Ancient historic sites and beautiful desert landscapes make Jordan an amazing destination. Petra, most often associated with this Middle Eastern country, is only the tip of the sand dune. There are castles and palaces, Biblical sites and Roman ruins, deserts and mountains; each with its own beauty and story to tell.
My tour with Exodus Travels – Hidden Treasures of Jordan – is designed to allow guests time to explore the less well-known historic and archaeological treasures, as well as Petra.
Jerash
I enter through the Arch of Hadrian, built to honour the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian in 129 AD. Sprawling out before me is Jerash, one of the world’s best preserved ancient Roman sites. The city, dating back 6,500 years, came under Roman rule when it was conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC.
The miracle here is the desert’s sand buried the settlement after it was abandoned leaving much of it intact. Excavation and restoration began only 70 years ago.
Jerash was one of the 10 cities making up the Decapolis, a league of cities in eastern Palestine that was formed after the Roman conquest and Pompey reorganized the Middle East to Rome’s advantage. The cities were grouped together because of their language, culture and location. Other Jordan Decapolis cities were Gadara (Umm Qays), Raphana, Dion, Pella, Gerasa and Philadelphia (Amman). In Israel: Scythopolis (Bet She’an) and Hippos. In Syria: Damascus and Canatha.
By the third century AD, an estimated 20,000 people lived in the city. Several events led to its decline including pillaging of its temples to build Christian churches under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century and the Muslim conquest of the region in the 7th century. This decline worsened when an earthquake struck in 747 AD. By the 13th century, Jerash lay uninhabited.
I walk along a wide paved street and envision what it was like to live in this thriving city a millennium ago. Towering columns line the street as I pass temples, colosseums, plazas and baths.
At the heart of Jerash is the Forum or Oval Plaza enclosed by 160 columns. From here, I follow The Cardo street lined with columns running the length of the city. Once fronted with the city’s major buildings, shops and residences, a complex drainage system lies below the stone paving. I can even see chariot tracks in the stone.
Gadara
Less dramatic, but still impressive, is Gadara (now called Umm Qais). Gadara first appeared in history when it fell in battle but was restored to Roman rule by Pompey.
A member of the Decapolis, the city is mentioned in the New Testament as the site where Jesus cast out demons and sent them into pigs, who then ran into the sea (Matthew 8:28-34).
Houses here were actually lived in until 1974, when residents moved to make way for further excavation and restoration of the site. I think about how much fun it must have been for children growing up here to play hide-and-go-seek among the ruins. Since excavations began in 1974, archaeologists have uncovered many impressive remains, including three large theatres, a temple and a colonnaded street.
The site offers an incredible vantage point of three countries (Jordan, Syria, and Israel and the Palestinian Territories), encompassing the Golan Heights, Mt Hermon and the Sea of Galilee.
Wadi Rum Protected Area
Wadi Rum is a vast desert covering 725-square-kms featuring sandstone and granite mountains reaching heights of more than 1,524 metres. And it is beautiful. Fine sand blows across the landscape creating wave-like shapes and mountainous sand dunes.
I take a jeep tour through narrow canyons, stop to see ancient rock drawings etched by desert dwellers and pass large Bedouin camps with tents made of goat-hair before stopping with other visitors to watch the dramatic sunset over the landscape.
After spending the night in one of the Bedouin camps, I rise just before dawn to take a near-two-hour journey into the desert on camelback. The “ship of the desert” plods along in quietude. There is only a whisper of wind; the dramatic landscape and its loveliness.
Amman
Amman, Jordan’s vibrant capital city was conquered by the Romans in 63 BC. Ruling for four centuries, evidence of their time in what was called Philadelphia can be seen at the restored theatre and Citadel.
The theatre is cut into the northern side of a hill and has a seating capacity of 6,000. More than likely built in the 2nd century AD; it was created on three tiers for the rulers, the military and the public.
The impressive structure is located near Grand Al-Husseini Mosque and the main shopping area for locals; also well worth a visit.
The Citadel sits on the highest hill in Amman. Occupied since the Bronze Age, it is surrounded by a wall, which was rebuilt many times during the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods.
The Citadel is a wealth of historic remains and restoration including the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace. The museum here is impressive and features relics from the site, as well as other sites throughout Jordan.
Views of the city from the Citadel are impressive, including the Roman Theatre below.
Although the Jordan Museum, located next to the City Hall, is closed for a private function when I visit Amman, it is considered one of the best museums in the Middle East.
Chronicling Jordan’s history from the first people through the Nabataean civilization and the modern era, highlights include the oldest-known human statues (the 9,500-year-old plaster mannequins of Ain Ghazal), Jordan’s share of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and a host of remains from Petra and other sites throughout the country.
Petra
I always thought of Petra as the Treasury and a few caves. In reality, Petra is a destination where you need days to properly explore its secrets; many yet to be discovered.
Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, dates back as far as 312 BC when it served as the capital city of the nomadic Nabataeans. There is only one way in: along a long and narrow chasm. My guide, Omar Hamadeen, points out several interesting features as we walk nearly a mile through the passage past tombs, a sacred place where marriages took place and ancient carvings.
When the chasm opens up, the Treasury appears dramatically before me. The atmosphere is festive with hundreds of people posing for pictures, locals selling jewelry and scarves, and camel rides on offer.
The Treasury is only the beginning. On we walk into this mysterious place, past tombs, a theatre and temples. Various walks and climbs reveal hundreds of buildings, colonnaded streets, baths, arched gateways and rock drawings, as well as a 3,000-seat open-air theatre and a gigantic 1st-century monastery.
I was welcomed by the Jordanian people with open arms. From children to senior citizens, I heard “you are welcome” and “welcome to Jordan” over and over again. The people, the sites and the mystery are the reasons I would return to Jordan to relive this land of magic and mystery.
For more information: visit www.exodustravels.com or call 1 (844) 227-9087.
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