Jordan
March / April 2000 - Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
Capital

Amman

Area

92,300 km²
(2.2x the Netherlands)

Time

UTC +3

Language

Arabic, English

Highest point

Jabal Ramm - 1,754 m

Flag

The flag which is in use since 1928 is based on the flag of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Black, white and green represent the ancient caliphates of the Abbasids, Umayyads and Fatimids. The red triangle represents the Hashemite dynasty. The star represents the seven verses of the first surah in the Quran.


Itinerary
Currency

The Jordanian dinar replaced the Palestinian pound in 1965. Depicted on the banknote is King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein. He became king after the death of his father in 1999.




Highlights

When you enter Jordan from Syria, the first highlight is the old city Jerash. Archaeologists have found ruins which date from the period 7500-5500 BC. Greek inscriptions show that Jerash was founded by Alexander the Great although other sources contradict this. The city was taken by the Romans in 63 BC. The city reached its peak in the early 3rd century. Hadrian lived here for a while. The huge oval forum is the eye-catcher. A total of seven churches were built from 526 onward. Beautiful mosaic floors are the remains of those churches.

The Dead Sea is 493 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point on earth. The lake contains 33% salt which will keep you floating on the surface. Bring a newspaper for the show.

Kerak is on strategic location on the royal road. It is known for the crusader fortress that was built in 1132 by the Frenchman Payen le Bouteiller. After a siege of more then a year it came into the hands of Saladin in 1188. The best known resident was Renaud de Chatillon who was Saladin's greatest opponent in the 80s of the 12th century. During a battle Renaud was defeated and beheaded by Saladin.

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George is located in Madaba. Inside is a mosaic floor with a map of Jerusalem. The mosaic was made in 560 and consists of over 2 million pieces.



From Amman you can go on excursion to a few desert fortresses. The first one is the Qasr Al Harana. This was one of the first Caravanserai on the Silk Road. It was built in 721. the Quseir Amra is a hunting palace which was built by Caliph Walid II between 723 and 743. The walls are decorated with beautiful frescoes which are badly damaged. It is a remnant of a much larger building. Finally, near the borde with Syria you can visit the Qasr Al Azraq. The current fort dates from 1300, but finds indicate a settlement from 300. The fortress of raw basalt blocks was used as the headquarter of Lawrence of Arabia in the fight against the Ottomans in 1917.

Petra (Greek for rock) was the capital of the Nabatean kingdom in the 4th century BC. The first time the city was mentioned dates from 312 BC when a general of Alexander the Great tried to conquer it. The Romans conquered it in 106. Entrance is through the Siq. This is an endless gap that gets narrower and higher once you get to the jewel of Petra, Al Khazneh. It was carved in the sandstone rocks around 85 BC. The tomb has a height of 40 meters. Further on you enter a valley with the Necropolis of the Nabateans. in total there are about 800 rock houses and tombs in the area. Behind the valley is a narrow path up to the imposing Ad Deir which is 50 meters wide and 45 meters high. The climb to Ad Deir over a stone path takes about an hour.