Jordan Things to Do Tips by TheWanderingCamel Top 5 Page for this destination

Shobuk : the forgotten Crusader Castle

Shobuk Castle was the first and the smallest of the great castles built by the Crusaders, and was the last to be captured by Saladin.

It's not far from Petra perched on top of a hill which is at the beginning of the famous Kings' Highway.

There is a "secret passage" with 375 steps leading down into the darkness - not many people get very far down before giving up. Legend says that this was the access to the castle's water supply if it was besieged.

Address: The castle is 3kms from Shobuk village

Directions: A number of buses go through the village of Shobuk mostly going to or from Petra/Wadi Mousa. There's no transport to the castle, either you have to walk it or hitch; you might do better to pay somebody to take you there, it's quite a stiff climb up.

History of Kerak

Kerak has a particularly bloodthirsty history; notably under the ownership of Reynald de Castillon, who married the widow of the previous owner.

Reynald was killed at the battle of Hattin, some sources say that Saladin (Salah ad-Din in Arabic) took care of him personally, but the bloody history of the castle continued. When it was besieged by Saladin's army, it is said that the defenders "sold" their wives and children to the besiegers in exchange for food. Perhaps the unhappy atmosphere is still there.

In any case, Saladin was impressed by the "courage" of the defenders, and when they finally surrendered he freed them without asking for ransoms.

Directions: See previous tip for how to get to Kerak

Posted by Lulu

Other Contact: www.jordanjubilee.com

Kerak : a Crusader Castle

Situated on the Kings' Highway, Kerak is chiefly known for its castle, one of the chain of "Crusader Castles" which once stretched from Turkey to the Egyptian border. These castles were supposed to be in line of sight of the next one along, and to be able to pass a message from Aqaba to the Turkish border in less than twelve hours, using a heliograph or light signals at night. Kerak was between Jerusalem and the castle at Shobuk, close to Petra.

Address: The town of Kerak is south of Amman

Directions: Buses go there from the South Bus station and take a bit more than an hour.

Posted by Lulu

Other Contact: www.jordanjubilee.com

The Madaba Folk History Museum

This is a very small museum, but you can get a ticket for 2JD which also lets you into the Architectural Park (the mosaic museum) and the Church of the Apostles on the same day.

The Folk History Museum is built on the site of one of the first houses in Madaba "Beit Twal" and much of it is preserved. There are also reconstructions of a typical room at the end of the 19th century and many objects of jewellery and of everyday use.

Posted by Lulu

Madaba - Ottoman period

In Madaba there are many old houses scattered among the modern buildings. And even these modern buildings are often on the site of the old ones.

Look behind some of the houses and you can see fallen columns and unexpected arches in their gardens. New discoveries are constantly being made when something new is built.

The streets contain many Ottoman period houses that most people pass by without noticing.

Posted by Lulu

Madaba : the Christian capital of Jordan

Christians make up about 6% of the populations of Jordan. Many of them live in Madaba, which was the seat of an important archbishopric in Byzantine times.

There are many mosaics in and around Madaba; most people go there to see the mosaic map of the Holy Land in St George's Church.

There are many others, notably the Hyppolitus Hall mosaic in the Archaeological Park there.

Directions: The Archaeological Park is close to the Tourist Office and the Madaba Museum. The Madaba Mosaic School is also to be found there.

Posted by Lulu

The Dead Sea - Washing off the salt

There are some good facilities for bathing at "Amman Beach" about 1km from the Dead Sea Spa Hotel. The entrance fee is 4JD, it offers facilities for changing, showers for getting rid of the salt, but nowhere safe to keep valuables while you are in the water. You can rent a towel for 1JD.

If the 4JD at Amman Beach is too expensive, I suggest you do what many locals do: keep on going down the road which eventually runs along the shore with the mountains rising immediately to your left. Along there you will find plenty of quiet spots to go down to the shore and bathe in the Dead Sea. To rinse off afterwards, keep going down the road until you come to a bridge over a stream which comes down a narrow gorge and enters the Dead Sea. The stream is very warm and fresh and well worth walking upriver a bit - climbing up the waterfalls can be good fun! This place is very popular - try to avoid Fridays!

Posted by Lulu

The Dead Sea - everybody wants to go there

The Dead Sea is full of salt, and as most people know it is impossible not to float in it! It is supposed to be very good for one's skin, but the salt means that any abrasions or pimples will sting like fury and when you get water in your eyes they also sting a lot. Certainly floating is fun, but getting upright again isn't, you splash around quite a lot, and unless you are being very cautious you get water in your eyes all over again - DO NOT RUB THEM! The sea bottom is covered with slimy mud!

It's not far from Amman but be careful not to miss the last bus back at 4pm or you will have to spend the night there and there is no budget accommodation available.

This salt is very bad for any clothes you might put on on top of it, so it is pretty well mandatory to be able to wash it off afterwards. The public beach is not very pleasant, so it is best to use some of the facilities available.

Directions: To get to the Dead Sea it is easiest to go from Amman. There are buses from Muhajrin station that take you to the Dead Sea Resthouse at Sweymeh. You can also get there from Madaba.

Posted by Lulu

The "Mother of Camels " - Um al Jimal

The name "Um al Jimal" means "the Mother of Camels" and one is tempted to believe that it was an important commercial centre. But there is no real evidence for this: Um al Jimal was a village, and for a short time a Roman military outpost, that was abandoned in the ninth or tenth century, following plague, war, and finally a catastrophic earthquake. It is nevertheless in a remarkably good state of preservation, since the stones were never looted to use elsewhere as has been the case in so many other ancient towns.

It has been fairly thoroughly excavated as an example of an early town, but has no great monuments or temples. It is interesting to wander about there, but it can be extremely hot, the black basalt of the buildings and the surroundings doesn't help.

Directions: Tthe remains of the town of Um al Jimal lie deep in the heart of the "black badia", and 120 kms from Amman

Um al Jimal is only 10kms from the Syrian border. You can get there by a 30 minute bus ride from Mafraq.

Posted by Lulu

Website: http://www.jordanjubilee.com

Qasr Hallabat

Hallabat is probably the most ruinous of the Desert Castles. Originally a Roman fort was built on this small hill, you see here the stones of black basalt.

It was restored by the Omayyeds (those indefatigable builders) in the eighth century and some beautiful mosaics were laid down, some fragments of which are still to be seen in the rooms off the courtyard. This was another pleasure palace.

The mosque was added at the same time. The arch above the window is quite beautiful and you can see reproductions of it in many books on Jordan.

Directions: It is possible to get here on a bus from Zerqa, but I still advise a day's excursion with a taxi.

Posted by Lulu

Website: http://www.jordanjubilee.com