Jordan Autumn 2022

Why Jordan?

Of course I have seen photos of the marvelous treasury in Petra. But somehow I got an impression that Jordan can’t compete with the vastness of Sahara and Jordan was not making it up to my top list of destinations. Until one dinner with my friends in Milano, when Greta told me: let’s go the see Petra!

Guess what did I reply?

Of course in Jordan you can’t find the vastness of Sahara. But in everything else Jordan did exceed my expectations. And here is why:

Compactness: even in a few days, you can visit many gorgeous and very different places.
Diversity: archeological jewels, nature wonders, culture, traditions… you find it all.
Self-driving: yes, you can enjoy this freedom, you can stop wherever you want and you can load the trunk with your shopping bags. Even if you have to expect unexpected, after a short time you get used to the local style. May be avoid driving in big cities as Amman or plan it after the end of your stay, when you will feel super comfortable. The roads are reasonably good.
Yummy food: I had my best middle-East food in the Sufra restaurant in Amman. Surprisingly, also the local Cabernet Sauvignon was mouth watering! But almost in all places the food was just great.
Local people: people were generally nice and welcoming. Of course, do follow you common good sense as everywhere. And adhere to local traditions especially out of the main touristic areas.
Shopping: you can get it all! Carpets, scarfs, jewels, spices, coffee with cardamon, and even wine.
Budget: ok, Jordanian wine isn’t cheep. But almost all the rest you can find for very reasonable prices.

A must do foto from the highest lookout on the treasury in Petra with my travel buddy Greta. Go there the first thing in the early morning to avoid crowds.

Our heavnly feast in the Sufra restaurant in Amman. Really do not miss it, the flavours are so special. Safer to book your place in advance.

Visiting the Blue Mosque in Amman. It felt more touristic than real, but at the end it was fun.

1200 km tracked with mapy.cz , worth to try this great application with very clear and detailed maps. You can download all the maps for free, so it works also offline.

Turning beautiful with mud from Dead Sea ;-) Float in the supersaline water, get this layer of mud, float again. And then better wash it off with a normal shower!

Having fun under Um Fruth bridge in Wadi Rum.

Sunrise camel ride in Wadi Rum after a camping night.

In front of the Artemis temple in Jerash.

Enjoying coffee along the King’s Highway in the pitoresque stop that you can’t miss.

Travel tips

As for now: all non Jordanians need to register on the platform www.gateway2jordan.gov.jo to receive their QR code before departure to Jordan. Possible onlt 10 days before arrival.
Jordan pass: This pass waves your VISA fee and covers almost all sights you will visit. We had to pay extra only very small fees in Madoba churches and in the Blue Mosque of Amman. You can buy it online here and you directy get your pdf with the QR code.
Car rental in Amman airport was superb and comfortable, you get your car and on return you drive directly to the terminal. There is an external lift connected levels of departures and arrivals. We wanted to avoid to drive in Amman so we first visited Amman and Jerah (north from Amman, so other direction than the airport) with a local driver. Later on we returned to the airport to take the car for the rest of our journey.
International airports are in Amman in north and in Aqaba in south. We chose to make a loop drive from Amman. Southwards we did King’s Highway that is very panoramic and northbound we drove along the Dead Sea. We reccommend this. The resorts that make an easy access to the beach with showers are at the north end, relatively close to the airport, so it was nice to relax there after the week on the road.
Live with the sun: In this period, many sights close at 4PM. But meny open early, Petra 6:30AM, Amman sights at 8AM. Weak up early and visit right when the sights open.

Itinerary and tips

Day 1 (Saturday October 29): Evening in Amman: We landed in Amman around 5PM. All immihgration was quick. We ordered taxi from our Rainbow House hotel that is very centrally located. But, along a long and steep stairway, so taxi cannot bring you directly to the hotel. The hotel is cheap, shared bathroom clean and the terrace has amaizing view on the city. We went by foot shopping om the Rainbow street and then had dinner in Sufra restaurant .

Day 2 (Sunday October 30): Amman Theatre - Jerash - Ajloun Castle: In the morning we walked to the Roman Theatre and were there alone, admitted even before 8AM. Then glimpse in the Odeon and the adjacent small Jordan Museum of Popular Traditions. Our driver (arranged by Rainbow house) picked us up there around 9:15 and we drove about 1 hour to Jerash, one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world. Count 3 to 4 hours for the visit. We had an issue with the driver who was saying we stayed too long, but the hotel manager solved it. From Jerash it is about 30 minutes drive to Ajloun castle, a fortress from XII. century build on the remains of a Bysantine monastery. The fortress was build under the rule of Saladine sultan of Egypt and Syria, to protect the main road from Damscus to Egypt against crusaders and beduin tribes. On the way back we stopped to see the 800 year old minaret of the Great Ajloun Mosque, into which we were not allowed. Back to Amman, stop at the Blue Mosque, shopping in the old city and dinner. Super nice evening on the terrace of our hotel with a view on the citadel.

