It is from the corniche road to the east or the Dead Sea Panoramic Complex that visitors will get the best views over the Dead Sea’s turquoise waters and surrounding salt deposits and arid mountains. Lying 400m below sea level, this body of water h..

To protect their territories beyond the Jordan, the Crusaders decided to fortify Kerak, enveloping the existing town behind walls in the mid-12C, yet Saladin still conquered the fortress in 1188, as did Baibars in the following century; both changed ..

Larger and more open than Wadi Mujib, the canyon of Wadi Hasa was the frontier between the lands of Moab and Edom to the south. Its gentler more exposed slopes are planted here and there with olives. Farmers access their terraces, small verdant pocke..

To save Dana from abandonment, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature has restored and modernised this village overlooking the canyon of Wadi Fidan, created a nature reserve in its environs and revitalised the local economy, without impacti..

Heading up to the Deir (“monastery”) is worthwhile not just to see the monument but also to enjoy the exceptional panorama from the summit over the Araba Valley. Similar to the Treasury, the Deir is distinguished by its more sober décor and larger sc..

The royal tombs comprise of a variety of troglodytic and monumental tombs hewn into Jebel al-Khubtha. Among them are the Urn Tomb (with main chamber measuring 300m2), converted into a church by the Byzantines; the Corinthian Tomb , sadly much erod..

A 3hr walk leads to numerous Nabataean monuments - obelisks, fountains, triclinium, tombs... but most importantly to the principal high place of Petra, sited at the top of the hill. It was here, in the open air, that religious ceremonies and sacrif..

Thanks to the cutting of the Suez Canal, the Red Sea links the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. At its northern end, the gulf of Aqaba is Jordan’s only access point to the sea. The water temperature ranges between 20 and 30°C depending on the sea..

The park was established in 2004 to protect the extraordinary underwater life of the south coast. It runs for 7km, from the Marine Science Centre aquarium to the Royal Diving Club, and has around 20 dive sites. The most famous are the wreck of the ..

Pending relocation to the buildings of the new national museum on King Talal St, the museum currently occupies the western section of the ancient theatre. Collections of costumes, culinary utensils, tools, arms, musical instruments… illustrating the ..

Like the Folklore Museum , this museum should soon be merged into the new national museum on King Talal St. For the moment, its collections are well presented in the eastern section of the ancient theatre. They are mainly women’s costumes and jewel..

Opposite the Roman theatre stood the citadel, or Jebel al-Qalaal, which throughout the first millennium AD kept watch from behind its ramparts over the population of Philadelphia (the city’s name at that time). Of this fortified city, there remain ve..

It is hard to miss the imposing blue and white dome of this mosque, flanked by two minarets. The octagonal layout resembles Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock. This example of contemporary Islamic art draws on traditional motifs ( mouqarnas , moucharabiehs..

The remains of this huge Umayyad palace complex include vestiges of a vast entrance hall , baths , a cistern and a colonnade lined by thirteen columns , allowing the visitor to imagine it at its height in the 8C, when it stood along with lodging..

Situated on the outskirts of Amman, on the main Jordanian road linking Irbid to Aqaba, this vast park is a verdant haven of peace. Planted with hundreds of pines, it is popular on Fridays among families from the capital. From its highest point, there..

This castle is a rare example of Muslim defensive architecture in Jordan. Built around 1184 by a cousin of Saladin (Izz al-Din Ousama), it stood against the Crusaders, whose nearest outpost was at Belvoir on the other side of the Jourdain. Extended 3..

Probably once covered by a dome, the basilica’s central octagon is distinguished by eight basalt Corinthian columns, contrasting with the atrium’s milky-white column shafts. This layout pins down construction to the 5C-6C. On a hillside site, its alt..

Qasr al-Abd’s massive white ruins contrast against an ochre rocky backdrop, looking onto the steep-sided valley of Wadi Sir. According to Flavius Josephus, Prince Hyrcan of the region’s Tobiad dynasty, ruling from Amman in the 5C BC, had a palace sur..

Built by the Umayyad caliphs in the 8C, Qasr al-Kharaneh appears lost in the Jordanian desert. Its rather austere quadrangular construction has a fortress-like appearance from the outside; its only apertures are loopholes and an entrance protected by..

Umm al-Jimal’s remains lie in the Hauran, close to Bosra in Syria, and have yielded much detail on Roman and Byzantine town planning. Around 130 houses have been identified among the ruins. Arranged around three sides of a courtyard, note their two-s..