We completed our 2.5 day trip to Lebanon and flew from Beirut on Fri, Dec 19 to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. We flew on Royal Jordanian Airlines. For a 1 hour flight, they had 787 Dreamliner.
Fri, Dec 21 – Arriving in Jordan
We landed at the airport at around 9.20 pm on Fri, Dec 19. By the time we picked up the car, it was 10.30 pm. We reached our AirBnb by 11.15 pm. We went to Madaba (a city near Amman). The apartment was really nice, in the basement of a bungalow (like in India).
Saturday, Dec 22, 2018 – Madaba, King’s Highway
This picture below of the map is a recreation of the mosaic in the church. All the important places in Palestine are shown on the map.
Then we visited the Church of Beheading of John the Baptist. On December 7, 1967 the Vatican recognized the historic Catholic Church in Madaba, belonging to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as a Shrine of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist and urged visitors and pilgrims to visit this sacred site.
Picture in Madaba City Center.
From Madaba, we drove Mt. Nebo, the place from which Moses was buried. Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge in Jordan, approximately 710 metres (2,330 ft) above sea level, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho (in Israel) is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.
Then at around 12 noon, we started driving on King’s Highway (Route 35) towards Petra. The King’s Highway was a trade route of vital importance in the ancient Near East, connecting Africa with Mesopotamia. It ran from Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba, from where it turned northward across Transjordan, leading to Damascus and the Euphrates River.
After the Muslim conquest of the Fertile Crescent in the 7th century AD and until the 16th century it served as the darb al-hajj or pilgrimage road for Muslims coming from Syria, Iraq and beyond and heading for the holy city of Mecca.
In modern Jordan, Highway 35 connects the north with Aqaba in the south. The southern part crosses several deep wadis, making it a highly scenic if curvy and rather low-speed road.
We stopped at the Kerak Castle on Highway 35. Kerak Castle is a large Crusader castle located in al-Karak, Jordan. It is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant. Construction of the castle began in the 1140s, under Pagan and Fulk, King of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it “Crac des Moabites” or “Karak in Moab”, as it is frequently referred to in history books.
It was a long drive, but roads in Jordan are quite decent. We reached Petra around 8.30 pm. There are lots of villages around Petra. Our AirBnb was at a small village called Umm Sahyoun, very close to the back gate of Petra. It was a really small village, similar to the villages in India. There were goats, dogs, donkeys on the road 🙂
Sunday, Dec 23, 2018 – Petra
We spent the entire day in Petra. Petra (Arabic: Al-Batra), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Petra lies on the slope of Jabal Al-Madbah in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah valley that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC, and it was possibly established in the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra’s proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub. The interesting part of the city is that it is still preserved.
The Monastery in Petra.
The Great Temple of Petra.
The Colonnade Street.
The Tombs carved into rockfaces.
The Auditorium with 6,000 seating capacity built in the Roman times.
We did a lot of climbing in Petra. We went to the High Place of Worship from which the entire city of Petra is visible.
The Treasury in Petra. Al-Khazneh (Arabic) is one of the most elaborate temples in the ancient Arab Nabatean Kingdom city of Petra. As with most of the other buildings in this ancient town, including the Monastery (Arabic: Ad Deir), this structure was carved out of a sandstone rock face.
The structure is believed to have been the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV in the 1st century AD. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in both Jordan and the region. It became to be known as “Al-Khazneh”, or The Treasury, in the early 19th century by the area’s Bedouins as they had believed it contained treasures.
The Treasury has appeared in many Hollywood movies, gaining particular fame after being featured in climactic scenes in the popular 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which its facade is represented as the entrance to the final resting place of the Holy Grail near Hatay.
The Treasury is also depicted in Hergé’s The Red Sea Sharks, one of the Adventures of Tintin, the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) where the Matrix is located.
The Siq is the main entrance to Petra. Also known as Siqit, it is a dim, narrow gorge (in some points no more than 3 metres (10 ft) wide) winds its way approximately 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh.
Kids wearing their Arabic scarfs 🙂
In October 1917 (World War I), as part of a general effort to divert Ottoman military resources away from the British advance before the Third Battle of Gaza, a revolt of Arabs in Petra was led by British Army officer T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) against the Ottoman regime. The Bedouin women living in the vicinity of Petra and under the leadership of Sheik Khallil’s wife were gathered to fight in the revolt of the city. The rebellions, with the support of British military, were able to devastate the Ottoman forces
Obelisk Tomb in Petra.
We had started the day at 7 am. We ended the day at 4 pm, having walked nearly 21 km through Petra. We did a lot of climbing as well. The views were grand. The cool part about Petra is how well preserved these monuments are given their age.
