Jordan At Your Pace

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Amman, considered by some the cultural capital of the Middle East, is the capital of Jordan. Situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley, Amman today is a modern and cosmopolitan city full of ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques but you can see evidence of the city’s extensive past everywhere. The heart of all the town is the Citadel with Romans and Ammonites ruins. From the top of the Citadel you can see a wonderful landscape over the hills of the city. Whilst the city we see may not be very old, on the hill of the Citadel there is evidence of the ancient history of the city that was Greek Philadelphia. There is an interesting Archaeological museum worth visiting. Nearby, there is the Roman theatre and some museums with interesting displays of mosaics, jewelry and costume. A walk around the city brings you to mosques and a surprising variety of churches, souks and shops. Amman is a busy city where the modern and the traditional coexist side by side. Moreover, Amman is the perfect starting point if you want to visit all the area around this town. From Amman is very easy to reach Jerash, Ajlun, Pella, the Dead Sea and the Desert Castles.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Petra, the fabled "rose red city, half as old as time", is a well-known ancient Nabataean city in the south of Jordan. Due to its breathtaking grandeur and fabulous ruins, Petra was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. The first major excavations of the site were in 1929 after the forming of Trans-Jordan. Since that time, Petra has become by far Jordan's largest tourist attraction. The site was included in the Steven Spielberg movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989 and was chosen in July 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The entrance to Petra is a long, winding sandstone canyon known as the Siq. There are minor carvings spotted here and there throughout the Siq, but the most impressive sights are the colorful and unusual sandstone patterns in the rock walls. There are also remains of terracotta pipes built into the sides of the canyon that were used in Roman times to carry water. Upon exiting the Siq, visitors can view the jaw-dropping grandeur of the Treasury (al-Khazneh in Arabic). Be sure to note the urn atop the Treasury structure. It has been rumored that the urn contained a Pharaoh's hidden treasure, and the urn bears the bullet pock marks where Bedouin travelers throughout the years have tested the theory. Past the next bend is the outer Siq or Street of Facades, a large canyon lined with the facades of various tombs. At the end of the Street of Facades is the 7000-seat Roman Theater. The theater was created by the Nabateans but later enlarged by the Romans. It is still used for occasional performances. On the side of the valley opposite the Roman Theater and a short walk up the hill, are the Royal Tombs. The name was given because they are quite grand in scale compared to the others in the area, but it is unclear for whom the tombs were originally constructed. The Monastery (ad-Deir), the largest carved monument in Petra, dates back to the 1st century AD. The interior, like that of the Treasury, is puny in comparison to the facade. The more than 800 steps up to the Monastery can take over an hour. Petra by Night happens on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 20:30. It is only made of candles, you'll hear a short play of Bedouin music and be served some tea in plastic cups while you sit on mats at the Treasury. It's best to see this before you see Petra by day, as it becomes far less impressive if you already walked up to the Treasury during daytime. It's not amazing, but it's something nice to do during nighttime.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: People have lived in Rum for thousands of years, struggling to survive in its harsh environment. They have been hunters, pastoralists, farmers and traders, as Rum is close to national borders. Even the famous Nabateans once occupied Rum, leaving behind several structures, including a temple. Local people gained notoriety more recently when they joined the arab revolt forces under the leadership of king Faisal and fought along with Lawrence of Arabia during the Arab Revolt (1917/18) to fight the occupying Turkish and German armies. Lawrence himself makes many references to Wadi Rum in his book ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, a title apparently inspired by one of Rum’s imposing mountains. The exploits of Lawrence have become part of local folklore, and some popular tourist sites are named after him, although whether he used these exact sites is open to debate. Virtually all the people living in and around Wadi Rum today are of Bedouin origin and, until recently, led nomadic lives, relying on their goat herds. They are resourceful, hospitable people who are largely responsible for developing Wadi Rum as a tourist destination. Recognizing the unique natural and cultural history of Wadi Rum and the vital importance of tourism to the local economy, the government of Jordan declared Wadi Rum a protected area in 1998. With support from the World Bank they commissioned the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, a national NGO, to prepare a conservation plan and build a team of local people to manage the area. This team is now under the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and is pioneering ways to restore and safeguard Rum’s sensitive desert habitats from ever-increasing human pressure.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Aqaba is Jordan's only port city, located on the Gulf of Aqaba in the extreme south of the country. Aqaba is Jordan's window on the Red Sea. Aqaba has experienced great development in recent years, a fact that has led to the improved infrastructure and facilities. Aqaba has been an inhabited settlement since 4000 BC due to its strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes between Asia and Africa. During World War I, the Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from Aqaba after a raid, known as the Battle of Aqaba, led by TE Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia) and the Arab forces of Sharif Hussein in 1917. The most important sites to see in Aqaba are: • Aqaba Fort Originally dating from the 14th century AD, although the present structure was built by the Mamluk Sultan el-Ghawri Qansawh (1501-1516) and has been revised many times since. • Ayla, (next to the Moevenpick complex). The ancient city that was established when Islam arrived in the area in 622 AD. • Roman Church of the 4th century: The oldest Christian church in history. • Aqaba Museum: This unique museum is definitely one of the main attractions of Aqaba as it displays a variety of assets, as well as life-size models of traditional life in one of the oldest cities in Jordan. It also contains a collection of rare historical images from the beginning of the last century to the present.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: There are three places of tourist interest in the region: Palestine; Israel and Jordan. In Israel we can find four main sites: 1) the natural reserve of Ein Gedi that is located on the shores of the Dead Sea, being one of the most important spas. In addition there are archaeological remains of which it is believed that they have an antiquity of more than 5000 years; 2) the Ein Gedi Spa that has natural sulfur pools with healing properties. It also has a freshwater pool; 3) Ein Bokek, the hotel and spa area of ​​the Dead Sea coast, the beaches have high salinity; Y, 4) Masada, which is an archaeological site of Masada, is one of the most visited places in Israel, a very important site for the Jewish people and has been declared a National Park. As for Jordan, nine international franchises have opened hotels next to the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, along with apartments on the east coast of the Dead Sea. Since November 2015, the panoramic path of the Dead Sea has been included along with 40 archaeological sites in Jordan. In Palestine the main point of interest are the Qumran Caves; which is the site where the Dead Sea manuscripts were discovered, is located a few kilometers south of Jericho in the middle of a rocky area of ​​the Judean desert.