Jordan
Incoming Travel - Highlights of Jordan
Here you'll find the most popular places in
our country.
However, we
will gladly assist you with
any other questions
you might have and
prepare a program with exclusive destinations
in Jordan
Amman
A sprawling city
spread over 19 hills, or "jebels". Amman is the modern, as well
as the ancient capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Often
referred to as the white city due to its low size canvas of
stone houses, Amman offers a variety of historical sites.
Towering above Amman, the site of the earliest fortifications is
now subject to numerous excavations which have revealed remains
from the Neolithic period as well as from the Hellenestic and
late Roman to Arab Islamic Ages.
Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is
famous for its marine wildlife. It is home to 110 species of
soft corals and 120 species of hard corals. The reefs which
fringe the Gulf, host over 1000 species of fish, corals,
crustaceans, and mammals living in its waters. Nocturnal animals
such as the crab, shrimp, and lobster appear in search of food
in the dark hours of the night. Seasonal visitors to the Gulf of
Aqaba include sea turtles, dolphins, sea cows, and harmless
whale sharks.
Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan. This beautiful
town, surrounded by fascinating colourful mountains and the blue
waters of the Red Sea, expands over 27 kilometres of shoreline
on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Dead Sea
At 410 meters below
sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth. Jordan’s
Dead Sea coast is one of the most spectacular natural and
spiritual landscapes in the world and it remains as enticing to
international visitors today as it was to kings, emperors,
traders, and prophets in antiquity.
The main attraction of the Dead Sea is of course the
soothing, abnormally salty water itself. The salt content of the
water is 31.5% making the water so buoyant that it is impossible
for the visitor to sink. The water also contains 21 minerals
including high levels of magnesium, sodium, potassium, and
bromine and 12 of these minerals are found in no other body of
water in the world.
Desert Castles
Jordan's desert
castles, beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and
architecture, stand testament to a fascinating era in the
country's rich history. Their fine mosaics, frescoes, stone and
stucco carvings and illustrations, inspired by the best in
Persian and Graeco - Roman traditions, tell countless stories of
the life as it was during the eighth century. Called castles
because of their imposing stature, the desert complexes actually
served various purposes as caravan stations, agriculture and
trade centres, resort pavilions and outposts that helped distant
rulers forge ties with local bedouins. Several of these
preserved compounds, all of which are clustered to the east and
south of Amman, can be visited on one - or two - day loops from
the city.
Qusair Amra, one of the best preserved monuments, is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Its interior walls and ceilings are covered
with lively frescoes, and two of the rooms are paved with
colorful mosaics.
Qasr Mushatta, Qasr al - Kharrana, Qasr at -Tuba and Qasr al
- Hallabat have been restored and are all in excellent
condition. The black basalt fort at Azraq, in continuous use
since Late Roman times, was the headquarters of Lawrence of
Arabia during the Arab Revolt.
Jerash
The ruins at Jerash
(known in Roman times as Gerasa) are one of Jordan's major
attractions and still have the power to evoke the ghosts of
Rome. It's one of the best examples in the Middle East of a
Roman provincial city, and is remarkably well preserved.
In its heyday, Jerash (known in Roman times as Gerasa) had a
population of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants and, although it
wasn't on any major trade route, its citizens prospered from the
good agricultural land that surrounded it. The ancient walled
city that survives today was the administrative, commercial,
civic and religious centre of Jerash. The bulk of the
inhabitants lived on the eastern side of Wadi Jerash (now the
modern town of Jerash) and the two centres were linked by
causeways and processional paths. As you wander Jerash try to
imagine life 2000 years ago: the centre bustling with shops and
merchants, lined with cooling water fountains and dramatic
painted façades. Picture today's empty niches filled with
painted statues; buildings still clad in marble façades and
decorated with carved peacocks and shell motifs; and churches
topped with Tuscan-style terracotta tiled roofs. For a visual
reconstruction of Jerash's finest buildings, check out the
drawings at the visitor centre.
Madaba
This easy-going
little town south of Amman is best known for its beautiful
Byzantine-era mosaics, including the 'Madaba map', a 6th-century
mosaic map of Palestine. Made of two million pieces, the Madaba
map shows the Nile, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, including the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
You can see this mosaic, possibly Madaba's most interesting,
in the Greek Orthodox St George's Church. Most of Madaba is now
a carefully restored Archaeological Park, including the
7th-century churches of the Virgin and the Prophet Elias, and
the older Hippolytus Hall
Petra
Petra is the sort of
place that usually exists only in the imagination. This unique
ancient city was hewn from a towering rock wall; few of the
imposing facades of its great buildings are freestanding. Make
sure you take as much film as you can carry because every nook
and cranny is a Kodak moment.
It's hard to overrate Petra. There's no other sight in
Jordan, or perhaps the whole Middle East, as compelling - the
locals know it, and they'll charge you accordingly. Once the
capital of the Nabateaeans, a 3rd century BC Arab dynasty, Petra
was forgotten for 1000 years and only rediscovered in 1812. It
raised its public profile with an appearance in the movie
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. Since its discovery and up
until the 1980s, it was home to a number of Bedouin families who
have since been relocated, an arrangement they are less than
happy with. Don't expect a serene and contemplative visit: up to
3000 people come here every day.
You really need to spend a couple of days here to get the
feel of the place, which means paying the entry fee more than
once. Set in a deep canyon and only accessible through a narrow
winding cleft (or siq) in the rock, Petra is carved from
sandstone that takes on deep rusty hues interlaced with bands of
grey and yellow. The most famous ruin is the Khazneh, or
treasury, whose beautifully carved facade is the first thing
you'll see when you enter from the siq. The monastery is equally
imposing, and if you climb to the top you'll get stunning views.
Other ruins include an 8000-seat amphitheatre and the Temple of
the Winged Lions, still in the process of excavation.
Wadi Rum
The moonlike
landscape of Wadi Rum is unique in the world. The desert of Rum
is dotted with massive mountains, coloured in shades of red,
yellow, and orange. Lawrence of Arabia spent some time here
during the Arab Revolt, and many of the scenes from the film
were shot here.
Although a popular tourist stop, it hasn't lost any of its
forbidding majesty. The only residents of the area are 4000
villagers and Bedouin nomads, and the only buildings are goat
hair tents, a few concrete shops and houses and the fort
headquarters of the Desert Patrol Corps. There is no hotel.
TLB
Destinations
Headquarters: Rabieh - Main road
Antelias
Lebanon
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