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Jordan a place to be experienced not to be explained!


Jerash

The only things that are missing in Jerash are the roofs of its buildings and the Romans! 50km north Amman, The best example of a Roman provincial city in the whole middle east, built by Alexander the great in 332 B.C, rebuilt by Ptolemy of Egypt and refurbished by the great Roman leader Pompey in 63 B.C and became one of the most important Decapolis (Ten Cities) in the middle east. The great Zeus temple, the south and north theatres, the spectacular colonnaded street and much other ancient architecture shall give you the feeling of the great civilizations and the glorious history of the region, with no doubt it worth the visit.


Umm Qais

Modern UMM QAIS, Over Looking the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan Valley first appeared in history when it fell to the Seleucid Antiochus the Great (218 BC); the Jewish king Alexander Jannaeus took it after 6 months' siege (67 BC). In (63 BC.) was taken by the famous Roman leader Pompey and became a member of the Decapolis controlling a part of the famous caravan route the king's highway. Gadara was one of the places mentioned in the Bible when Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee where he cast out the demons from the possessed man in the bush into a herd of pigs and sank in the Sea of Galilee. Theatres, Temples, colonnaded street, Basilica and museum and much more to explore.

Ajloun

Ajlun castle was built by Saladin the Ayubide (Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi) in 1184-1185 to be a powerful fortress against the crusades over looking the modern Ajlun and Anjara towns. Locates about 75 km north west Amman, do not hesitate in making up you mind to visit that castle, it shall magnificently unveils to you the great history of the Arabs in the middle east and leads you to the roots of the glorious dynasties whom history took a place in Jordan.


Desert Castles

Stretching east of Amman, the parched desert plain rolls on to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. This is a place where endless sand and barren basalt landscapes give proof to man’s ability to thrive under harsh conditions. The discovery of flint hand-axes in this desert indicates that Paleolithic settlers inhabited the region around half a million years ago. But the most remarkable remains of human habitation are the palaces built by the Damascus-based Umayyad caliphs during the early days of Islam (seventh-eighth centuries CE). During the height of the Umayyad dynasty, architecture flourished with the cultural exchange that accompanied growing trade routes. By 750 CE, when the Umayyad dynasty was overthrown by the Abbasids of Baghdad, a richly characteristic Muslim architecture was evolving, owing considerably to the cosmopolitan influence of builders and craftsmen drawn from .

Amman

Amman (biblical Rabbah Ammon; ancient Philadelphia), city in northern Jordan, capital of Jordan and Amman Governorate. Amman is the commercial, industrial, and administrative center of Jordan. The city Rabbah Ammon had its origins in the period about 1500 bc, and was important as the chief city of the Ammonites. In the 3rd century bc the Egyptian king Ptolemy Philadelphus captured it and renamed it Philadelphia, under which name it was known throughout the eras of the Roman and Byzantine empires. Many ruins of this period can be seen in Amman today. In the 1st century ad it was a leading city of the Roman province of Arabia. Lost to the Byzantines at the rise of Islam and subsequently conquered by Arabs in the 7th century, the city fell into decline by about 1300, again taking its former name, Rabbah Ammon. It was revived in the 20th century. An important Ottoman base during World War I, it was taken from the Ottomans by the British in September 1918. Amman became the capital of newly independent Jordan in 1946

Dead Sea

Arabic AL-BAHR AL-MAYYIT, Hebrew YAM HA-MELAH ("Salt Sea"), landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan, the lowest body of water on Earth, which averages about 1,312 feet (400 m) below sea level. Its northern half belongs to Jordan; its southern half is divided between Jordan and Israel.

