Umm Qais Museum
Umm Qais Museum Located about 2.5 hours from Jordan’s capital of Amman, the Umm Qais Museum is home to a mix of history and natural beauty that shouldn’t be missed. The site’s most popular draw would be the ruins of Gadara, an ancient Greco-Roman city occupied since the seventh century BC and orig
Roman Theater (Nabataean Theater)
Roman Theater (Nabataean Theater) Contrary to its name, the Roman Theater (Nabataean Theater) was built by the Nabataeans years before the Romans entered Petra. The 2,000-year-old theater was carved into the rock, destroying pre-existing caves and tombs along the way. When the Romans annexed Petra
Qasr Azraq
Qasr Azraq Located about an hour east of Amman, Qasr Azraq is a desert fortress created by the Romans back in 300 AD, although the structure in its current form was built in 1237 by the Mamelukes. The exact location of Qasr Azraq (meaning Blue Fortress) in the center of the Azraq Oasis was chosen
Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) was a northern satellite of the main city, and it resembles Petra proper in enough ways to earn its nickname. Like at Petra, visitors approach Siq al-Barid through a canyon-like passage similar to the Siq at Petra. Unlike Petra, many of the s
La Storia Complex
La Storia Complex La Storia Complex, located just over a mile (2 kilometers) from Mt. Nebo, offers visitors a quirky overview of the culture, religion, history and heritage of Jordan. The museum portion of the complex comprises a series of dioramas (some of them animatronic) depicting mostly Bibli
Jordan River Baptismal Site
Jordan River Baptismal Site Located where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Baptismal Site (also known as the Yardenit Baptismal Site) is one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage – the site where Jesus was baptized by John the
Jordan Archaeological Museum
Jordan Archaeological Museum This rather rambling but fascinating museum is perched on the Citadel Hill in Amman, just northwest of the Temple of Hercules. Built in 1951, the Jordan Archaeological Museum displays artifacts in chronological order from archaeological sites all over Jordan, dating fr
Dead Sea Resthouse
Dead Sea Resthouse One of the many resorts located on the shores of the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Resthouse is an ideal spot from which to explore the lowest point on earth. Offering access to the public Amman beach, it’s the most affordable way to take a dip in the Dead Sea and experience the unique
Byzantine Church (Petra Church)
Byzantine Church (Petra Church) In 1990 American archeologist Kenneth W. Russell discovered the ruins of a Byzantine-era church. Two years later excavation began on the site of what is today simply called Byzantine Church or Petra Church. Originally constructed by the Nabataeans in the middle of t
Ajloun Castle
Ajloun Castle Built atop the ruins of a monastery between 1184 and 1188, Ajloun Castle (Qala’At Ar-Rabad in Arabic) sits on Jabal Auf hill overlooking the countryside in the north of Jordan. Arab general Azz ad-Din Usama, Saladin’s nephew, oversaw its construction in part to protect the region fro
Aqaba
Aqaba As Jordan’s only coastal city and a busy seaport, Aqaba makes a popular stop for cruise ships and a scenic base for exploring Petra and Wadi Rum, encircled by desert mountains and fronting the glistening Red Sea. Recent developments have seen a string of luxury resorts spring up along Aqaba’
Roman Ampitheater
Roman Ampitheater Dating back 18,000 years to the reign of Antoninus Pius, Amman’s restored Roman Theater is a popular visit on any trip to Jordan’s capital. Carved into the northern side of a hill that held the city’s necropolis, its position was designed to shield spectators from the sun. Big en
Raghadan Palace
Raghadan Palace In Amman’s old quarter, Raghadan Palace was the first of many Crown properties to be built in the Royal Hashemite Court compound. Designed by Lebanese architect Saadedinne Chatella and built in 1926 as the residence of King Abdullah I and his family, the ornate palace is designed i
Madaba
Madaba Like a number of sites in the region, Madaba was mentioned in the Bible. It subsequently became a Roman provincial town and had its apogee under the Byzantine Empire. It is to that era that the town owes its chief treasures – its mosaics.The must-see site in town is the Church of St. George
Madaba Map
Madaba Map Located in Madaba, the 19th-century Greek Orthodox St. George Church is home to the famous Madaba Map. This sixth-century Byzantine mosaic map is believed to have been created in 542 AD, making it one of the world’s oldest biblical maps. It features imagery of the Holy Land depicted in
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo Mount Nebo is 817 meters (2,680 feet) above sea level, and thus more than 1km (0.6 mi) above the neighboring Dead Sea. It is a site holy to both Christians and Jews: Moses is said to have died on or near the mountain some time after God had showed him the Holy Land from its summit. You
King’s Highway
King’s Highway Running north-south along the squiggling spine of the Dead Sea rift, a road trip along the King’s Highway from biblical Madaba to Petra is to journey along a 2,000-year-old trade route bursting with history. Check out the Crusader castles at Karak and Shobak, and the ancient town of
The Treasury (Al Khazneh)
The Treasury (Al Khazneh) Jordan and its well-preserved prehistoric city of Petra go hand in hand; one can’t think of the former without the latter coming to mind. The remarkable Treasury, or al Khazneh, is located within the Jordan gem of Petra beside the scores of warm-hued sandstone. While the
Monastery (Al-Deir)
Monastery (Al-Deir) Tucked in the hills of Petra, the Monastery (Al-Deir) is only matched in magnificence by the Treasury. Built during the first century, the structure carved into the mountain was not a monastery at all, but rather served as either a tomb or a temple for members of the cult of Ob
Petra
Petra Petra is a highlight not just of Jordan but of the entire Middle East, a sublime and mysterious city that sits as an incomparable jewel of ancient architecture. Petra was once an important stop on a Roman trading route, but was only assimilated into the empire in 106 AD. Until then it had be
