Blogs from Jordan, Middle East - page 107

Jerash Having got past Jordanian immigration our first stop was the ruins of Jerash. Again a place we had not heard of but that made it all the more enjoyable. Square Km's of pillar's, colonnaded streets on which you could see where the chariots had rutted the road's centuries before, ampitheatres and much much more. We saw some bagpipe players and it was enough to bring tears to the eyes... it was painful. There were beautiful mosaics on the floors of some of the buildings which unfortunately are exposed to direct sunlight - but like so much of what we have seen so far there is still so much to excavate and it will take decades to complete. To conclude a wonderful surprise in what felt like the middle of nowhere. Amman Back to western ... read more

Petra had always been a place in the back of our minds for many years. A famous old city in the Middle East, carved out into rocks. Cool to see one day, but nothing that would really get out of our way for… So getting there, without too many expectations, that place was really impressive! Built by the crafty Nabataeans 400 years before Christ, it’s referred to Sela in the bible and today most known from Indiana Jones III. The entrance to the city begins with walking in to a narrow canyon within huge rocks. In the old days there were big statues and arches along the whole way which is over 1.5km long, with aqueducts on both sides leading water to the city. When we well reached the city, the first sight of it ... read more

Jordan Middle East » Jordan » Amman By JBandSandyApril 28th 2007text coming someday... maybe... As always, pictures and movies are available at PairedHearts.com ... read more

In addition to Wadi Rum, already covered, Jordan has one other unmissable attraction-the countrys number one attraction-let me present to you Petra! There are two ways of describing what this place is.The short one: a ruinated nabatean city known only by beduins for centuries. The more correct one: a nabatean cityarea in a spectacular landscape of canyons, valleys and mountains still inhabited by bedouins. You can visit the place in one day and tell you have been there, but in order to be able to say you have explored Petra you need at least two days-witch was what i spend-but unless you are a fast walker able to cover big distances on your legs, 3 days are what you need. I walked more than 40 kilometers, and still have covered only the highlights of the area. ... read more

Aqaba - Amman - Jerash - Petra - Wadi Rum - Dead Sea - Amman We're heading north on Jordan's Desert Highway. Dusty tracks disappear off into the endless desert on either side. Road signs point right to Iraq & Saudi Arabia and ahead to Syria & Lebanon. A few hours behind us lays Egypt & although the signs make no mention of it, Israel & Palestine are just a few miles to the left. We're heading north from the tropical port city of Aqaba to the capital Amman & with signs like these you really get a feel for where you are in the world. We'd arrived in Aqaba by ferry from Nuweiba, Egypt. It had been a long day. Although the ferry is supposed leave every day, nobody knows if or when it really ... read more