Our 9-day vacation to Jordan in April of 2005 was a textbook tour of the highlights of this remarkable country.
After landing in Amman, we taxied to the small town of Madaba for our first two nights' stay. From there we toured Mt. Nebo, the Dead Sea and Jerash, then followed the King's Highway to Petra. After a few days at the fabled ruins of Petra, we spent two days and one night in the desert of Wadi Rum - Lawrence of Arabia country. We continued down to Aqaba, snorkeled in the Red Sea and then scurried back up to Amman for our final night in Jordan. Not a moment wasted but still we never felt rushed.
While it's hard to top seeing Petra's Treasury building or bobbing in the unsinkable waters of the Dead Sea for the first time, our hearts were won over by the beauty and tranquility of Wadi Rum.
Jordan should be a "must" on every traveler's list. Generous people, delicious food and world-class sites rich in history.
Date(s): April 2005. Album by David Kohl. Photos by David Kohl & Ross Rosenberg. 1 - 61 of 61 Total. 3989 Visits.
Moses Memorial Church at Mt. Nebo Our first day in Jordan began with a trip to Mt. Nebo. Mt Nebo is the mountain from which Moses gazed upon the Promised Land that God had forbidden him to enter.
View from Mt Nebo From this vantage point - by a stylized cross sculpture - you can look out over the Jordan Valley.
Direction Locator From here you can view the Jordan River valley, the Dead Sea and Palestine. The direction finder plaque indicates that Jerusalem is only about 30 miles away
View of the Dead Sea The Dead Sea - at 1,320 feet below sea level - marks the lowest point on Earth. The Dead Sea got its name because the high salt content of its water virtually kills off all marine life. Ocean water is about 4% salt; the Dead Sea water is over 30%. The high salinity makes the water so buoyant it is almost impossible to sink!
Scooping Up the Dead Sea Mud The black mud at the bottom the Dead Sea contains many minerals that are beneficial to your skin. Visitors often scoop it up, rub it on themselves, let it dry and then rinse it off. The results can be envigorating.
Tai Chi at the Dead Sea Beach Young men, covered in the Dead Sea mud, practice Tai Chi on the beach of the Dead Sea.
Mud Drying Two Jordanian men wait for the Dead Sea mud to dry before rinsing themselves off.
Jerash North of Amman lies the Roman ruins of Jerash (ancient name "Gerasa"). It was built around the first century A.D. It is one of the best examples in the Middle East of a Roman provincial city.
Jerash Columns The colonnaded Cardo is the main boulevard in Jerash. In the golden age of the city - during the 2nd & 3rd centuries A.D. - the population of Jerash probably grew to about 25,000 residents.
South Theater at Jerash Built in the 1st centruy A.D., it seats over 3,000 people. Every year, in late July and early August, Jerash hosts the Festival of Culture and Arts. It has become one of the premier international showcases for music, dance and poetry.
King's Highway The King's Highway cuts through the a vast and beautiful canyon of Wadi Mujib. This route has been the centuries old north-south trade route in eastern Jordan. Moses was barred from traveling this road by King Edom. Of course, it wasn't paved then.
Interior View of Karak Castle Karak Castle - located south of Amman - is one of the best preserved Crusader castles in the Middle East.
Karak Castle Built in 1142, the castle is surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs.
Harbor view in Aqaba Aqaba - located on the Red Sea - is Jordan's only port city. It is bordered on one side by Israel, the other by Saudi Arabia.
Boat in the Harbor at Aqaba A Jordanian tour boat coming into the harbor of Aqaba. In the hazy distance are the hills of Egypt and Israel.
Aqaba Castle (Mamluk Fort) The fort was originally built by the Crusaders in the 13th century. It was later enlarged by the Ottomans in 1587 and 1628.
Spice shop A view of the interior of a spice shop in Aqaba.
Roman Theater The Roman Theater in Amman was built in the 2nd century AD and has a seating capacity of nearly 6,000. It is still used today for concerts and other performances
Amman view This is a view of modern Amman from the upper section of the Roman theater. Amman's original Roman name was "Philadelphia" named after the Roman ruler Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Entrace to Petra About a half mile from the Visitors' Center of Petra you enter The Siq - a narrow, rock gorge - that ranges from about 17 feet wide to only 6 feet wide. The water channels, carved into the walls, can be seen on the sides in this photo.
Siq view A view of a horse-drawn carriage that can be hired as transport down the gorge.
Walking along the Siq In Roman times, the path down the gorge was "paved" with stones. In some areas, the original Roman pavement is still visible.
First Glimpse of the Treasury When the walls of the Siq narrow to their closest point, the first glimpse of the Treasury building emerges.
Another Glimpse of the Treasury As the rock curtains part, more of the extraordinary Treasury building comes into view.
