Jordan

Jordan, although situated right next to the neighbors suffering from troubling events, still remains one of the most stable country in the Middle East. Since less people visit Jordan due to conflict in Syria, the prices dropped and you can admire all of the country's incredible attractions in a much freer way.

The most astonishing site in Jordan (and virtually the only one which remains popular because of the tours arriving from Israel) is of course Petra - the ancient Nabataean city entirely carved in rock. The most famous monument - the Monastery was featured in the Hollywood film "Indiana Jones".

We saw many people walk through the breathtaking gorge, admiring the Monastery and... turn back. Petra has so much more to offer! There are hiking trails to more remote, absolutely amazing monuments within the site. To find detailed information about them, have a look at the posts below.

Besides Petra, we also floated on the Dead Sea which is the lowest point on Earth, we went to the Martian-like Wadi Rum desert (which was also the set for the recent Hollywood film with Mat Damon - The Martian), visited the capital Amman and the biblical sites around.

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Petra in Jordan - Part 2 - The Roman Center And The Trail To The Monastery (Ad-Deir)

As I mentioned in the first part, the ancient rock city of Petra has so much more to offer than the most popular monument - the Treasury. Around the Treasury, you can admire other, unique to the Nabataean style enormous structures carved in the rose rock and the short but steep trail to the High Place of Sacrifice. In this part I will describe all the rest - The Roman part of Petra with its impressive Colonnaded Street, the most important Nabataean Temple Qasr al-Bint and the extraordinarily attractive trail to the carved from the rock wall Monastery (Ad-Deir) located on top of the nearby hill. Besides the spectacular Monastery, the whole site also boasts unreal views over the Martian mountainous desert.

Dead Sea (The Lowest Point on Earth), Madaba and Biblical Mount Nebo, Jordan

The Dead Sea (which in reality is actually a lake) not only breaks two world's records as the deepest highly saline inland body of water and, at 400 m (1400 ft.) below sea level - the lowest point on the planet, but also is set in a tremendously significant region since antiquity. It was here where the important biblical stories had taken place, where Moses had hit the rocks that opened and spouted a stream of fresh water for the Israelites and Kind David took refuge. It served as one of the earliest spas and a resort in which the rulers of the ancient world used to relax.

Amman - What To See In The White Capital - Is it safe to visit Jordan?

Amman is a perfect gateway to the most famous treasures of Jordan - Petra (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), Dead Sea, Biblical Holy Land - Mount Nebo where Moses died and was buried, Jerash (the best preserved Ancient Roman City - forget Rome!) and Wadi Rum Desert. It is often treated only as a gateway - a place where you transfer to see something else. Underrated and a bit overlooked, Amman may be not the most charming city in the world but it boasts rich history, great architecture and ancient monuments that are still in use today. Although it's skipped by many visitors, it's interesting to see the capital of such a magnificent land as Jordan.

Petra in Jordan - Part 1 - The Treasury, The Ancient Rock City and The High Place of Sacrifice Trail

Petra (located just off the town of Wadi Musa) is truly one of the most marvelous gems among all ancient sites. The rose-red city carved out of rocks was naturally protected by the walls of the gorge from one side and rocky mountains from the other. The ancient civilization of Nabataeans that settled in Petra was highly advanced, it managed to achieve something not common in the history of humanity - peaceful coexistence with foreign cultures that enabled to create trade routes and brought considerable wealth to the area.