jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan evokes a simpler time , a sense of place and a cherished way of life . A visit to Jordan brings a return to respected and hallowed tradition . Immediately upon arrival , you will be made aware of the inherent hospitality of the Jordanian people as exemplified by the Arabic “Ahlan wa sahlan” I welcome you !

Amman the dynamic capital city

Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest cities in the world. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations. The profusion of gleaming white houses, kebab stalls , and tiny cafes where rich Arabian coffee is sipped in the afternoon sunshine, conjure a mood straight from a thousand and one nights. Amman's modern history began in the late 19th Century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants in 1878. As the Great Arab Revolt progressed and the State of Transjordan was established, Emir Abdullah ibn Al-Hussein founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan made Amman his capital in 1921. Since then, Amman has grown rapidly into a modern, thriving metropolis of well over two million people.

Aqaba – greatly prized as Jordan’s window to the sea, Aqaba brings a refreshing release from the rose coloured desert to the north . It’s sandy beaches and coral reefs are the most pristine in the Red Sea. Indigo coloured deep water lies just off shore in Aqaba , bringing kaleidoscopic marine life within easy reach . Aqaba’s reef is healthy and thriving and also boast some of the world’s best scuba diving by day and night .

Petra – the spectacular rose-red city - is the legacy of the Nabataeans . Much of its appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge . Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the siq . These sights are at their best in early morning and late afternoon when the sun warms the multi-coloured stone .

Wadi Rum and the desert vistas – Vast , echoing and God-like. The largest and most magnificent of Jordan’s desert landscapes. Trekking , hiking , camel riding hot air ballooning over Rum are some of the activities available here .

Jerash –. This Graeco Roman city is known as the Pompeii of the East for its extraordinary state of preservation . Jerash is considered the best preserved and most complete city of the Decapolis , a confederation of ten Roman cities dated from the first century BC

Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth - lies more than 400 metres below sea level . The Dead Sea has a historical and spiritual legacy of its own . It is believed to be the site of five blibical cities – Sodom , Gomorrah ,

Admah , Zebouin and Zoar .

Desert Castles– Widely varied in function , architectural style and creative embellishment ,

most of these deserts were the domain of Omayyad princes . Qusair Amra with its interior walls and ceilings covered with lively frescoes is a Unesco World Heritage Site . Worthwhile a visit are Qasr el-Hallabat , Qasr Kharanah and Qasr Mushatta.

Kerak and Shobak Crusaders Forts – The scenic King’s Highway is a historic roadstretching from Amman to Aqaba and littered with the remains of Crusader Forts and outposts . The most important among these are Kerak and Shobak .

Madaba and Mt Nebo - The City of Mosaics , Madaba’s chief attraction -in the contemporary Greek orthodox Church of St George - is a wonderfully vivid sixth century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and the other holy sites . ten minutes to the west is the most revered site in Jordan - Mt Nebo – the memorial of Moses , the presumed site of the prophet’s death and burial place .