We then drove to Wadi Rum about 100 km south of Petra. We reached Wadi Rum at around 6.30 pm. It was quite dark by the time we got there.
We parked our car in the parking lot in Wadi Rum village. Our AirBnb host picked us up from the parking lot and we drove to the campsite deep inside the desert. The tents were very comfortable and cosy. The cost of accommodation for the 4 of us was a total of $20 per night 🙂
We spent the evening by the campfire with a lot of fellow tourists from USA, Jordan, Lithuania, and Greece. It was great to see the kinds of paths people take in their lives, the experiences they gather.
Monday, Dec 24, 2018 – Wadi Rum, Aqaba
We left early morning at 5.40 am to see the sunrise in Wadi Rum.
Wadi Rum (Roman Valley) known also as the Valley of the Moon, is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan.
Wadi Rum feel like the landscape on Mars. It was used for the shooting of the movie “The Martian”.
Shots of Wadi Rum in movie “Lawrence of Arabia” from 1962 kick-started Jordan’s tourism industry. Wadi Rum has also featured in the movies, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Hindi Movie, Krrish 3.
Burdah Rock Bridge in Wadi Rum.
Lawrence Spring in Wadi Rum named after Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935). He was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer. He was renowned for his liaison role during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The breadth and variety of his activities and associations, and his ability to describe them vividly in writing, earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia—a title used for the 1962 film based on his wartime activities.
The Battle of Aqaba (6 July 1917) was fought for the Red Sea port of Aqaba (now in Jordan). The attacking forces of the Arab Revolt, led by Auda ibu Tayi and advised by T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”), were victorious over the Ottoman defenders.
After visiting Wadi Rum, around 12 noon, we started to drive towards Aqaba. We did not know what to expect. We had just heard about Aqaba in Lawrence of Arabia. It is the southern most town in Jordan. It turned out to be quite nice.
Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres (144.8 sq mi). Today, Aqaba plays a major role in the development of the Jordanian economy, through the vibrant trade and tourism sectors. The Port of Aqaba also serves other countries in the region.
Aqaba’s strategic location at the northeastern tip of the Red Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa, has made its port important over the course of thousands of year. It is on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Eilat (Israel), and Tabah (Egypt) are a few kilometers away. The border with Saudi Arabia is only 30 km away.
Small museum in Aqaba.
Tallest Flagpole in all of Arabia in Aqaba.
We then went to see the old city of Aqaba. It was known a “Aylat” (from which the Israeli city of Eilat was named).
We finished Aqaba around 3.45 pm and started driving towards Samarrah Dead Sea Resort. We drove about 300 km in 3.5 hours. The resort was booked via AirBnb, but turned out to be really nice.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018 – Dead Sea (Jordan), Amman
Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land. It is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2% (in 2011), it is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water – 9.6 times as salty as the ocean – and has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9 mi) wide at its widest point.
Floating was easy. But you cannot swim face down.
Pool in our resort bordering the Dead Sea.
We finished swimming in the Dead Sea at around 10 am and we drove to Amman. We first went to the Amman Citadel (fortress). This is a view of Amman city from the Citadel. The buildings tend to be of the same color.
The Amman Citadel is a historical site at the center of downtown Amman, Jordan. Known in Arabic as Jabal al-Qal’a, the L-shaped hill is one of the seven jabals (mountains) that originally made up Amman.
The Citadel is considered an important site because it has had a long history of occupation by many great civilizations. Most of the buildings still visible at the site are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. The major buildings at the site are the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace.
Interesting fact is that Amman in the 2nd century AD was known as Philadelphia after the ruler of that region, Ptolemy Philadelphius:)
Similar color buildings in Amman City.
Amman’s Roman Theatre is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman theatre. A famous landmark in the Jordanian capital, it dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia.
We then went to Hashem’s restaurant in downtown Amman. They do not have a menu. You just go and sit at a table. The waiter will bring you all the dishes, hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, salad, foul madamme, tea etc. You eat whatever you want. They will charge you 1 Jordanian Dinar (US $1.40) per dish. It cost us 8 JOD total. The food was extremely delicious. Definitely recommended.
We then went to Blue Mosque. The King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman, Jordan was built between 1982 and 1989. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer.
This was the end of our Jordan Trip. Jordan is a great, friendly, inexpensive destination. The country is clean and safe. The roads are good. We enjoyed driving around Jordan. It is definitely recommended to rent a car.
Next day morning, we planned to cross from Amman to Jersualem over the land border on King Hussein Bridge also known as the Allenby Bridge. It was the end of a wonderful trip to Jordan.
———-
If you are interested in all the countries on our trip, here are the links.
Egypt Trip – Dec 13 – 19, 2018 Blog Photos Only
Lebanon Trip – Dec 19 – 21, 2018 Blog Photos Only
