A treasure trove of textbook Arabia, Jordan is the Middle East at its most beguiling. It might not have the tourist infrastructure of the UAE or cultural swagger of Lebanon, but it does have theatrical mountains and seas, alluring towns, and — oh boy — what an astonishing desert-scape. Expect skin-pricking monuments and pinch-yourself ruins and statement sites, including the unsurpassable Petra, the rose-pink capital of the Nabataeans. Here’s what not to miss.
Ad-Deir Monastery (Alamy)
Few ancient cities are comparable to the city of Petra. Hewn from desert sandstone 2,000 years ago by the mysterious Nabateans, the “rose city” warrants several days of exploration. The epic setting of a once-lost city in an arid canyon has a dramatic entranceway through a snaking fissure called the Siq. Your first glance is the Al-Khazneh treasury with its exquisitely carved stone columns that flame marmalade-orange in direct sunlight. Thereafter lies Ad-Deir Monastery’s imposing 45m-high façade and a Roman amphitheatre that once hosted 8,500 screaming spectators.
There are moments amid the stony silence of this scorched desert when you can hear the hot thermal winds — skin prickling with the presence of Lawrence of Arabia who rode through here during wartime in 1917. The Bedouin know Wadi Rum as the “Valley of the Moon”. Devoid of life, however, it is not. Now an ecotourism paradise, you can climb bronzed canyon walls, stargaze the milky way in velvet-dark skies, and safari on either 4x4s or camels. Funkier accommodation options include otherworldly martian domes or the chance to glamp in luxury bubble tents.
Given the River Mujib’s denouement in one of the most barren places on earth, the Dead Sea, the river’s crystal line flow breathes life into a paradisiacal canyon of lush greenness and cool shadows, teeming with nature. At certain times of the year, you can wade and bathe in the Wadi Mujib, keeping an eye open for wild caracal cats or gaze in wonder at the beautiful Ma’in hot springs waterfall. An energetic gorge trek is part of a burgeoning adventure scene with rafting and canyoning creating something of a splash.
In recent times Catholic popes have stood upon Mount Nebo, one of the greatest pilgrimage spots in Christendom, at the very point where, according to the book of Deuteronomy, Moses saw the promised land. After a short taxi ride to the summit, the West Bank opens up in sight: most definitely to the walls of Jericho and if lucky, on a clear day, Jerusalem. On top is an engaging 6th-century Byzantine church, that marks where Moses supposedly died and hosts striking mosaics.
Okay, it’s a hackneyed bucket-list experience, but you simply have to don your swimming costume, slap on the highest factor sun-protection cream available, and float, unable to sink, on the salty waters of the Dead Sea. Split between Jordan and Israel, at 427m below sea level it is the lowest point on earth. In the right light, when the sun is not blazing overhead, waters nearly ten times the salinity of regular seawater look almost supernaturally blue or green. Flanked by resorts and health spas, the Dead Sea remains a significant centre for curative treatments like psoriasis and has a modern spa scene utilising mineral-rich muds.
Looking at the geographical location of Jordan with its arid desert landscapes, it’s a surprise to discover such a wealth of greenery and flourishing nature might exist, as it does at the divine Dana Biosphere Reserve. Carved from the Great Rift Valley, Jordan’s largest reserve is a veritable Eden amid a dramatic jumble of jagged mountains, canyons, and wind-etched sandstone landforms. After the rains, the narrow canyons flush green, rich with wildflowers. A fine time for hikers and naturalists to be enthralled by some of its 700 species of plants and dozens of mammals, including endangered species like the Nubian ibex.
The most striking memory you’ll take from the Roman ruins of Jerash is its decorated columns lining a paved collonaded thoroughfare. It’s not hard to picture it bustling with Roman citizens as if the city’s glorious heyday was only yesterday. Make no mistake, this is one of the best-preserved ancient Greco-Roman cities on earth. Founded around 331BC by Alexander the Great, the city has temples and villas toppled by a subsequent earthquake. Each summer Jerash hosts a popular cultural festival of music, dance and theatre.
