Petra and other Jordan Things to Do Tips

When I visited this magnificent piece of history, there was much propaganda from the local tourist board, begging what few visitors braved the overblown threat of terrorism to visit the New Seven Wonders of the World website and vote Petra to become a member. Despite the distinct lack of visitors, it succeeded, and made the last shortlist of 21, before the final decision is made in July. At the very least, it's now rated as one of the 21 most amazing sites in the world. I reckon its at least in the top ten.

Petra hits the right note in so many ways, to make it a strong contender.

On its own it would be an area of amazing natural beauty, and would create wonder in any visitor as to how a land like this could have been created. Walking through the Siq, a great rift in the sandstone mountains, as the sheer red rock climbs steeply above your head, and your footsteps echo down the empty narrow passageway, is a eerie and awesome sensation. And that's just the start of the show. As the Siq opens up onto one of Petra's most famous landmarks, the Treasury, it's difficult not to be completely bowled over.

And there's much much more!

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Directions: Southern Jordan, near Wadi Musa.
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Jerash (or Gerasa) is an absolute, gob-stopping, jaw-dropping highlight of any trip to Jordan, as it would be if it were anywhere else on the planet. It's vast, it's amazingly intact, and they've only dug up about a third of the Roman city so far. One Italian I spoke to who'd also visited, told me how he'd been sitting on a pile of dirt, eating his sandwiches, and casually digging around in the dirt, when he'd pulled out a genuine Roman artifact: a small cup.

The other amazing aspect of this Roman city is the almost complete lack of tourists. If this were anywhere else in the world, the place would be heaving with tourists; you wouldn't be able to move. Because this is Jordan and the Middle East, and everyone is scared of terrorism, it's almost completely empty. I was even had my own personal viewing of the famous Bedouin Bagpipe duo in the amphitheater. I spent an entire afternoon there, and only one tour group showed up, and the place is so big it just swallowed them whole.

You can go anywhere, climb on anything, and do anything. There are no ropes to stop you, and the guards are more interested in eating sandwiches and looking out for non-existent terrorists. There's a down-side to that, as there's no stopping you from going somewhere dangerous and falling down and breaking your leg. I stumbled stupidly at one point, and must have torn a ligament or something, as I had pain walking for the next few days.

Now the history. Jerash started life as a Greek city in the third century BC, but flourished under the Romans, who built almost everything that you see today. It became a Byzantine city after the fall of the Roman empire, before falling into the hands of the Ummayads around the 7th century AD. It's demise came at the hands of the Crusaders, who put an end to the ancient part of this city, although the modern city of Jerash continues today next door.

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Directions: North of Amman, near Aljun.
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The amazing attributes of the Dead Sea you must all be aware of, but just in case you've never heard of the place, just listen to this:

1. It's a hypersaline sea, the saltiest in the world, at about 30% salinity. It's 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This means that you can float in it. It also means that any wounds you have will sting like hell on contact, but I am told that this goes away pretty quickly. The salinity also gives the water a uniquely oily feel.

2. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on land on the planet, at 418m below sea level. The location is so unique that planes flying over the dead sea are warned that they are crashing into the ground by their automated systems. The low level means that the temperatures are at least 4 degrees higher here than in other parts of Jordan above sea level. The low level also makes the oxygen levels higher and the UV levels lower (meaning less sunburn despite the higher temperatures).

3. The human history of the Dead Sea is amazing. Jericho, the oldest constantly inhabited city in the world, sits on its southern shore. It is believed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorra also once sat on its shores. Some of the luminaries mentioned in the same breath as the Dead Sea include Jesus, John the Baptist, King Herod and even Cleopatra.

4. Geographically it is also fascinating, being part of the Great Rift Valley, which stretches from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon to the North, all the way to Mozambique in Africa.

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Directions: On the border with Palestine.
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"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho."

This is a place of huge religious significance, to both Christianity and Judaism. The Bible describes this as the place where Moses first saw the Promised Land. It is also believed that God buried Moses here on this very mountain. There's still some controversy as to whether this really is the place described in the Bible, but recent excavations of a 4th Byzantine church marking this place as exactly that suggests it almost certainly is.

The church has been rebuilt on top of the remains of the unearthed one, and inside the new walls you will find similar mosaics on the floor to those of nearby Madaba.

The Pope also visited here in 2000 to mark the importance of this site to Christians.

In addition to the historical significance, the views from the top of the mountain are magnificent. On a good day you really can see all the way to the Holy Land. With luck, places like Jericho, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are all visible from here.

To get here you can either book a taxi, which costs 25 JD if you book it together with a trip to Bethany and the Dead Sea, which is very much advised. If you want to travel more cheaply, there is a regular bus running from Madaba for a quarter of a dinar.

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Directions: Near Madaba.
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According to the bible, Jesus was baptised on the Jordan river, but it doesn't say which side. Today one bank of the river Jordan is in Jordan, the other side is in Israel. Both sides claim that Jesus was baptised on *their* side of the river. My Jordanian guide was adamant, of course, that it was Jordan who had not the strongest claim, but the *only* claim.

His argument was very convincing. John the Bapist lived and died on the Jordan side of the river, ending his days to the execution order of Herod's daughter down the road in Kerak. It has been shown historically that the river Jordan has changed course over the centuries, and would have several meters inside the Jordanian border at the time of Jesus. They have found marble steps dating from the period, which were probably used for baptisms.

Most important of all, however, the Pope sided with Jordan, and you can't argue with the Pope.

