Jordan is well know for Petra and less so for its other historical sites. We were surprised at the amount of history here: from biblical sites to ancient roman cities. In Amman, we hired a car and driver to visit a few sites in the north.
Jerash
Jerash is a Greco-Roman city that was founded by Alexander the Great around 331BC and was one of 10 metropolises in the region. When you arrive here one the first things you noticed is how big the Roman city is: there is a hippodrome, 2 theatres, several churches and temples, and many columns still standing. It was really fun to walk around the amazingly well preserved ruins and imagine what life there would have been like back then.
As you stroll around you also get to see some typical Arab bagpipe players… ok maybe not typical, but for some reason there were Arab bagpipers at multiple tourist sites that we visited in Jordan ;)
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo is where Moses first saw the promised land of the Israelites, after 40 years of being lost in the desert. He was forbidden to enter the promised land and died in the surrounding area. Now, a church stands atop the mountain along with a look out. Since the land is pretty desert-like, not a lot has been built in the area, so you can still get a sense of what Moses would have seen back then….
Here is the text from the bible (...can't believe we are quoting the bible): Deuteronomy 34:1-8
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.
Holy Land Map in Madaba
In a city called Madaba, you can find the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land… it's a mosaic on the floor of St. George's Church. Much of it has been damaged over time, but you can still see the Dead sea, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, etc….pretty cool. We learned that the map is oriented to the East because knowledge of magnetic north didn't exist back then. In ancient times, people used sunrise to orient themselves East with the map to determine which direction to go. According to our guide in Jerusalem, East = the Orient, so when you are "dis-oriented" it means you are lost because you don't know which way East is! :)
Ajloun Castle
The Ajloun Castle is an Arab fortress built in the north of Jordan. It was used to protect the country against crusader attacks.
Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a)
The lands in Jordan have been inhabited and conquered by different civilizations so many times, that all the major sites were built from multiple cultures. This is the case for the Amman Citadel, which is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world with remnants from both Roman and Muslim civilizations. And again, you can see traditional Arab bagpipe players here... ;)
Amman's Roman Theater
Another example of the Roman Empire's vast reach is the well-preserved Roman Theatre right in downtown Amman.
Souvenir Shops
Similar to tours in Asia, the drivers here also want to take tourists to tourist shops so they can get commission or some free stuff (usually gas coupons). Since we never buy stuff, we took the time to window shop and dress up ;).
