A precious gem of history - the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Bible, crusades, castles, history spanning thousands of years; Nabateans and even before them, right up to modern times; this is a little gem of history - Jordan. I use the word 'little' not because the history is less, because it has huge dollops of it,  but the country is relatively small.

The old Roman Theatre and the new buildings side by side.

A drive around Jordan reveals this crucible of history, Ibrahim and Abraham; Zeus and Jupiter are the same gods but by a different name. 

A city tour of Amman brings out the melting pot of days gone by, the highlights are the ruins of the ancients, mainly Romans and Byzantines. Now a sprawling city spread over seven hills, it is a sight to see when the sun is setting.

What was once a tall castle still stands, but with one tower remaining only.

...in ruins but still proud Karak Fort

Many castles made by both the Crusaders and those opposing them dot the landscape. Time permitted us to go to only the more prominent and those in better condition. Most of these are in ruins and an avid follower of history may make sense out of them.

Pomegranates of different types...

...Who will buy my carrots? and radish...

It is not a big country, one can drive north to south in about 5-6 hours, the and the roads are good. Driving north of Amman, there are many fruit and vegetable vendors by the side, farmers who sell directly to consumers. Fresh carrots (and lots of carrots), brinjals, radish, tomatoes, oranges, olives of various types, pomegranates, pickles, all line the road.

The main gate of Jerash

The Romans and the Byzantines made many cities in the land, some of which are in good repair and others in ruins. One would see many common features in Roman cities, though varying in size, the layout was nearly identical and almost always had a theatre, main street, shops, and a temple.

a huge dish of Mansaf, and there was one dish for each person

Eat Jordanian food, mansaf, magluba, Sajiya and barbeque; the Jordanians eat a lot of goat, sheep, beef and chicken. In a little lane of Amman there is a tiny but busy shop selling the  famous Kunefe, there are two types soft and crisp; and foodies that we were, we went at it with gusto, standing in the long queue and when our turn came we requested for both. People came and took it home or ate it there at the shop.

Tomb of Obelisks at Bab-al-Siq at he beginning of the walk in Petra

The first glimpse at the Khazneh from the Siq 

Petra is a "rose-red city, half as old as time”.  A city state, complete with piped water, and of course the Al Kazneh (the Treasury). It is Jordan’s most visited tourist site, and is the confluence of many cultures through the ages. Approached by Al Siq (the Shaft). There are many remarkable aspects to Petra, most of which can be found by a search of the internet.

erosion led to these beautiful designs in the sculpture

natural waves in stone caused by the wind and the water

Much of what is overlooked by the harried tourist is possibly the sandstone eroded by wind and water, making fantastic shapes and designs. No picture does justice to this.

graffiti in the Greek Orthodox Church

There is graffiti in most places, can we not avoid defacing historical monuments with 'been there, done this' kind of sayings?

some of the fantastic erosion of the Dead Sea...

...and getting back to sea level

The Dead Sea, named as nothing survives in it, is said to be the lowest point on land earth, it is arguably between 380 and 430 meters below sea level.  In fact, one has to climb a fair bit in one’s vehicle to reach sea level. That’s Israel across the Sea, but worth looking at are that the wind and water give the shores very attractive shapes.

at the viewpoint at Umm Qais 

From Umm Qais one can see Israel, Palestine, Syria, along with the Sea of Galilee of the Bible.  And of course, no military man (and I am one) could say that he hasn't heard of  the Golan Heights which you see in front.   

These and many other memorable sights made Jordan very special to us, passing many places which until then were merely stories, now come to life. A land of wonders, blessed with history and graced with monuments to the past and to nature.