History and culture in Jordan
Visit Jordan and take a jump back in time, you can walk
In the footsteps of the Romans, Nabatei, go looking for great figures
Biblical, heroes of the early years of Islam. Historical and cultural wealth
of the country is surprising and will overwhelm you immediately with its remains of ancient
Civilization, points of religious and cultural interest. Although most of
these civilizations have long been matter of history books are anything but
Forget, their fusion and evolution has brought Jordan to be
That great country we know today. From the ancient Nabatea city of Petra, to the
Miracles of the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley, the wonders of the Red Sea
and Wadi Rum, up to the splendid hotels, shopping centers, museums and le
Modern art galleries of Amman; in Jordan old and new, east and west yes
They blend together, in short, a real culture oasis.

Amman

A classic tour of Jordan has as I begin to Amman, the ancient Roman Philadelphia that still preserves a splendid Roman theater in the center of the capital and the ruins of the citadel.

Jerash

To the north of Amman there are the remains of Jerash, the Pompei d'Oriente, the Roman site best preserved in the world and part of the Roman decapoli.

Umm Qays

Another very important site of the Roman decapoli is Umm Qays, the biblical Gadara, in black basalt, famous for the miracle of Gadarene by Jesus.

Ajloun

And finally the castle of Ajloun, first example of Saracena fortress in this region.

The Omayyadi castles

The east of Amman arises the castles of the desert of the omayyads, the first caliphiny of calipers who was succeeded in the prophet Muhammad. One of these, Qasr Amra, is UNESCO heritage for its frescoed walls depicting human figures.

Madaba and Monte Nebo

Going south, before the Dead Sea, we meet the Church of San Giorgio in Madaba that preserves one of the most spectacular mosaics in the world, with the map of Palestine depicted. It served to pilgrims of hundreds of years ago to orient themselves in Terrasanta. A short distance from Madaba we find Mount Nebo, famous for hosting the last moms of the life of Mosé at the end of the exodus. Today, in this place, we see what was the Terralasanta and stands the sanctuary of him, a church with splendid mosaics managed by the Franciscans.

Towards the south, on the Road of the kings, the UMM Rasas site will meet, which is the fruit of the Union of different civilizations, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic, a characteristic that makes it unique. Precisely for the combination of Roman architectural styles with decorations made by local Christians over a hundred years after the beginning of Muslim domination, Umm Ar-Rasas was appointed by UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Crusader castles

On the Road of the kings, the testimonies of the Crusade epics in this area, the impressive Fortress of Karak, where the crusader Reginaldo of Chatillon reigned, and the Shobak fortress, already known as Montreal Krak. Both were the subject of a long siege from Saladin before surrendering.

Petra

A few kilometers from Shobak, we arrive at Petra. It is the most precious treasure of Jordan. To get there you have to travel the siq, a narrow throat made famous by the Indian film Jones and the last crusade. Long more than one kilometer, the split protected Petra, the famous capital of the Nabateo kingdom carved in the sandstone, pink, ocher or red, depending on the inclination and intensity. The Nabatei were nomadic warriors arrived from the Arabica peninsula looking for pastures, they chose this impregnable natural fortress in the fourth century A.C to build the capital of their kingdom. After traveling the siq, there is the first big shot of scene waiting for the visitor, at the bottom of the canyon appears the facade of the treasure palace, El Kazneh, the Monument icon of Petra. Having seen it depicted many times nothing removes the emotion of finding it in front. This is the best known monument of Petra, one of the most extraordinary and intact in the ancient world. In building it, the architects nabatei played with classical architecture, and have placed the various pieces with sublime casuality. They were travelers, copying the styles of time creating a new, unique and surprising one.

But the treasure is just the beginning. Petra is full of a thousand fascinating surprises. The Nabatei, between these stones, became the unconscious masters of the Carovaniere roads that from the Hadramaut, the current Yemen, carried precious goods to the Mediterranean. They became very rich, keeping their autonomy long and to counter the Romans, until, in 106 D.C, these bought Petra and Arabia in block. With the advent of Islam, in the seventh century, Petra fell in total abandonment. In breaking the silence were the crusader soldiers who no magnificence caught him. Everywhere tombs, tabernacles and niches all dug in the Rock that the wind loaded of salt is unfortunately damaging irreparably. From the city center the journey goes up on a stony mule track and continues among narrow landscapes between canyons and vertiginous racors, until the last surprise: the monastery, also carved, like the treasure, in the rock. Solemn and lonely, with its pink nuances, from top dominates Petra, world wonder.

Wadi Rum

To the south of Petra the journey into the legend. A few kilometers, along the Via Carovaniera, and here is another marvel: the Wadi Rum. "Vast, echoly, divine", with these words Lawrence of Arabia described the Wadi Rum, the most extensive and amazing desert of Jordan, with its fabulous, timeless and uncontaminated landscapes. A maze of rock and monolithic formations rises in a desert territory up to almost 2000 meters. At the edge of this desert you can still make authentic meetings with Bedouins. Wadi Rum is the land of the Bedouins, even if they have now remained in a few. This desert is inhabited by the man for millennia, there are rock engravings that date back to over 4000 years ago. If you really want to understand Jordan, it is important to discover the customs and ways of thinking about Bedouins. Much of the Ephic Film Lawrence of Arabia, by David Lean, played by Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif and Alec Guinness was shot in 1962 in the Wadi Rum. In this place, Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and Lawrence settled their headquarters during the Arab revolt against the Ottomans, during the First World War and their companies intertwine with the stories of this fantastic region. Here they joined their troops to go to the conquest of Aqaba last outpost Ottoman in the Middle East.

Aqaba

Following the myth of Lawrence you arrive at Aqaba, under the ruins of the Ottoman Castle. The arrival in Aqaba, which often represents the end of the journey to Jordan, is always very exciting. The strategic importance of this very ancient port on the Red Sea, a crossroads of terrestrial routes of Asia, Africa and Europe, is witnessed by a huge flag that tells everyone that this is Jordan. In front of Aqaba, the beaches of Eilat, Israel, and Taba in Egypt. To the south the nude rocks without traces of man of Saudi Arabia. In recent years Aqaba has become one of the most popular destinations for the sweetness of the climate, new tourist facilities and the beauty of the seabed of its sea