Jordan Day 2: Desert Castles and Amman

Day two was spent exploring the desert castles east of Amman closer to the Sa'udia and Iraqi borders. Built along the ancient trade routes in the 600's and 700's the purposes of these structures is not fully known. Some believe they served as fortresses for defensive measures, or might have served as hotels along the caravan trade routes. The three we visited vary greatly from one to another and each offered something unique to see and experience. At times I could almost feel the ancient ghostly past whisper through the sand. Interesting to think what might have happened here all those 13 some odd centuries ago.

We first visited Qasr Kharana . . .





































Qasr Amra . . .












Not far away

Qasr Azraq . . .











Amman . . . After touring the desert castles we headed back to Amman for lunch and a tour of the city.




Another impressive lunch spread. Lunch is the main meal here, and after this I was pretty much done for the day! So delicious!


Very traditional lamb and chicken dishes with rice.




The aftermath . . . and our driver smoking a hookah in the background. Hookahs are very popular in the middle east (gaining ground in Europe too), and gratefully the hookah smoke is far less offensive than cigarette smoke.


Fresh kill hangs freely in front of shops all over town.



After lunch we hit the town, stopping to see the citadel, museum and the Umayyad Palace atop a central hill in this very hilly city. This spot is layers of 1000's of years of history. And it comes with a spectacular 360 degree view over the city of Amman.


Madeleine enjoyed looking at ancient jewellery.


Not sure what to make of the ancient remains of a child.


Trevon making new friends, per usual.












Standing on this hill with 360 degrees of this view while listening to the call to prayer echo off of every hillside was a chilling moment I shall never forget.



We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the heart of the old city. We wound our way through the old shopping alleys near the mosque among all the locals surrounded by shops and stalls selling just about everything under the sun. It seemed we were the only foreigners about.






Dallin was pretty stoked to get his very own Arab head scarf, otherwise known as a hata, so he could live out his Lawrence of Arabia fantasies on the desert. Turns out the hata is not really a fashion statement, but an essential article in the hot desert sun.

Jordan Day 1: Ancient Rome and Ajlun

I hadn't expected to love Jordan as much as I did, but it truly is one of the most amazing places I've visited. I'm enchanted by the middle east right now and all Arab cultures. Jordan gave us another view into this world, and after this trip my understanding and appreciation of this region has been richly expanded. Jordan is a very peaceful country in the heart of a very troubled region. It's sort of a self-proclaimed Arab Switzerland as it waits for peace to be brokered in surrounding countries. Set among such countries who struggle to find peace, Jordan seems a little weary of all the conflict. And yet I also sense a bit of nervousness over similar conflicts erupting in Jordan. Photos of King Abdullah II rule the billboards while Jordanians seem to lead a relatively low standard of living and are always at the mercy of a king who has the sovereign authority to abolish parliament. At points during the trip we were mere miles from the Iraqi and Syrian borders where conflicts now rage. At one stop we were less than 5 miles from the Sa'udia border, a mysterious veiled land that I'll probably never see. Jordan's situation in this region gives it an interesting pulse, but mostly I felt the warmth of the people, the flavour of the food and majesty of the sights and history.


Our first stop was the village of Ajlun with its fortress and magnificent view into the Jordan Valley.


















Lunch, a fabulous authentic Jordanian feast




Lunch with the king


Dessert


Jerash, a must on any Jordanian itinerary is one of the most preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world.










































A small part of Jordan is only green about 6 weeks out of the year, and boy was it gorgeous!










Ancient seat assignments


Our driver slash guide slash historian slash Jordanian uncle slash knight in shining armour. Hasan virtually became part of our family during this trip, and was not merely our driver, but the most gracious host showing us his country. Should Jordan ever make your trip plans, I cannot recommend him enough!