Day 3 (Monday October 31): Amman Citadel - Madaba mosaics - Ma’In hot springs: We took a taxi to be at 8AM at the citadel. Again, we were there akmost alone for the first 30 min or so. The views are great both on the old and new city. In the area is Archeological museum - not big, but pretty interesting. I wish we had more time, but at 9:30 we had to head to the airoport to pick up our rental car. We drove to Madaba and parked on an unattended area that was big and easy to park, yet centrally located (north end of the Prince Hassan Street). The city is famous for mosaics from the Bysantine period. We visited the St. George’s Church with the most famous Madaba Map, the oldest known mosaic map showing the Holy Land, Archeological Park, Shrine of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (intersting underground and visit to bell tower), and Madaba museum. We had a superb lunch (our 2nd best after Sufra) in Fokar & Bhar restaurant. Then we drove down to the canyon of Wadi Ma’In that eneters Dead Sea. The drive is spectacular and the location of the Ma’In Hot Spring Hotel is truely unique, but service should get better. In spite of that, very much reccommended.

Day 4 (Tuesday November 1): Fortress of Machaerus in Mukawir- King’s Highway - Little Petra: A short drive from the hotel is the Fortress of Machaerus, located on a hill with unique 360' dgeree views. Originally built Hasmonean Dynasty ruling Judea in the 1st centrury BC, in 57 BC destroyed and in 30 BC rebuilt by cruel Herod the Great. The fortress was then passed to his son Herod Antipas, who took for his Herodias, originally wife of his brother Philip. It is at this castle that happened the famous Salome’s dance (Salome was a daughter of Herodias and Philipp), during the 49’s birthday party of Antipas. She asked for her dance, following advice of her mother Herodias, the head of John Baptist, who was seeing the new marriage of Herodias as a sin. After this visit (we are almost alone there) we drove along the Kings’ Highway - this part is highly reccommended. In the 2nd half of the road be ready (have offline map!) for road cloasers. The drive took us longer than expected and we arrived to Little Petra around 5PM. We were not allowed inside. A short drive to the other side of the road was our Seven Wonders Beduin Camp , where we were welcomed by the manager and owner Atef. We enjoyed the litted area, campground and shisha.

Day 5 (Wednesday November 2): Petra (Wadi Musa): From the camp is about 10-15 min drive to Petra. We arrived there at 6AM, but the actual opening is at 6:30AM. But the queue was there already. Entering via a narrow canyon of Wadi Musa that opens up to the facade of the treasury is a must. Ignore offers to climb up from here for extra payment and follow a path to the right, along the Royal Tombs and up to the splendid views very high above the treasury. We then went to another hike of 800 steps to the Monastery with the best views in the afternoon. On our way back we stopped at the sites of the old city, as the main Temple and amphitheatre. We spent 11 hours inside and we saw everything, apart the southernmost area. Plan two days if you can. In the evening we were too tired to go to see Petra by Night, for which we heared only negative reviews. Instead we enjoyed dinner in our hotel Esperanza, next door to the entrance point , witha beatiful terreace to watch sunset.

Day 6 (Thursday November 3): Little Petra - Wadi Rum: We started again early, going back to see Little Petra. After a short visit to the end of the small canyon, we headed to Wad Rum, that is nearly 3 hours drive. I booked a jeep drive and camping under stars with Rum Road agency, that I would NOT reccommend. Yousef, with whom I arranged everything was not at the meeting point, he mixed up the times. Then he wanted to give us a small boy, who did not speak English, as a guide. At the end Yuosef went with us but he did not tell us much about area. We drove from one place to another. After watching sunset we went to a camp with tents, since he had to go to pick the matraces, that he did not prepare before. We had a nice traditional beduin dinner cooked underground with other people. We spent there unwanted several hours, enstead of enjoying the remote camp without electricity. There we arrived quite late - but the place with the moonlight was breathtaking. Wadi Rum is amazing, but in a combination of too many tourists and a bad guide, it was not a top experience. I think the best choice would be to arrange a hiking tour to a more remote area.

