Keith, Rob & I have just returned from a too short trip to Jordan. We absolutely loved it!! We hired a private tour guide (from Jordan Direct Tours – highly recommended, if you’re thinking of going) who organised everything for us, drove us everywhere and enabled us to see a lot more in 4 days than we ever would have managed ourselves.
On day 1 we visited:
- Jerash – “the best preserved Roman provincial town in the world” (so they say). Fascinating to wander around the remains of a once great city. Very evocative.
Hadrian’s Arch
Just a few spare bits of Roman stone
A Roman road
A mosaic floor in early Byzantine church
Goats grazing among the ruins
A butcher shop
Roman colonnaded street
Chariot wheel ruts on the Roman road
Jerash – the gate to the city
- We had lunch at the ‘Mountain Breeze Country Club’ in the picturesque Jordanian highlands, lovely views, very green (the views, not the lunch!)
- We visited a shrine alleged to be the grave of Joshua. Who knows if it is really him in there, but it was certainly in the general vicinity of where he died.
- Amman Citadel – the remains of the ancient city of Rabbath-Ammon, the ancient royal city of the Ammonites, and the foundation of modern Amman. Fascinating ruins and fabulous views of Amman.
The Citadel – Roman ruins
The Citadel – Roman ruins & a nice evening sky
Amman – view from the Citadel
In the small museum – known as the Ayn Ghazal statues, they are allegedly amongst the oldest known human sculptures, dating from around 6500 BCE
