DANA VILLAGE (ضانا)

We arrived at the charming 15th-century stone village of Dana, which dangles beneath the King’s Highway on a precipice, commanding exceptional views of the valley below. That valley and the surrounding area make up the Dana Biosphere Reserve. The village of Dana has been occupied for approximately 500 years. According to some sources, it was built by Bedouins from Hebron, Palestine, who settled in the area during the Ottoman period and were members of a tribe called Al’ Ata’ata. The village is tranquil because most of the families from Dana moved to the nearby modern town of Qadisiyya. There is no shop, no restaurant, and only a few remaining little hotels serving overpriced buffet dinners (15 JOD / person).

First, we parked above the village. Then, the Tourism Police officers told us to move next to their station at Dana Guesthouse. But the receptionist complained to the police that we were using their parking, so we happily moved back to our parking location above the village (more quiet and excellent view).

Parking location – Dana: 30.674204N 35.61270E (🚻-in Dana Guesthouse)