Tourist Attractions & Monuments Jordan

How to get there. The main path starts from the Basin restaurant. It takes 850 steps and 45 minutes (minimum) to reach the top. You can make the ascent by donkey for 15 DJ (to be negotiated). There is another less arduous, but longer path (which can be done via the Back Door Trail).

Visit. With its 47 m high and 48 m wide façade, the Monastery is the most imposing of all the monuments of the ancient city. Its deep resemblance with the Treasury is obvious, even if its ornamentation remains more sober. One is quickly astonished to discover the excellent state of conservation of the monument, in spite of the intense erosion at the origin of the deterioration of many of the tombs of the city. It is however not protected by any mountainside. Contrary to the long held idea, it is not a royal mausoleum, since no tomb has been found. It is rather a vast temple dedicated to the practice of ritual banquets in honor of Obodas II, a Nabataean monarch who reigned from 30 BC to 9 BC and was deified after his death. An inscription found not far from the monastery calls for "remembering Ubaydu son of Waqihel and his associates for the symposium of Obodas the God". A symposium, in ancient Greece, was a banquet given after a meal, accompanied by dancing and singing.

The monastery dates back to the middle of the first century. It takes its name from the Byzantine period when it was probably used as a monastery, and most certainly as a church, as the crosses drawn on the back wall testify. Carved in yellow sandstone, its first level is punctuated by eight pilasters finished with Nabatean capitals with horns for some, of Ionic inspiration for others. An imposing entrance as well as two windows in trompe l'oeil appear between them. The second level is surmounted by a pediment broken by an imposing tholos, a circular temple, framed on each side by two pavilions. Niches have been dug between the pilasters of these three elements. The tholos has at its top an impressive urn of approximately 9 meters in height, visible for miles around.

To the left of the building, a staircase cut in the rock climbs up to a platform where an altar was installed. The staircase continued beyond, to the top of the Monastery, but it was closed by the authorities after the accidental death of a tourist. Prefer the late afternoon light for beautiful photos, but leave in time to get back to the remote entrance of the site.

How to get there. Follow the path from the Visitor Center for 1 kilometer, through the canyon.

Visit. After walking through the Siq and admiring its betyls, its ingenious canalization system and its impressive cliffs, the Siq narrows one last time to reveal only a fragment of the jewel of Petra between the cursive lines of its walls. Hidden in a protected clearing of the Siq, the Khazneh al-Fira'un or Treasure of the Pharaohs is revealed only at the last moment. It is for many visitors the most exceptional monument of the ancient Nabatean capital, the one that motivated their trip to Jordan. The delicacy of its facade, the changing color of its sandstone, the softness of its curves refined by erosion make this building a marvel to contemplate without ever getting tired of it. But we have to be honest, the horde of tourists with tripods and selfie poles, the Bedouins, the dromedaries or the donkeys are detracting from the serenity of the experience.

Myths and legends. Despite the passion it arouses, the Treasure has not finished delivering its mysteries. To this day, archaeologists have not succeeded in finding the reasons for its construction, and the legends surrounding it are numerous. The Treasure takes its name from a Bedouin legend which tells that a pharaoh would have hidden his treasure in the urn topping the rotunda with columns at the top of the building. Researchers tried to prove this, but soon realized that the urn was not hollow and could not contain anything. It seems, however, that the Bedouins believed in it because they kept shooting at the urn with their rifles, as attested by the bullet holes, in order to extract some small booty from it. In view of the majesty of the building and the choice of the place, the specialists agree rather on the fact that it had to be a royal tomb. The wealthy classes of the Nabataean kingdom, and even more so the king himself, were aware of the architectural fashions of the Mediterranean metropolises and knew as well as anyone how to impress high-ranking visitors. Architectural elements inspired by the Ptolemaic style indicate that the Treasury would have been built during the second half of the reign of Aretas IV (9 BC to 40). But for whom? No one knows. No remains have been found inside the tomb. Important excavations carried out in the square in 2003 have brought to light more ancient tombs, one of which could be dated to around 20 B.C. These tombs are deeply buried in the ground or have been partially covered by the construction of the Treasury. Originally, the square in front of the tomb was 6 meters below the present level. It was paved and may have included a pool or fountain. A monumental staircase, 13 meters long, gave access to the ancient tombs and then to the terrace of the Treasury. Today, it allows you to descend into the tombs. The tombs, like the interior of the Treasury, are not open to the public.

