The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The
ancient city of Petra, Jordan's best known
tourist attraction, is a national treasure. Located approximately three
hours south of Amman and two hours north of Aqaba, Petra is the
enduring legacy of the Nabataens, an industrious Arab people who
settled more than 2000 years ago in what is today southern Jordan.
Situated on one of the major caravan routes, the Nabateans made their
city a mercantile centre for the region. Admired by the ancients for
its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams
and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site that
enchants visitors from around the world. Much of Petra's appeal comes
from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge. The
site is reached by walking through a kilometre long sinuous chasm. The
Siq, as this twisting snake-like chasm is known, boasts walls soaring
upwards 200 meters to reach the sky. Petra's most famous monument, the
Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the Siq. Used in the final
sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", the towering
facade of the Treasury is only one of many archaeological wonders to be
explored by visitors to Petra. Various walks and climbs reveal
literally hundreds of buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples,
arched gateways, colonnaded streets and haunting rock drawings - as
well as a 3000 seat open air theatre, a gigantic first century
Monastery and a modern archeological museum, all of which can be
explored at leisure.
The
ancient city
of Jerash, conveniently located within half
an hour of downtown Amman, should also be high on a list of favourite
tourist destinations in Jordan. Jerash boasts an unbroken chain of
human occupation dating back more than 6,500 years. Under Roman rule
the city achieved it's golden age with its paved and colonnaded
streets, hilltop temples, theatres, public squares and plazas, baths,
fountains and city walls. The site is one of the best preserved Roman
provincial towns in the world. Jerash lost to memory and hidden beneath
the sand for more than a millenium. Over the past 70 years it has been
lovingly excavated. Today the restored ruins reveal a wonderful example
of the formal provincial Roman urbanism of the era. Jerash preserves a
subtle blend of the Graeco-Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and
the ancient Arab Orient. 
In
ancient times, Aqaba
was the main port for shipments from the Red Sea to the Far East. Today
it is known for its preserved coral reefs and unique sea life. The
square Mameluk Fort (photo right), rebuilt in the 16th century, is one
of the historic landmarks of the town. Inscriptions in the stonework of
the fort date it from the later period of the Islamic dynasty. Today
the small museum houses a collection of artifacts collected at
archeological sites in the region, including pottery and coins. Aqaba
was also home to Sharif Hussein Bin Ali, the great grandfather of King
Abdullah II. His house still stands in the city.
The mudbrick building thought to be the earliest church in the region
is also in Aqaba. While in Aqaba, don't forget to fisit the jewellery
shops. Aqaba is a free port, so the already reasonable Jordanian prices
are even more enticing to visitors from Europe and North America.
While
visiting
Jordan, don't forget to explore the many souvenir shops. Some are owned
and operated by independent merchants. Others are associated with
charities founded by members of the Royal Family to improve the lives
of the impoverished residents of the isolated mountain villages. Along
with the T-shirts, kaffiyehs (traditional Jordanian male head dress)
postcards, guidebooks, coffee table books and other expected items, one
can find wonderful embroidery (embroidered blazer in photo left),
applique work (photo right), pottery and glassware, jewellery, and
other local handicrafts.
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This page was updated on 26 November 2007.Contact me at: patti.primeau@sympatico.caThis site was updated using Nvu and Style Maker. |