Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Madaba ' The City of Mosaics '

This town is located 33 kilometers south of Amman, reached via two paths: a longer and overview, the "Road of Kings" , which dates back to about 5000 years, and the other path used as a shortcut for the airport.


Ancient Mosaic Map of the Holy Land 

Like Petra and Karak, Madaba lies above the value of its historical legacy : in fact inhabited since the Iron Age , the city and the surrounding plateau are privileged places for the reconstruction of archaeological and historical memory of the country as the "Holy Land " , a place mentioned in the Bible in the period of the Exodus (1200 BC), as one of the places in the plains of Moab conquered by the Israelite tribes.

Church of St. George in Madaba


Madaba was conquered by the Greeks with Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Ammonites, the Israelites, the Nabataeans and finally the Romans and the Byzantines. Thanks to the latter Madaba was covered by a veil of precious mosaics, with which the city has just the title of City of Mosaics.

Mosque of Jesus Christ in Madaba


We highly recommend a visit to the Church of St. George, which houses one of the most interesting works in this regard, "Map of the Holy Land," a mosaic dating from the sixth century, which is the way to Jerusalem when crossing another 150 steps, from Nile Delta to Palestine. The work is full of about 157 captions in greek and originally composed by two million pieces, now reduced to a third of the original work. 

Beautif Mosaic Art in Madaba


Map of the Holy Land is not the only one among the beautiful mosaics that adorn the churches of Madaba, which is why the museums of the place mainly deal this issue. The city itself, thanks to a ministerial project, boasts the presence of an important school craft for the restoration, repair and construction of mosaic works.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Jerash Greek City in Jordan

After Petra, Jerash is the second largest tourist attraction in the country, characterized by a strong presence of archaeological sites.
Hadrian's Arch



The first to choose it for their settlement were the Greeks, due to its closeness to the Wadi Jerash, and the fertility of the land kissed by this river.




The conquest of Alexander the Great, however, not such great celebrity to the place as the next guided by the Romans. Under their hegemony in fact, the ancient Gerasa became part of a system of nine other cities ( Decapolis ) due to commercial and military ties which finally came to thrive.
Oval Forum
Among the major testimonies of Roman rule are now the remains of the crossroads formed by the cardo and the maximum decumano, crossing the city, respectively, in the north-south and east-west.

After various dominations and fortunes, the city experienced a period of decline, in part due to violent earthquakes destroyed and decimated the population.

Roman Theater

New waves of immigration from Russia at the end of the 800th A.D, finally gave new life-stream and brought attention to its heritage and the fact that it's found today in an extraordinary state of preservation is also due to this period.

Jerash Panoramic View

Among the major sites to visit Jerash are the ancient baths, the racecourse, the temple dedicated to Jupiter, the theater, the Arch of Hadrian, the hole and the walls culminating in the southern gate.

Colonnaded Street in Jerash City

Instead of the Byzantine era are three ancient churches, among them the Church of St. Theodore, was according to tradition, a place of miracles where Jesus turned water into wine.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea

Nature's living miracle, a place to rejuvenate and restore both body and soul

The Dead Sea Mud is world renowned for it's properties.
Without a doubt the world’s most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400m below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.

The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela).

If you are planning to combine a visit to the Dead Sea with a diving trip to Aqaba during your stay in Jordan, do the Dead Sea experience first. If you do it the other way around, the small cuts or grazes you may pick up from the coral reefs will soon let you know why this is the better option!

One of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health & wellness tourism in the region. A series of good roads, excellent hotels with spa and fitness facilities, as well as archaeological and spiritual discoveries make this region as enticing to today’s international visitors as it was to kings, emperors, traders, prophets and pilgrims in antiquity.

Unusually high salt content enables one to
float effortlessly.

The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water itself – some ten times saltier than sea water, and rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromine and several others. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea’s rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun.

 

Amman Touristic Beach
Situated on the Dead Sea main road, two kilometres after the hotels area . Amman Touristic Beach offers swimming pools and changing rooms for low budget travelers and locals for minimal fees. Amman Touristic Beach is an ideal location for beach parties and events.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Wadi Rum

"The crimson sunset on its stupendous cliffs and slanted ladders of hazy fire down its walled avenue"
"Seven Pillars of Wisdom",T.E Lawrence

Wadi Rum Rugged Mountains
This is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually 
untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. 

Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly 
described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like..."




Wadi Rum Hiking
A maze of monolithic rockscapes rise up from the 
desert floor to heights of 1,750m creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. Hikers can 
enjoy the tranquility of the boundless empty 
spaces and explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-year-old rock drawings and the 
many other spectacular treasures this vast wilderness holds in store.




The Magical Wadi Rum Desert

Also known as ‘The Valley of the Moon’, Wadi Rum is the place where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and 
T.E. Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in World 
War I, their exploits intrinsically woven into the history of this amazing area.




Wadi Rum Camping
There are several options for exploring Wadi Rum. Visitors should head for the Visitors' Centre where, apart from visitors’ facilities, they can hire a 4x4 vehicle, together with driver/guide, and then drive for two or three hours into the Wadi system to explore some of the best known sites. Alternatively they can hire a camel and guide. The duration of the trip can be arranged beforehand through the Visitors' Centre, as can a stay under the stars in a Bedouin tent, where they can enjoy a traditional campfire meal accompanied by Arabic music.


Wadi Rum During sunset
Once transport has been arranged, there are various excursions available - for example, a trip to Burdah Rock Bridge, the highest in Wadi Rum, via the Seven Pillars of Wisdom and many other 
interesting sights, is a full day by car or an overnight trip by camel. There are many alternative routes and information on these is available from your tour operator or from the Visitors' Centre on-site.




The Bedouin people that inhabit the area still maintain their semi-nomadic lifestyle. They are hospitable and offer a friendly welcome to visitors, often inviting them to sit and enjoy a coffee or even a meal.

Monday, January 6, 2014

The Ancient City of Petra

Petra, (rose red city) is considered one of the new seven wonders of the world, not only for its great hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs built by the Nabataeans, but also for its Roman-style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. There are colonnaded streets, sacrificial altars, museums, obelisks with variety between roman and ancient monuments that makes you fascinated by the beauty and magic of Petra city.
The Treasury by Night
The Treasury by Night
The Monastery in Petra
The Monastery (El-Deir)
The Siq (main passage to petra)
The Siq (Passage to Petra)






Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans, industrious Arab people who settled in Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. Admired then for its massive architecture,  refined culture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels.




The Roman Theatre in Petra




The site is accessed by walking through a kilometer long gorge (or siq), the walls of which rise 200m upwards. Petra's most famous monument, the Treasury, appears at the end of the Siq. Used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."




Within the site there are also two excellent museums; Petra Archaeological Museum, and Petra Nabatean Museum, both represent exhibits from excavations in Petra region and an insight into Petra's colorful past.





Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe to witness the glory and pride of this marvelous place.