Architecture. Like all Nabataean temples and tombs carved in rock, the Treasury of Petra was cleared starting from the top. The Nabataeans used this technique to prevent the rock in the upper parts from collapsing under its own weight. They started by clearing a step across the entire width of the building to be constructed, then descended as they went along. One can still see the notches left by the stonecutters to fix their scaffolding. The interior of the tomb was also hollowed out from top to bottom. Once the exterior façade was cleared and the doorway outlined, the workers dug a gallery from the entrance, which they widened as they went along. The influence of Ptolemaic (or Greek) Egypt, and more particularly of Alexandria, is very clear. It can be found in the structure as well as in certain details. Analogies can be found with certain palaces in the north-east of Libya (at the time under the influence of Alexandria), notably in the ornamental choices of the façade or the pediment. The latter, with its lines broken by a tholos, a round temple, was perhaps inspired by a fresco in the Casa del Labirinto in Pompeii, on which a similar element can be seen. The statue of the tholos represents the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was appropriated by the Nabataeans. The two small side temples only show fragments of winged Victories. They have been damaged by erosion, but also by man. The lower level of the tomb shows classical elements of the ancient Greek style. The façade of the building is surmounted by a pediment supported by six columns with Corinthian capitals. In the center of the pediment is a sun disk surrounded by bovine horns and ears of wheat. These are the symbols of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Between the columns, on either side of the entrance, one can see colossal statues of men on horseback, partially erased. They are the Dioscuri, the brothers Castor and Pollux, in charge of guiding the souls of the dead in Greek mythology.

When to go there? Buses start pouring in around 8:00-8:30 am at the Visitor Center. To avoid the traffic jam at the exit of the Siq, leave before. By starting at the opening, you will take pictures of the Treasury without anyone on top. The façade turns pink between 9 and 11 am, depending on the season.

An emblematic monument of ancient Philadelphia, the citadel of Amman is worth a visit whether you are an archaeology enthusiast or not. It offers an extraordinary panorama of the city and its hills of beige stone buildings. The lower city and the Roman amphitheater spread out at your feet while the minarets of the mosques break with their verticality the architectural uniformity of the city. At nightfall, the muezzins sound their haunting call to prayer and the neon lights of the mosques tint the black sky with green, like an aurora borealis. If you're in a chauffeured car, ask it to arrive from the north (Salah Ad-Din al-Ayoubi St.) and enjoy incredible views of the city and the citadel, which stands majestically at the last moment. The site is very pleasant to walk around and Jordanian families go there for picnics on weekends. In summer, you should come early in the morning to avoid the hot hours of the day. It takes between 2 hours and half a day to visit.

History. The L-shaped hill was occupied long before the citadel was built. A tomb dating from 1650 B.C. was discovered here, containing pottery. An inscription on a limestone tablet was found in a very good state of preservation at the site in 1961. This text, the oldest in the Ammonite language, dates back to 800 BC. The various civilizations that have occupied the region from the Assyrians in the 8th century BC to the Umayyads in the 8th century have all left their mark on Qala'a Hill. The Greeks may have built the city of Philadelphia, whose power was known throughout the empire, but they left no visible traces on the site. It was not until the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (160-181) that the city changed its face and became part of the Decapolis. He used the plan of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the world. The Byzantines built a church, while the Umayyads added a mosque and a palace

The low citadel. From the entrance to the site, a gently sloping path climbs to the top of the plateau of al-Qala'a hill. There are some poorly documented ruins and a cave that was once a dwelling. One can also observe the remains of the Roman fortifications.

The temple of Hercules. Built when Geminius Marcianus (162-166) was the Roman governor of the Province of Arabia, the Temple of Hercules may have been built over an ammonite temple. It measures 30 x 24 meters and a smaller sanctuary is attached to it. It is the oldest monument of the very powerful Philadelphia. The Romans worshipped their demigod Hercules, the man of 12 labors. A gigantic statue stood at the entrance of the temple, as evidenced by the fragment of a hand that now lies at its feet. Of the temple, only the high columns and a fragment of the lintel remain. The missing marble would have been used as building material for the nearby Byzantine church. However, the whole building has not been excavated and discoveries are perhaps to be made.

