Amman

The seven hills of Amman are an enchanting mixture of ancient and modern cultures. Honking horns give way to the beautiful call to prayer which echoes from the stately minarets which grace the city. Gleaming white houses, kabab stalls and cafés are interspersed with bustling markets-known in Arabic as souqs-and the remains of civilizations and ages long past. Sunset is perhaps the best time to enjoy Amman, as the white buildings of the city seem to glow in the fading warmth of the day. The greatest charm of Amman, however, is found in the hospitality of its residents. Visitors to Amman-and the rest of Jordan, for that matter-are continually surprised by the genuine warmth with which they are greeted. "Welcome in Jordan" is a phrase visitors will not soon forget.

Amman is built on seven hills, or jabals, each of which more or less defines a neighborhood. Most jabals once had a traffic circle, and although most of these have now been replaced by traffic lights, Amman's geography is often described in reference to the eight circles which form the spine of the city. First Circle is located near downtown, and the series extends westward through Eighth Circle.

The history of Amman between the end of its Biblical references (around 585 BCE) and the time of the Ptolemies is unclear. We do know that the city was renamed Philadelphia after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus in the third century BCE. After coming under Seleucid and Nabatean rule, Philadelphia was taken by the Roman vassal King Herod in 30 BCE. The city became part of the Decapolis League, a loose alliance of ten Roman-ruled cities including Jerash, Gadara (present-day Umm Qais), Pella, Arbila (Irbid) and others. Under Roman rule, Philadelphia was replanned and reconstructed in typically grand Roman style with a colonnaded street, baths, an amphitheater and impressive public buildings

During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian bishop, and several expansive churches were built. The city declined somewhat during the late Byzantine years, and was overrun by the Persian Sassanians in 614 CE. Their rule was short-lived, however, collapsing before the Arabian armies of Islam around the year 635. The name of the city then returned to its Semitic origin of Ammon, or "Amman." It remained an important stop on the caravan routes for many years, but eventually trade patterns shifted and dried up the lifeblood of Amman. The city declined to little more than a provincial village for many centuries

Amman's "modern" history began in the late 19th century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants there in 1878. Many of their descendants still reside in Amman. During that time and the early decades of the 20th century, the neighboring city of Salt was more important as a regional administrative and political center. However, after the Great Arab Revolt secured the state of Transjordan, Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein made Amman his capital in 1921.

Since then, the city has grown by leaps and bounds into a modern, thriving metropolis of well over a million people. Amman's growth has been driven largely by political events in the region, and especially by the Arab-Israeli conflict. After the wars of 1948 and 1967, successive waves of Palestinian refugees ended up in Amman. Moreover, the city's population was further expanded by another wave of immigrants arriving from Iraq and Kuwait during the 1990-91 Gulf Crisis.

Irbid

Irbid anciently known as Arabella is Jordan's 2nd largest city located about 85 km north of Amman, situated at an equal distance from Pella and Umm Qais, and is a bustling community with a large university (Yarmouk University).

Though not an important city for sightseeing, Irbid houses two very worthwhile museums, and forms a good base from which to explore the northern Jordan Valley or to start a trip to Umm Qais, Pella, Ajloun, Umm Al-Jimal, or Syria.
Artifacts and graves in the area shows that Irbid has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. Irbid, nowadays, retains the bustle and charm of provincial Middle Eastern town that has not been disfigured by the consumerism and modernism that have made such a big impact on the large cities.

Salt

The town of Salt was of great importance in the 19th and early 20th century, during the time of Turkish rule in Jordan. It was the chief administrative center for the surrounding area and, in the 1920s, it seemed the likely choice for the capital of the newly-independent state of Transjordan. However, Salt was bypassed in favor of the more centrally located village of Amman. The result is that Amman has been transformed into a thriving modern city, while Salt has retained its small town charm.

Due to its history as an Ottoman center of government, Salt is filled with wonderful Ottoman architecture in the classical style. Immediately recognizable are the Ottoman houses with their long-arched windows. An array of tall Ottoman minarets towers over the village, along with church steeples, as Salt is also known for its Christian community. A morning or evening spent strolling through the picturesque streets of this charming hill village is time well spent.
Salt is also the final resting place of the Prophet Ayyoub (Job), whose legendary patience and faith gave him strength to endure tremendous hardships and ultimately be rewarded with blessings (Job 1-3, Quran 38: 41-44). Another prophet-Shu'ayb (Jethro), the Midianite father-in-law of Prophet Musa (Moses)-is said to be buried in a tomb near Salt in Wadi Shu'ayb.

Salt is about thirty kilometers northwest of Amman. Just before you enter the main part of the city (from Amman), you will see the Department of Antiquities Museum and the Tourist Office on the left. The museum houses an assortment of pottery and coins dating from the Chalcolithic period (4500 BCE) through the Mamluk period (1516 CE), as well as Byzantine mosaic panels and early photographs of Salt. The museum is open 08:00-14:00 every day except Friday. Entrance is free. Just off the main street is the Salt Cultural Center. This complex, which opened in 1989, houses another museum, a library, a handicraft school and Salt's main hall. The handicraft school teaches ceramics, weaving, silk screen printing and dyeing to students, who then sell their craftwork, making the project self-financing. The project is sponsored by the Noor al-Hussein Foundation and the Salt Development Foundation

Madaba

The trip south from Amman along the 5,000-year-old Kings´ Highway is one of the most memorable journeys in the Holy Land, passing through a string of ancient sites. The first city to encounter is Madaba, " the City of Mosaics ". The city, best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, is home to the famous 6th century mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta.
Other mosaic masterpieces found in the church of the Virgin and the Apostles and the Archaeological Museum, depict a rampant profusion of flowers and plants, birds and fish, animals and exotic beasts, as well as scenes from mythology and everyday pursuits of hunting, fishing and farming. Literally, hundreds of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries are scattered throughout Madaba's churches and homes.

Aqaba 

Aqaba, with its clean sandy beaches and transparent waters, is an ideal location for both relaxation and water sports.
Sunbathing, Swimming, para-sailing, water skiing and jet skiing, are just some of the activities to partake in. Famed for its preserved coral reefs and unique sea life, this Red Sea port city was, in ancient times, the main port for shipments from the Red Sea to the Far East.

Petra

Petra has been elected one of the new 7 Wonders of the world .

Hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains , the legendary “Red –Rose” city of Petra is , perhaps the most stunning site in the entire Middle East. Petra was cared out of craggy rocks by the Nabataean more than 2000 years ago. The approach through the cool gloom of the siq, along narrow gorge which steeply rising side all but obliterate the sun, provides a dramatic contrast with the magic to come. Suddenly the gorge opens into a natural square dominated by Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury” ( Al Khasneh) which  is intricately carved façade glows in the dazzling sun.
The Monastery (El Deir) and the high place of sacrifice ( Al Maddbah) are among the myriad of archeological wonders to be explored in Petra, its temples, tombs, theaters, and other building are scattered over 40 square miles.

Dead Sea

The dead sea is 400 meters below sea level, which is the lowest point on the surface of the earth.

With rich minerals that have seeped from adjacent wadis, the dead sea exceptionally buoyant water is believed by many to have curative powers. The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving the Dead Sea it’s cherished and highly demanded paretic value