Jordan Day 3: Kings Highway with Madaba, Mt. Nebo and Kerak

On the morning of day three we checked out of our hotel in Amman and took off to explore the King's Highway, which was once part of the ancient Silk Road. We then visited the Christian Town of Madaba, "The City of Mosaics," and also made a short stop to visit Mount Nebo. We then drove through many scenic overlooks along the King's Highway including the Wadi Al Mujib, a deep valley holding one of Jordan 's most breathtaking views. We finished the day with a visit to the castle at Kerak with its diverse history covering the Byzantine to the Mamluk period.

Mt. Nebo . . .


The sight where it is thought that Moses saw the vision of the promised land. He is also thought to have died and then buried in this area. Right now the Moses Memorial Church is under works so there was not much to see.


But there were some pretty great views!


This overlook around the backside of Mt. Nebo (AKA Mt. Nemo according to Trevon) emphasises how small this region is with Israel visible (better on a clear day) in the distance.

Madaba . . .


A Christian town, Madaba boasts some of the worlds most incredible ancient mosaics.


Here in St. George's Church lies the grand mosaic map. Discovered in the 1800's this 6th century map depicts the major biblical sights from the Middle East. It's amazing how much of this has survived the ages.











Wadi Al Mujib . . .


The whole day was filled with spectacular views as we drove, but nothing could compare to Wadi Al Mujib. It is considered the Grand Canyon of the Middle East, and for good reason. As we approached our driver told us all to close our eyes and then when we arrived told us to open them. Wow!














Wildflowers only grace the Jordanian countryside for a short period each year.




Our ride for the week

Kerak . . .


Arrivng in Kerak we found the town to be typical of much of the rest of Jordan.




At Kerak castle . . .

















Views on the road from Kerak to . . .









. . . next stop, Petra!

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.