This 6C church stands at a junction on the King’s Highway. Inside a modern structure are mosaics relocated from nearby, and a large in situ pavement , its central medallion representing a personification of the sea ( thalassa ), a female figure em..

At a height of 802m, Mount Nebo dominates the Rift Valley, a geological fracture caused by the meeting of tectonic plates through which flows the Jordan. It owes its renown to its Biblical significance: atop this mountain Moses died after having se..

Standing on the site of the biblical town of Nebo (remains of a tell behind the church), the rectangular church has a vast 6C mosaic. The altar pavement has two lambs flanking a tree. In the nave, a lower register depicts pastoral and hunting scenes ..

On this site, believed to be the place where Moses died, a church was first built in the 4C. It became a baptistery and in the 6C a basilica which incorporated the earlier structures. Among the remains which can be seen today (where Mass is still cel..

In 1997, archaeologists discovered three churches, two wells and three cisterns, definitively locating the village of Bethany “beyond the Jordan where John baptised” (John 1: 28). The main feature of the site is a hill called Tell Mar Elias , from w..

Umm ar-Rasas is the site of remarkably well-preserved mosaic masterpieces adorning the floors of several churches. They date from the Byzantine period and the early days of the Islamic period. The finest mosaics , in the church of St Stephen, depict..

Shawbak was the first Crusader structure built beyond the Jordan. It was named Montréal (Mount Royal) in memory of King Baldwin I, who began its construction in 1115. After Saladin’s victory at Hattin, it withstood a siege for a year and a half befor..

The centre’s primary role is research and protection of the coral reef. Its aquarium is open to the public; divers and swimmers come here to identify the array of species seen below the waves. All visitors will get an idea of the diversity of the Re..

12 km from Aqaba is a huge sandy beach strewn with coral from its offshore reefs. On Fridays, the locals come here for family picnics, creating a gregarious ambience along the beach which is an ideal meeting place. On the opposite shore rises the ste..

This long corridor linking the Dead Sea to the Red Sea is not technically speaking a valley. Its uneven topography, highest near Gharandal (200m below sea level) before dropping to the Dead Sea (408m below sea level), would not allow a river to flow ..

Two slender minarets mark this mosque ( not open to visitors ). In the Ottoman style, albeit reconstructed in 1924 on the site of an ancient sanctuary, it is the holiest site in the city. Around noon on Friday when the week’s main prayers take place,..

Visitors to the site should not miss this small museum located in an old Ottoman residence, Bayt Russan, with black and white seating and a pretty garden planted with pomegranates. At the entrance is a statue with superb drapery (probably representin..

Of political, economic and social importance, the Jordan flows from Lebanon’s Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea, and marks Jordan’s post-1967 western frontier with Israel. The scarcity of water in this arid region meakes the river a rare source of drinkin..

The site’s history goes back a million years. Stone Age hunters, Copper Age settlers, citizens of an Iron Age town that traded with Egypt and Cyprus, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines, all have capitalised upon Pella’s resources: reliable springs, commun..

From the top of its observation tower, visitors can admire the reserve’s variety of species. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature established it with a view to reintroducing species lost from the Jordanian desert. The white-coated Arabia..

The ruins of Azraq Castle bear witness to 2 000 years of history. The fort was probably built in the 3C on the site of an earlier structure and remained in use until the early 20C. Access to the inner courtyard is through a fine entrance bastion, top..

The monastery stands on the site where Lot and his daughters sought refuge after God’s destruction of Sodom. The Bible recounts the cataclysm which befell the city and its neighbour Gomorrah in the 19C BC, God’s punishment upon their morally corrupt ..

Petra’s lower city is being gradually revealed by archaeologists, but it remains hard to fully grasp its significance. Visitors should imagine a Hellenistic-style settlement with markets, baths, temples and villas. The Nabataeans did not live in the ..

Recent archaeological work has revealed traces of the earliest church yet found. This Roman church dates from the late 3C, predating those of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Nativity in Bethlehem (both are 4C). The site, which also has vestig..