves on the Committee on Homeland Security. Prior to arriving in Jordan they were in Oman and Egypt. Before going to Jerusalem, they were able to visit Petra on a cold but clear day.

Petra was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World last summer and was also the focus of various archaeological projects on the part of ACOR starting in 1992. Many American teams have been working in the area for decades so part of the tour included showcasing American projects but also noting the wide range of international and Jordanian work that has been accomplished. In the walk through the Siq(the narrow entrance gorge) details revealed by the excavations undertaken by the Petra National Trust were explained. After exiting the Siq and examining the so-called Treasury (the “Khasneh”), a photograph was taken of the members of Congress and their accompanying family members (see Photo). Some chose to ride camels from the Treasury to the Petra Church in the center of the city where the final part of the tour took place. There they were shown the interior of the Petra Church, likely the cathedral of Petra in Byzantine times, which has lovely mosaic floors. The importance of the 1993 discovery in that church of a sixth century archive of burnt papyrus scrolls was emphasized as was ACOR's role in the discovery, preservation and publishing these ancient documents. The frequently asked question as to how much of Petra has been uncovered was answered by Porter with the estimate of only about two percent.