The archaeological museum. A visit to this old museum is a must if you are interested in the ancient history of Jordan: some incredible pieces are on display. The collections are presented chronologically from the Neolithic to the Roman occupation. Artifacts are displayed in English. Notable works include the strange anthropomorphic statues of Ain Ghazal. They are 10,000 years old and are among the oldest idols in the world. The body is rudimentary and abstract, but the details of the faces are remarkable. The mouth and nostrils are clearly visible, but especially the eyes in relief, painted in black thanks to an inlay of bitumen. The material has been modeled by hand on a network of reed branches tied together to give them their internal structure like a skeleton. The plaster of which they are composed is then baked, thus attesting to a mastery of high temperatures. The two-headed statue is the most remarkable. A total of 15 statues of the same type have been discovered at Ain Gazhal. One is on loan to the Louvre and a second to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

To the right of the room, 7,000-year-old skulls come from the ancient city of Jericho, the oldest city in the world. They were covered with clay during a burial rite. All of the adjacent display cases showcase relics found in Jericho, including trepanning skulls.

In the "Iron Age II" section, admire the statue of Yerah "Azar, son of Zakir, son of Sanipu," carved 700-800 B.C. This Ammonite king reveals in his features and symbolism the influence of the powerful neighboring Egypt of the time, especially the lotus flower he carries in his left hand crossed over his belly, a royal symbol used by the pharaohs of the new Egyptian empire, copied by the Assyrians and Aramaeans. She also wears the clothes of Aramaic dignitaries, showing the various regional influences at the time of her creation.

The museum also houses a reproduction of the Mesha stele. Its text, written in a variant of Phoenician, tells how the Moabite god Chemosh became angry with his people for being seduced by Israel and how he came to the aid of King Mesha to free the Moabites from the yoke of the Jewish people. This stele was discovered in 1868 by a German missionary in the village of Dhiban. This discovery aroused the British, French and German appetite to own it. The French archaeologist Clermont-Ganneau managed to make an imprint of the stele before it was destroyed by the Bedouins who were angry at the pressure exerted by the Ottomans to sell the stele to the Germans. A copy of the reconstruction of the "Moab Stone" made from partial original fragments is held by the Louvre Museum.

Finally, the museum also houses superb anthropomorphic clay sarcophagi used in the Iron Age, between the 13th and 8th centuries BC.

The Byzantine church. To the north-east of the Temple of Hercules, heading towards the upper terrace, we come to the ruins of a Byzantine church of rather modest dimensions. It would date from the^5th or 6th century and would have been built with part of the stones of the temple of Hercules. A series of mosaics has been brought to light. Excavations carried out intermittently suggest that the Byzantine city extended over the entire hill. Twenty meters further on is a large round cistern 5 meters deep. It could hold 1,000^m3 of rainwater and supplied the Umayyad Palace. Just next to it are the remains of an olive press.

The Umayyad mosque. The mosque attached to the Umayyad palace was built around 730 on the highest point of the hill. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the vaulted ceilings. Only seven rows of columns arranged around a central courtyard and part of the southern wall remain.

The Umayyad Palace. This monument would have been built around 720 by the Umayyads, under the reign of the Caliph Hisham. A true testimony of the splendor of the time, it included nine residential quarters opening onto a central courtyard. Only the courtroom survived the earthquake of 749. It is built on the foundations of an ancient Byzantine church (hence the cross shape) and covered with a wooden dome added in 1998. One can still admire the geometric patterns finely carved in the stone, inherited from Byzantine traditions. The palace was equipped with thermal baths, whose pipes date back to Roman times. Behind the hall, a courtyard leads to an alley of columns that must have been the heart of the administrative quarter. At the end of the alley is another square and the remains of the actual Umayyad palace. The distribution of the quarters shows the existing hierarchy in the city, ending with a porticoed courtyard leading to the throne room.

How to get there. There are two ways to reach the High Place of Sacrifice. The first one, arduous, crosses the Wadi Mahafir, then climbs very steeply. It starts from the street of the Facades, just after the toilets on the left and before the theater. It takes about 50 minutes. The second one starts from the Qasr al-Bint and goes around it to the right. This is one of the most beautiful hikes in Petra. The hike takes between 2 and 3 hours. There are some steep parts, but you alternate between sun and shade.