Day 7 (Friday November 4): Wadi Rum - Dead Sea: In the morning I had to wake up our guide :-) in order to beon time for our 1 hour camel ride. Mine started to protest as I wanted to mount it, stood up and I remained hanged on my feet with my head downward. The camel man rushed to help me, at which point Greta’s camel started to roam around freely, with Greta on its back. At the end it all went fine, even my camel got its breakfast by easting all the dry plants along its way. And the views on sunrise were spectracular. In Wadi Rum Village we took our car and drove towards north, via Maan and Al Tafila to the Dead Sea, with its level at -427 meters! The drive along it was amazing. The southern part is much nicer than the northern part, the water was spectacularly blue. The weather is warmer and climate is not so dry and one can see quite alot of green and agricutlure. We headed to our Hilton Dead Sea Hotel & Spa , that has beautiful pools, private beach, mud station, and showers. Online you can find reasonable rates.

Day 8 (Saturday November 5): Departure from Amman: Short morning dip in the pool and we head to take our Ryanair flight back home.

Amman (old Philadelphia)

Roman Amphitheatre in Amman was built in honour of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161 CE). It could hold up to 6000 spectators. You can climb up via pretty steep stairs to enjoy this view.

Odeon was built at the same time of the big theatre, but hosted only about 500 people and was used for music, poetry readings, debates, or lectures.

The view on the Amman’s citadel from the terrace of our Rainbow House hotel.

The lush environment of the Sufra restuarant in Amman. Must try for everyone.

And in the other direction we get this viewof the city.

Citadel by day has its own splendor. The fisrt morning glimps without tourists.

Women headdresses in the museum of popular traditions within the roman theatre.

View on the city from the citadel. Jordanians proudly display their flag.

Archeological museum at the citadel. Left: Double headed statue from plaster and raisin (6500 BC). Right: An unique clay sarcofagus (more than 4000 years old).

Modern meets traditional. View on Amman’s downtown from the citadel.

Jerah - Greco-Roman city of Gerasa

Urban centre from 3. century BC, zenith in 130 AD ad it was a favourite city of Hadrian. The city was controlling the trade of spices and incence. Later Christian city under Byzantine Empire. Muslims took over in 630 AD. It was destroyed during crusadec in 1112 AD

Hadrian’s Arch is an 11-metre high triple-arched gateway erected to honor the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian in the winter of 129–130. The arch originally stood to almost 22 m and probably had wooden doors. It features some unconventional, possibly Nabataean architectural features. It was intended as a new south gate.

**Forum (Oval Plaza)** – an unusually wide, asymmetrical plaza at the beginning of the Cardo (or Colonnaded Street), built in the 1st century AD. This is a view from the upper temple of the Sanctuaty of Zeus. In the foreground we can see rectangular temenos with the naos (shrine or temple) [3] in the northern half of the temenos courtyard.

**South Theater** – an amphitheatre that seats up to 3000. It is occasionally used today for concerts and musical productions.

Bagpipers in traditional Jordanian military dress perform daily in the South Amphithatre.

The Sanctuary of Zeus Olympios overlooks the Oval Plaza. The area was warshipped from bronze age, through Roman Era up to an earthquake in 749 AD. The high temple with large columns with Corinthian capitals was built in 162/163 AD together with a monumental staircase. Below the high temples is the rectangular area of the sacred area of temenos.

Mosaic floor of the Church of St. John the Baptist from the city Byziantine period.

North Decumanus running into the Cardo via the North Tetrapylon. The North Gate is visible in the background.

**Hippodrome** – a partially restored Roman-era stadium. At only 245 m long and 52 m wide, it was the smallest hippodrome in the Roman Empire.

South Gate was probably a prototype of the Hadrian’s Arch. In 4th centrury AD it became a part of the city walls, for the first time city needed to defend itself like this.

Cardo, a 600 m collonaded street that runs the length of the city. It was once lined with the city’s major buildings, shops and residences. A complex drainage system lies below the stone paving. View from the Temple of Zeus.

The North Theatre that was originally built in 135/140 AD as *bouleuterion*, which means as a meeting place of the *boule* (council of citizens). In arou n 160 AD it was expanded to Odeon that could host 1500 people.

South Decumanus, east–west-oriented road that tuns perpendicular to the main Cardo.

**Temple of Artemis** – impressive temple ruins dedicated to the patron goddess of the city. The construction began in 2nd century AD but was never completed and only 12 from the originally planned 32 columns were erected.

