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Amman : Amman is a very clean, modern city with almost all the buildings having a uniform color due to the limestone used in the building’s facade. On the highest hill sits the Citadel which dates back to the Bronze Age. Over thousands of years it has been rebuilt many times due to its strategic position. Within its walls are the remains of a Roman Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace, Byzantium Basilica, and the National Archeological Museum. The museum is small, but its exhibits are unique and well labeled in English. There are some of the Dead Sea scrolls, 6000 year old skulls from Jericho, three of the Ain Ghazal statues which date to 6500 BCE and are some of the world’s earliest sculptures. A short distance from the base of the Citadel is a 2nd century CE Roman Theater which was restored in 1957. It has a small museum attached with contemporary clothing and artifacts. Concerts and other events are held there throughout the year.

Amman

Amman is a very clean, modern city with almost all the buildings having a uniform color due to the limestone used in the building’s facade. On the highest hill sits the Citadel which dates back to the Bronze Age. Over thousands of years it has been rebuilt many times due to its strategic position. Within its walls are the remains of ...

Updated: Jun 30, 2008 4:39am PST

Petra : The order of these pictures starts with the road to the Siq, the Siq, and through Petra to the Monastery (the farthest point I traveled). Petra was the capital of the Nabataens which built a trading empire around 200 BCE. At its peak, Petra was the home to about 30,000 people until 363 CE when an earthquake leveled most of the freestanding structures and the city slowly faded into obscurity. The Nabataens were known as superb hydraulic engineers and had many channels and cisterns to store the infrequent rain, important for living in such an arid region. The best known entrance to the city is the Siq; a 200 m deep passage that winds through the over 1 km of rose red sandstone that surrounds Petra. The Siq was a ceremonial entrance and the trade caravans came up the other Wadi (river beds) to enter the city. The iconic image of the “Treasury” is the first sight you see as you exit the winding Siq; immortalized in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as the resting place of the Holy Grail. Actually it is a tomb of a Nabataen King and has only a few shallow rooms off the entrance. Turn right and as you walk along the “Street of Facades” you pass at least 40 other tombs carved into the stone walls. Many are easy to explore. Then you come to a colonnade with the “great temple” on one side and several Byzantine churches on the other. The purpose of the “great temple” is still a mystery. Inside it had a theater for 600, as well as a large pool with steps, perhaps for swimming. Whether it was a temple, civic building or something else only future excavations (currently underway) will tell. Across from the “great temple” is the Petra church which has amazing Byzantine floor and wall mosaics on display, it is well worth the climb. Just past the colonnade is the Qasr Al-Bilt, temple (dedicated to the Nabataen god, Dushara) one of the last free standing structures in Petra. Despite it being heavily damaged in the 363 CE and 551 CE earthquakes, most of the temples 23 meter walls remained standing due to the wood built into the stone walls for earthquake bracing. Across from Qasr Al-Bilt are a crusader castle and a bar/restaurant with a pretty good buffet. After wandering 8 km through this stone city you will want a drink, so ride the donkeys to different sites when you can. Up to 1985 (when UNESCO declared Petra a World heritage site) Bedouins made these tombs into houses and refused leave until the Jordanian King personally asked them to. They are still allowed to sell trinkets and jewelry in Petra. All speak some English and are polite and friendly to tourists.

Petra

The order of these pictures starts with the road to the Siq, the Siq, and through Petra to the Monastery (the farthest point I traveled). Petra was the capital of the Nabataens which built a trading empire around 200 BCE. At its peak, Petra was the home to about 30,000 people until 363 CE when an earthquake leveled most of the frees ...

Updated: Jul 04, 2008 9:16am PST

Mount Nebo and Madaba (St Georges Chuch) : Mount Nebo is where Moses first saw the holy land. On top there is a memorial to Moses as well as a 6th century church with a floor mosaic from 530 AD. Nearby is Madaba, the location of St Georges Church. Inside is a 6th century mosaic map of the holy land with 157 sites of biblical significant notated in Greek. This mosaic was discovered under the floor in the late 19th century. Unfortunately only 1/3 of the original 25m by 6m mosaic survives, but it has been incredibly significant in finding other biblical archeological sites throughout the Middle East.

Mount Nebo and Madaba (St Georges Chuch)

Mount Nebo is where Moses first saw the holy land. On top there is a memorial to Moses as well as a 6th century church with a floor mosaic from 530 AD. Nearby is Madaba, the location of St Georges Church. Inside is a 6th century mosaic map of the holy land with 157 sites of biblical significant notated in Greek. This mosaic was disco ...

Updated: Jul 04, 2008 12:13pm PST

Shobak Crusader Castle : Crusader castles dot the Jordanian desert, the best known is Karak Castle. Shobak Castle is more remote so there were no crowds. Shobak castle was built in 1115 AD by Crusader King Baldwin I and withstood numerious attack from Saladin before falling in 1189 after a 1 1/2 year siege.

Shobak Crusader Castle

Crusader castles dot the Jordanian desert, the best known is Karak Castle. Shobak Castle is more remote so there were no crowds. Shobak castle was built in 1115 AD by Crusader King Baldwin I and withstood numerious attack from Saladin before falling in 1189 after a 1 1/2 year siege.

Updated: Jul 04, 2008 8:24pm PST