Far too many travellers pass quickly through Jordan’s capital without pausing, yet rich with ancient ruins it’s one of the most interesting cities in the Middle East. Fashioned by a history dating back to 7250BC, Amman has added glorious archaeological treasures to its many hills. There’s a colossal Roman amphitheatre in the heart of downtown built during the reign of Emperor Antonius and a hilltop citadel where you can absorb the skin-tingling sound of Amman’s mosques that erupt in stereophonic fervour. Go on the hunt too for Jordan’s much-loved mansaf — a national treasure of rice, lamb and fermented goat’s yoghurt.
If bathwater-warm sea, delicate coral gardens, sunken shipwrecks, and shoals of multicoloured tropical fish, floats your fancy, then head to the Red Sea to dive or snorkel out of Aqaba. The marine coast is both well protected and accessible most of the year, while dive centres and the surrounding resorts hire equipment that is not expensive. Along Jordan’s 27km of Red Sea coast expect to see stingrays and hawksbill turtles, fine corals at the likes of the Japanese Garden dive and some surprise sunken wrecks including an American tank.
The whole world, as believed in Byzantine times, was encapsulated on a priceless mosaic in the town of Madaba found on an ancient desert route known as the King’s Highway. Among many splendid mosaics, the most striking is Jordan’s very own Mappa Mundi — the Madaba Map, a quite sumptuous floor mosaic dating from the 6th century, located in the Byzantine Church of St George. Imagine ancient eyes dazzled by the representation of the Middle East: the centre of their universe. Look carefully to pick out Bethlehem, the old city of Jerusalem, and the banks of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.
The ancient Roman and Ottoman ruins of Umm Qais are set on a hill overlooking northern Jordan and Syria, as well as Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and are made up of lumps of orange, gold and rust-red stone bulges, pillars and columns. There’s a crumbled theatre and temple, too, plus the surrounding area is an eco-tourism honeypot, with courses in beekeeping, foraging and cooking to try.
Every country has a long-distance hiking trail these days and Jordan is no different. Connecting Umm Qais to Aqaba, this 420-mile odyssey marches north to south, taking in 75-odd sun-kissed villages and as many wadis, historic sites and desert ruins as there are errant camels. The Jordan Trail might be a relatively new concept, but the pathway follows the King’s Highway, the historical trade route from Egypt to Syria, and it pulls you away from the modernity of capital Amman and back into the past.
Akin to a 5,000-year-old Route 66, Jordan’s ultimate road trip is a bewitching 175-mile journey along an asphalt strip sandwiched between the highs of the Great Rift Valley and the lows of the Dead Sea. All the horn-honking traffic and tour buses between Amman and Aqaba speed along the newer and faster Desert Highway, leaving the zig-zagging switchbacks and panoramas relatively car-free and quiet to cruise at your leisure. Crusader castles will blindside you, while there are enough historical churches, Roman ruins and astonishing desert vistas to fill an entire holiday itinerary.
The Kerak Crusader castle (Alamy)
Picture wonky ramparts and turrets as golden as honey: these are Jordan’s history-steeped Crusader castles, which bare their teeth on hilltops across the country’s midriff. Shobak is a 12th century bastion in the Arabah Valley with an underlayer of hidden tunnels, while Wu’ayra Castle north of Petra was conceived with Christian grace on a low-lying spur. Better still is Kerak, the best-preserved fortress in Jordan and a place besieged time and again by Saladin, Egypt’s first sultan and the man who took the fight to the Crusaders.
Ready for a breather? Then you’re all set for the thermal pools, gushing waterfalls and natural cave saunas of the Ma’in hot springs, which are a historical testament to the power of natural wellness. The prosecco-bubbly waters, which contain large amounts of hydrogen sulphide, reach toe-wrinkly temperatures of up to 60 degrees and feed straight into the nearby Dead Sea. Perfect for pampering tired feet that have padded around Petra, in fact, and so good that King Herod reportedly also came by for a soak.
