WADI RUM This is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like…” A maze of monolithic rockscapes rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750m creating a natural…
Wadi Mujib Geography During the last ice age the water level of the Dead Sea reached 180 metres (590 ft) below sea level, about 240 metres (790 ft) higher than it is today. It flooded the lower areas of the canyons along its banks, which became bays and begun to accumulate sediments. As the climatic conditions changed, about 20,000 years…
Umm Qais, situated 110 km (68 miles) north of Amman on a broad promontory 378 meters above sea level with a magnificent view over the Yarmouk River, the Golan Heights, and Lake Tiberias, this town was known as Gadara, one of the most brilliant ancient Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis; and according to the Bible, the spot where Jesus (pbuh)…
UMM AR RASSAS Located 75 km (46 miles) south of Amman, an ancient city mentioned in The Old and New Testaments housing some of the finest Byzantine church mosaics in the Middle East and the Church of St. Stephen with its perfectly preserved mosaic floor which is the largest in Jordan. The Old and New Testaments mention it, the…
SHOBAK Shobak is one of Jordan’s most significant and impressive historical sites located on the road to Petra about 190 km (118 miles) south of Amman where stands an impressive castle as a lonely reminder of former Crusader glory. Just off the King’s Highway 190 km (118 miles) south of Amman and less than an hour north of Petra…
Qasr Amra A bathhouse from the second Islamic Caliphate decorated with frescoes of constellations, pleasure gardens, and naked ladies. Standing in the Jordanian desert some 50 miles east of Amman, Qasr Amra is one of several qusur or “desert castles” built under the Umayyad Caliphate and probably the best known extant example of these buildings characteristic of the Damascus-based…
PELLA The first literary reference to the city is from the 19th century BC when it is mentioned in Egyptian texts as Pihilum, or Pehel. It was a flourishing trade center, with links with Syria and Cyprus as well as Egypt. On the division of Alexander’s Empire, its name was changed to Pella – either in honour of Alexander’s birthplace,…
MOUNT NEBO Drive along the same route prophet Moses (pbuh) was forbidden to travel on by the King of Edom (Numbers 20), and picture yourself standing where Moses was laid to rest, and where the late Pope John Paul II tread on his first pilgrimage of the millennium. Visit the Sanctuary at Nebo: the memorial of Moses (pbuh), the presumed…
MADABA Just 30km from Amman, along the 5,000-year-old Kings´ Highway, is one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land. After passing through a string of ancient sites, the first city you reach is Madaba, known as the “City of Mosaics.” Best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, Madaba is home to the famous 6th century Mosaic…
KINGS WAY The King’s Highway Jordan: Jordan is a very small country and there are not many roads. If you wish to travel from Amman to Petra, you have 2 options. The fast and direct Desert Highway 15 to Petra or the scenic King’s Highway 35 from Amman to Petra. The King’s Highway is one of two routes that…