Bethany

The area was most visited by ancient pilgrims in Transjordan is that which extends, opposite Jericho, from the east bank of the river to the sanctuary of Moses on Mount Nebo. They were attracted to the places along the Jordan river in the territory of Livias, which were connected with the memory of the baptism of Jesus and the preaching of John the Baptist, as well as to the places, further inland, which were related to the final episodes of the life and mission of Moses in the territory of Madaba. According to Pliny, the Essenes were located on the western side of the Dead-Sea. Recently, some ruins with the famous Dead-Sea scrolls were found there. It was here, in this wilderness where John made his public appearance, just a few miles around all north eastern and western shores of the Dead Sea and along both sides of the southern parts of Jordan River. The area of this wilderness is located thirty kilometers from northern Shuneh south of Ez-Zara near Machaerus. It was the center of several events that happened there, it includs many important archaeological sites such as: Wadi Kharrar, Tell er-Rameh, Tell-Nimrin, Tell-Ilktana, Tell-Kafrei, Tell el-Hammam, Tell e-Tahuneh, Wadi el-Kafrien sites, Kh-Swimeh and Ez-Zara. Barren terraces of marl, especially to the east where the steep hills of Balqa and Madaba lay, surround the area.

Madaba

In December 1876, at Madaba (Medeba), during the excavation of one of the 6th Century AD churches found there, a mosaic map was discovered. encompassing the area from Beth-shan to the Nile river in Egypt and from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Arabian desert in the east. What is significant about it, is that it is the earliest extant map known today..

Mt. Nebo

Jabal Musa, also called Mount Nebo, lies to the northwest of Madaba, Jordan and is the alleged site of the tomb of Moses. The principal ruins are at a place called Syagha and consist of a church and an adjacent monastery. The first historical mention of the church is in the account of the famous pilgrim, Lady Egeria (Aetheria) who visited the site in 394 AD. She describes a small church containing the tomb of Moses, the place having been miraculously revealed in a vision to a local Shepard. In the late fifth or early sixth century the shrine is mentioned in the biography of Peter the Iberian. The building is now described as a “ very large temple, named after the prophet Moses and many monasteries which are build around it”, which seems to indicate that an enlargement of the complex since the time of Egeria

Petra

The city of Petra is the prized possession of Jordan. Rediscovered to the west in 1812 by a Swiss explorer, the 2000 year old city is a legacy of the Nabataean Arab inhabitants whose rich culture, ingenious architecture and sophisticated city life remains well preserved and etched into the heart of southern Jordan. It is without doubt a magnificent city that stirs the human spirit and exemplifies the heights of world civilisation

Wadi Rum

A spectacular landscape, beautiful rocks formations, silence and purity makes the visit to that valley worth it. Tourists can enjoy a jeep car tour in Wadi Rum to visit several historical places such as, Lawrence spring and other interesting site where some inscription have been found carved on the rocks which witnessed the glorious history of the reigion. A life time experience tourists shall never forget when spending an overnight in the valley, Accommodations procedures can be arranged for those whom interested to experience the surface of the moon, yes that's how I call the view of the valley when you look at it from the heights.

Aqaba

spectacular tourist site iThe small Red Sea port of Aqaba is unique and beautiful in a very special way. Encircled by rugged purple mountains that subtly change in mood and color as the day unfolds. On the beaches visitors soak up the sun before cooling off in the refreshingly cool waters. The natural setting is impressive, with the narrow bay of the country's only port, ringed by mountains and fringed by Palm trees. The port area lies round to the east of the town, and Jordan receives most of her imports from this route.

Karak

Variously known throughout history as Qir Heres, Qir Moab, and Hareseth, Karak has been a prized possession of a number of civilizations. It lies on the ancient caravan routes that used to connect Egypt to Syria, and its commanding position almost 1000 meters above the Dead Sea Valley made it a strategic asset of great importance. The city was the ancient capital of Moab, and was also used by the Greeks and Romans. During Roman times it was known as Characmoba. But it was not until the arrival of the Crusaders in the 12th century that Karak reached its full splendor. It is recorded that the Crusader King Baldwin I of Jerusalem had the castle built in 1132 CE. With its location midway between Shobak and Jerusalem, Karak formed part of a great line of Crusader castles stretching from Aqaba to Turkey. Karak became the capital of the Crusader district of Oultrejourdain, and, with the taxes levied on passing caravans and food grown in the district, it helped Jerusalem prosper.


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