The whole place is so close to the border, it is inside a Jordanian military zone. When you are driving along to the site on the tour bus, you can see Jericho on the other side of the Jordan in the Occupied Territories. When you finally reach Bethany, you can walk down to the river Jordan and stand a few feet from Israel, looking over at the Israeli's own baptism tourist site, with the Israeli flag flying proudly over it.

It costs 7JD for the tour, the bus, and the entrance fee. Don't take photographs of the soldiers, or anything military, and mind the flies. There were hundreds of them. Not biting ones, though.

This place has no public transport, so you'll need to get a taxi.

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Directions: Near the Dead Sea and the Palestinian border.

Madaba is a pleasant, relaxed, tolerant and easy-going little town famed for it's Byzantine mosaics and being the most Christian town in Jordan. All citizens of Madaba are proud of their Christian heritage, and all are proud of the tolerance between both Christians and Muslims in the city. The centrepiece of this Christian heritage is in the St. George's church with its "Map of Madaba", a map of the Holy Land built of tiny tiles in the floor of the Byzantine church in the 6th century.

The city is the perfect location for exploring the Holy Land, and Jordan as a whole, with many of the great sites of the country within easy reach. Mount Nebo, where Moses is believed to have seen the Holy Land for the first time, is just half an hour's drive away, and not much further is Bethany, where Jesus is believed to have been baptised. All of these places can be accessed either by good value taxis, or sometimes by public transport.

The best thing about Madaba is the Mariam hotel, a home away from home, with good prices, and a great manager. If you want to see Jordan, this is the place to come. I stayed for an entire week, and saw everything I wanted to, other than Wadi Rum. The city is a great place to base yourself, and the Mariam Hotel a great place to stay and recover from your long days of travelling in the country.

The town is small, however, and there isn't more to see here than an afternoon of wandering will give you. It's probably the least interesting place I visited in Jordan, but that's only because the places I saw in Jordan were so amazing. It's definitely worth a side trip if you are heading over to Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea from Amman, even if it is just a whistle stop tour of the important churches.

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Directions: Near the airport and Amman.

The Crusader stronghold of Kerak was built in the 12th century and was a pivotal part of the defence of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was the focus of many attacks, including the sieges depicted in the movie Kingdom of Heaven. It was started as a means of controlling the local Bedouin herders, and the trade route to Damascus. It finished with its capture by Saladin, after the Battle of Hattin, depicted in the movie, in 1189.

It's a classic example of a Crusader castle, mixing European, Byzantine and Arab architecture. It juts out magnificently above the small city below, and it's location high in the mountains, about a thousand meters above sea level, affords great views of the rolling hills that surround it. It's position on the Kings Highway also makes the journey to it a breathtaking one.

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Directions: South of Amman, on the way to Petra.
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Ajlun was to Saladin, what Kerak to the south was to the Crusaders. Between these two castles is where the two sides locked horns, and Ajlun marks the furthest point east that the Crusaders were able to push. It also marked the furthest West that the Mongol empire reached.

Today the castle stands atop the same mountain, in place of the old monastery that is believed to have resided there before it, and underneath the city of Ajlun has sprawled out chaotically into the valley. The city was pretty crazy for its size, feeling more like Amman than a small city. It can also get very cold up in the mountains, and it snowed there shortly after I left.

The castle and the area around is filled with history. In particular the nearby battle of Ain Jalut changed history like few other battles in history. Ain Jalut is where the Mamluks defeated the Mongols: the first time in the history of the Mongol empire that they suffered a decisive defeat.

The Mongols captured and dismantled parts of Aljun castle, before it was recaptured by Saladin.

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Directions: Near Jerash, north of Amman.
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The ancient King's Highway winds and weaves itself through the tight, round hills and clefts of the Great Rift Valley which divides Jordan from Israel and Palestine. This ancient road has been the lifeblood of the region for thousands of years. It took traders from Pharaonic Egypt, north through Petra, Kerak, Madaba, Jerash, and all the way to Damascus. It's even mentioned in the Bible.

It's so important that it is believed that many of the ancient wars fought between the Israelites and their neighbours in Jordan were over control of this road.

Today it's a beautiful, if slow, way to travel from north to south. It's not 100% complete, but you can join and leave it, weaving through the towns and sights mentioned above, while also stopping off for the occasional breathtaking vista, such as at Wadi Moujib.

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Directions: Stretching from north to south, along the border with Israel and Palestine.

This was as far along the Iraq highway, and about as close to the Iraqi border as I felt comfortable with. This was Qasr al-Azraq, the desert castle at the Jordanian choke point, with the borders of Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia all close by. It was home to Lawrence of Arabia for one winter during the Great Arab Revolt. It was also a popular tourist destination before 9/11.

Now, according to the curator, Nader, it was practically dead. Fewer people were coming to Jordan now. Since the Iraq war the traffic has petered out to nearly nothing. It was such a shame, as this guy was so proud of, and so knowledgable about, the castle and region, and now his talents were now going to waste, with nobody to listen to him. He was so nervous and enthusiastic when he took me around the castle, he was like a guy on his first date. I was his first visitor in days.

I promised him I'd encourage people to go to Azraq, and Jordan, and tell people not be afraid, because the place is friendlier, safer and freer from terrorism than pretty much anywhere else in the world. So go! Go to Jordan! Go to Azraq! Say hello to Nader the blue eyed Arab!

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Directions: Far east of Amman, along the Iraq Highway, near the borders of Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
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