The Treasury The Treasury, built by the Nabataens, was carved out of the sandstone walls to serve as a tomb for their king. The date of its construction is estimated to be between 100 BC and 200 AD.
Bathroom Ceiling Petra is often called the "Rose City" because of the rose-colored stone that dominates the region. Believe it or not, this is actually the ceiling of a public bathroom at the Petra site.
Carved Stone Staircase Petra was hidden from the world until the early 19th century when a young Swiss explorer - Jean-Louis Burckhardt - rediscovered it.
Petra Building The Nabataens, the nomadic tribe that occupied and built the city, earned their living by levying tolls on goods traveling through their areas from Arabia to Turkey and beyond.
Roman Soldier Tomb Since Petra was located along one of the most traveled trade routes in the Middle East, its architecture reflects the influences of many of its trading partners. This building has a classical facade with three framed niches containing carved figures.
Buildings of Petra As this view shows, hundreds of buildings were carved into the sandstone walls of Petra.
On the path to the Monastery It is hour's hike up the steep path - an over 700 foot rise - to the Monastery. This photo was taken on a rest stop along the route. In the background, the central section of Petra stretches out below.
The Monastery The name "The Monastery" was probably a misnomer. It was probably originally a temple dedicated to a Nabataen king.
Bedouin in front of the Monastery
Camels at Petra
Souvenir stands outside Petra Souvenir stands line the entry area to Petra. Many have been named after the movie - "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" - where the climatic scene was filmed on location at Petra.
Road to Wadi Rum Camel crossing sign - the only one we saw during our trip - is located on the road to the desert area of Wadi Rum.
Visitors' Center at Wadi Rum A view of the visitors' center at Wadi Rum. The rock formation visible behind the center has been named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" - after the T.E. Lawrence book of the same name.
Road from Wadi Rum Village This is a view of one of the main streets of the village of Wadi Rum. Most excursions into the desert leave from this town. In the distance, you can barely see where the paved road ends and the desert sand road begins.
Into the desert This is one of several sand paths leading into the desert. There are many granite, basalt or sandstone mountains that dramatically rise up over 2,500 feet above the desert floor.
Desert vehicle On the first day, this pick-up truck served as our transport around the desert. We shared it with a couple from Britain and their young son.
Giant sand dunes The red dunes in this photo are among the largest in Wadi Rum. You can barely make out the two of us at the top of the dunes - but we are there.
Fun in the dunes Claire, Peter and their son Ben in the sand dunes.
Lunch Our guide prepares lunch for the five of us. Lunch consisted of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes sprinkled with salt, yogurt, canned Moroccan sardines, pita bread and pastries for dessert. The sardines were the best ever!
Chat before lunch Ross and Claire talk while lunch is being prepared.
After lunch rest After lunch, Ross and our guide relax for a few minutes.
Wadi Rum view Ross says this picture looks like Mars. He could be right. But until we go there, I'll never know for sure.
Late afternoon view Ross and our guide rest near Lawrence's House (named after T.E. Lawrence - "Lawrence of Arabia") late in the afternoon of our first day.
Desert sunset Sunset view at the end of our first day in Wadi Rum. The total silence at both sunrise and sunset was startling. No bird sounds, no insects, no wind. Only quiet.
Campsite We spent a night in the desert at this campsite. The black, goat-hair tent is a typical Bedouin tent.
Tent interior The interior of the Bedouin tent at the campsite. Some of us chose to sleep inside the tents; others slept under the stars.
Campsite life A view of the "living room" and "dining room" of the campsite. Meals were served "family style" at the table in the foreground.
Early morning at the campsite This photo was taken from the cliffs above the camp in the early morning of our second day in the desert. Notice the sleeping bags in front of the tent; some chose to sleep outside for the night. The concrete building held a modest kitchen area and a tiny bath with a shower. A wire from the truck's battery to the building was the only source of electricity.
The camels arrive In the morning of the second day, our camels arrived. They were our means of transport around the desert on our second day.
Ross says The Bedouin that live close to Wadi Rum have small herds of camels to rent for excursions. Our two camels also came with a guide for the day.
Getting started Camels rise up from their seated positions with a "bronco-style" triple jerk: back,foward, then back again. It can surprise you.
Another start The key to not falling off a camel as it gets up is to hold on to the pommel - and never let go! No matter, it still feels like you are going to be thrown off. (Our guide for the day can be seen in this photo.)
Ready to begin We left the camp that morning for a six-hour ride through the desert - stopping for mid-morning tea and lunch.
Camel close-up Jordan's population of camels is actually down from 18,000 in 1992 to only about 6,000 today. There is some talk of having them declared a protected species.
Camel portrait
Balancing act Our guide shows off his balancing skills. Don't worry, we didn't even think about trying this.
Classic desert view This view is a visual quote from a scene in the movie "Lawrence of Arabia". Much of the first half of that movie was filmed in Wadi Rum.
