Of course, we were so lucky that after a 30-minute drive from downtown, we arrived at the site, and the guard told us it was closed. The “Seven Sleepers” legend involves seven Christian boys whom the Roman Emperor Trajan persecuted, then escaped to a cave and slept there for...
We arrived at an imposing building that looked like a futuristic military base. Inside is Amman´s newest Royal Tank Museum (🎟️ 5 JOD), which opened in 2018. It was our honor and great pleasure to have a private visit guided by the general manager, Mr. Maher A. Tarawneh, through 20,000...
Our first stop on the busy sightseeing day was the Hejaz Railway, which once ferried pilgrims from Damascus in Syria to Amman and then to Medina in Saudi Arabia. Still, only the breeze rolls through this historic old station at present. There’s a small on-site museum (🎟️ free), and...
We spent a few days in Amman, Jordan’s capital and largest city. The city is built on rolling hills at the eastern boundary of the ʿAjlūn Mountains, on the small, partly perennial Wadi ʿAmmān and its tributaries. Fortified settlements have existed there since remote antiquity...
As-Salt was the region’s administrative center during Ottoman rule. It was built on three hills: Qala’a, Jada’a, and Salalem. The town has never experienced an intense wave of modernization and retained much of its historic charm. Today, much of Salt’s downtown is a living museum of...
Jerash has developed dramatically with the growing importance of the tourism industry. It became the second-most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind the ruins of Petra. On the city’s western side, which contains the most representative buildings, the Gerasa ruins...
We arrived in the modern town of Jerash to explore its ancient part, Gerasa. The imposing Hadrian’s Arch marks its boundary. The ruined city of Gerasa is Jordan’s largest and most interesting Roman site. Its imposing ceremonial gates, colonnaded avenues, temples, and theatres...
The castle commands views of the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading into it. It is an essential strategic link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders and a counterpoint to the Crusader Belvoir Fort on the Sea of Galilee in present-day Israel and the Palestinian Territories. This...
We followed Google to the Ajloun Forrest Reserve Visitors Centre, which was a huge mistake. We ended up on steep, narrow streets in the middle of Ajloun, so we had a tough time driving through and finding the correct direction. After arrival, we found out that the only available unguided...
We took a scenic drive from Umm Qais to Pella, near the modern Arab village of Taqabat Fahl. It was one of the cities of the fabled Roman Decapolis. It’s essential to archaeologists because it reveals evidence of 6000 years of continuous settlement. Many of the ruins are spread out...