Propylaeum of the Sanctuatry of Artemis, the monumenal entrance from the Cardo.

Ajloun Castle and town

The entrance to the Ajloun castle is from a small square.

On the terrace on top of the Ajloun fortress.

View from the Ajloun fortress to the surrounding valleys.

An example of a vaulted interior of the fortress.

The gap above the enatrnce door was used to our the boiling liquids on the enemy.

With the 800 years old minaret of Ajloun.

Madaba - city of mosaics

Most of the mosaics was created in the 6th/7th century during the Byzantine period, developed from the classical Hellenistic-Roman tradition. Madaba's heyday continued until the 8th century under the Muslim Umayyads, who were tolerant of Christianity.

The elaborate figurative floor design of a private villa from the 6th century, located at the core of the Archaeological Park I, is one of the best mosaics in Madaba. This Hippolythus hall (as the author was inspired by the Hippolythus story from Europides) had been built over an older Roman temple and was covered by the Church of the Virgen Mary about 100 years later.

Yet another detail of the mosaic from the Hyppolytus hall. On top personifications of three cities: Rome, Gregoria, and Madaba.

Detail of the a mosaic - hunter and bear - from the East Wing of the Burnt Palace in the Archeological Park II.

Mosaic detail from the West Wing of Burnt Palace in the Archeological Park II.

The mosaic Map of Madaba in St George's Church is one of the oldest evidences of ancient cartography. About a quarter of the original mosaic has been preserved. The map covered the area from Lebanon in the north to the Nile delta in the south, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert in the east.

The oldest mosaic found in Madaba from the first decade of the 6th century. It was a part of the floor of a baptistry chapel, now rellocated to Madaba museum.

Detail of the Eastern Panel mosaic from the Hypplythus hall. On the right is Aphrodite seated on the thorne next to Adonis holding a lance. In the middle three Graces with cupids playing love intrigues and on the left a peasant girl.

Floor of the Church of the Virgin Mary in the Archeological Parc I. It is a re-making of an original mosaic floor (end of the 6th/beginning of the 7th cent) that was constructed during the Umayyad period when the church was restored.

Mosaic floor of the the Martyr’s Church in the Archeological Park II. It is not fully clear who caused the iconoclastic mutilation of this (and many other in Jordan) mosaics.

Mosaic detail from the West Wing of the Burnt Palace in the Archeological Park II.

Detail of Madaba Map with a view of the map of Jerusalem with city walls.

View of Madaba from the bell tower of the Shrine of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

Tradition continues - detail form a souvenir shop.

Wadi Ma’In and Hot Springs

Driving down to Wadi Ma’In you get spectacular views of the Dead Sea

Ma’In Hot Springs Resort & Spa is set in an unique location.

View from our balcony on the lush vegetation inside the wadi.

The spa building. Interior is euqually amazing, with a pool right below that waterfall. It is quite expensive, but worth it if you can reserve sufficient time for it.

Short walk from the hotel is this huge waterfall that is open for public, apart early mornings, when it is reserved for hotel guests.

The term “wadi” is used to refer to canyons that are typically dry and flooded only during the rainy season. It is typical for dry areas with almost no vegetation and soil, so that rain water cannot be asborbed by the surface. But in Wadi Ma’In there is an unusual and rather constant source of water - of thermal water! Several sources feed various waterfalls coming down to the bottom of wadi. It is a unique location as is the drive down to impressive 264 m below the sea level. Ma’In Hot Springs Resort & Spa is absolutly worth to stay, in spite of some hick-ups in the offered services.

Wadi Ma’In is a deep canyon down to which you can get via this steep, winding road.

The main pool with warm thermal water and amazing view on the waterfall.

Yet another spectacular view from the breakfast terrace on the thermal pool and waterfall.

Fortress of Machaerus in Mukawir - where Salome danced

Fortress of Machaerus is located on a hill with unique 360' degree views. Originally built Hasmonean Dynasty ruling Judea in the 1st centrury BC, in 57 BC destroyed and in 30 BC rebuilt by cruel Herod the Great. The fortress was then passed to his son Herod Antipas, who took for his Herodias, originally wife of his brother Philip. It is at this castle that happened the famous Salome’s dance (Salome was a daughter of Herodias and Philipp), during the 49’s birthday party of Antipas. She asked for her dance, following advice of her mother Herodias, the head of John Baptist, who was seeing the new marriage of Herodias as a sin. At the end of the road is a parking lot and then a short uphill path brings you in the middle of the ancient fortress.