A surprisingly small museum for such impressive collections. Its treasures offer a splendid insight into the nation’s historical and cultural diversity from prehistory to Byzantium. Objects are distinguished by influences ranging from Egyptian, throu..

Jerash stands on the banks of Wadi Jerash, once known as Chrysorhoas, the “river of gold”. On its left bank is the modern town; opposite stand the breathtaking ruins of Gerasa , at its peak in the 3C. The town’s main monuments are an immense colonna..

One of the finest creations of Roman architecture, the oval precinct dates from the late 1C or early 2C and is believed to have been a forum. Its rather unorthodox layout serves a dual purpose in accommodating the path of the cardo and providing ac..

Adventurous visitors may wish to discover this deep gorge on a rafting trip. The less dynamic can admire it from a roadside viewpoint on the King’s Highway. Either way, it is impossible not to be impressed by the white, yellow and red hues of the roc..

Plate tectonics and erosion due to water and sand created this fabulous landscape, which was cannily exploited by the Nabataeans. The illustrious merchants controlling caravan traffic between East and West founded a huge empire that prospered around ..

The main entrance to the ancient city, the Siq is a 1.2km-long narrow defile. Access to it was once spanned by an arch; its vestiges can be seen on either side of the pathway. A canal hewn into the rock runs along it; this channelled water from a spr..

The most important building of the great necropolis is the Treasury , most likely the mid-1C AD tomb of King Aretas IV, and today the symbol of Petra. Like the other tombs, it is entirely hewn from sandstone, with a façade measuring 40m in height an..

Wadi Rum’s high cliffs seem to advance in the face of an ocean of sand Its steep rockfaces of wind-burnished ochre sandstone rise among broad sandy plains. Only Bedouin venture into this inhospitable place, their flocks grazing alongside encampments ..

Central Amman’s principal ancient monument, the theatre covers the north flank of Jebel al-Taj, its contours emerging above the top row of seating. It was built in the late 2C. Composed of three blocks of fifteen rows, its cavea accommodated 6 000 ..

Founded in 1980 by the Royal Society of Fine Arts, the national gallery has an inspiring contemporary art collection , one of the best in the Middle East. Note the sombre works of Iraqi Jawdat Hassib, and those by Jordanians Ali Ghul, with silk inla..

Built in honour of car enthusiast King Hussein, the museum recounts the history of Jordan through the prism of the motor cars belonging to its successive monarchs. Its rich collection will delight car buffs. One of the star exhibits is the Lincoln C..

Umm Qais stands on the site of the ancient town of Gadara ; built in the fertile Yarmouk Valley, it formed part of the Decapolis , a political and economic union of ten Hellenistic towns which flourished thanks to developments in agriculture. Gadar..

The best preserved of Gadara’s three examples, the west theatre retains a large section of its three seating blocks. The poor state of the top rows reveals how the seating was supported on the vaulted galleries below. Note the fine seats of honour he..

Undoubtedly Jerash’s most striking monument, the theatre was built in the early 2C. Its cavea is divided into two blocks of tiered seating, 29 rows deep. The seats were numbered, using Greek lettering (still visible at either end of the bottom rows..

Heading along the cardo maximus from the oval precinct, visitors encounter the macellum or covered market, the centre of commercial life; then comes the nymphaeum , a monumental public fountain, its water flowing into a huge pool; beyond lies th..

The temple is dedicated to the city’s protector goddess. Huge columns precede the sanctuary (the largest in Jerash), surrounded by a temenos which was enclosed by a portico supported by 36 columns lengthways and 26 columns across. The sacred way ad..

All that remains of Qusayr (or Qasr) Amra is its hammam and noria. But what a hammam! Built for the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I in the 8C, it retains its painted décor on the walls and ceilings of several rooms, extraordinary and magnificent vestiges..

The reserve’s marshland and expanses of water are an important haven for migratory birds . From February to April and October to December, around 300 species pass through here, and it is during these periods that a visit is most interesting. Sadly, ..

The Orthodox church of St George has a unique pavement, discovered during its construction in 1896 on the site of a Byzantine basilica. Originally covering 15.7m by 5.6m, it comprised over 2 million tesserae. Although damaged, the surviving section r..

The mosaics on show have been unearthed in the course of excavations here and on surrounding sites. They range in date from the 1C BC (the earliest mosaic found in Jordan) to the 8C and study of their subject matter has identified themes dear to the ..