Visit. The High Place of Sacrifice is located at the top of Jebel al-Madhbah, at an altitude of over 1,000 meters. From here, the views of Jebel Haroun (Mount Aaron) and Petra are spectacular. There were several "high places" in Petra, all of them open-air, spread over the heights of the city, perhaps according to a tribal code. At the end of the path, there is a first esplanade where two tapered obelisks, each 7 meters high, stand. At first, archaeologists gave them a religious meaning, thinking that they were the two main Nabatean gods Dushara and Al-Uzza. But the inscription zibb atuf left by one of the sculptors sows doubt. Indeed, it means "the penis of Atouf". On the other hand, the path of Wadi Mahafir does not have any votive niche or divine representation. The path that leads to the High Place of Sacrifice starts from this esplanade, through the quarry and between the remains of the high walls that may have formed a monumental gateway to the sacrificial place; on the right coming from the Street of Facades or on the left coming from Qasr al-Bint. The High Place of Sacrifice occupies an esplanade 65 meters long. The cultic rites were probably dedicated to the god Dushara, the most important of the Nabataean pantheon. Banquets were held on the platform in front of the altar. The participants sat on the stone benches that mark its perimeter. You will notice in the upper left corner (back to the altar), a groove that allowed water to flow out. The altar consists of a raised platform that housed betyls, preceded by a few steps. The priest stood at the top of the steps to make the incense offerings. A walkway allows one to go around the altar. The rock to the left of the altar was probably an altar of libation. It was probably hollowed out to store water for ablutions. A hole was made in the disc on the platform and a drain allowed the liquids to flow out.

The forum and theater marked the epicenter of commercial and cultural life in the days of the Roman Empire. In Philadelphia, at one time considered the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, the theater backed onto Jebel el-Taj and was preceded by a huge square that served as the main meeting point and market place. On its eastern side, a smaller theater, the Odeon, closed the square. Today, the Roman theater houses two museums: the Museum of Popular Traditions and the Museum of Folklore.

The Forum. Access to the Roman amphitheatre complex is via the ancient forum. This huge, open square, now lined with trees, was one of the largest in the Roman Empire. It measures 100 x 50 meters. It was enclosed to the north by the Great Theater and the Taj Hill, and to the east by the small Odeon Theater. It was also lined with colonnades for merchants, of which today only a single row remains in front of the main theater. Major thoroughfares led to the Forum, in particular the cardo maximus, the main north-south road found in every Roman decapolis. The city's population used to gather here. In fact, it's still a lively place where the inhabitants of the lower town gather, especially on summer evenings. They enjoy the terraces, where Egyptian soccer matches are shown, or simply sit and chat on the steps leading down to the esplanade. You'll notice a ticket office on the right as you enter the site. This is where you pay the ticket price for the Roman Theatre or present your Jordan Pass.

Roman Theatre. Your steps will lead you directly to the imposing Roman Theatre, set against the jebel El-Taj. From the top of its tiers, you can look back on 20 centuries of history. Its construction dates back to the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161), reputed to be one of the most peaceful rulers the Roman Empire had ever known. The theater could accommodate up to 6,000 spectators. Carved out of the mountain, it met the standards of Roman theaters of the time. From the beginning of the modern era, the Romans finalized their theatrical construction methods, moving in particular to permanent stone construction. Unlike ancient Greek theaters, Roman theaters were enclosed by a stage wall that rose to the height of the tiers. The semicircular shape of the tiers, known as cavea, was preserved for acoustic and visual reasons. The spectator sees and hears everything, whether seated in the front or back row. The cavea of the Amman theater is divided into three levels. The lower level(prima cavea) was reserved for rulers and patricians. The middle tier(media cavea) was occupied by members of the army, while the civilian population occupied the last ranks(summa cavea). You'll notice a niche at the very top of the terraces. It housed a statue of the goddess Athena, now in the Royal Jordan Museum. Each floor is delimited by a praecinctio, a passageway that allowed people to move around. The slope of the tiers was particularly well thought-out, generally inclined at 30°. In particular, it was designed to allow sound to travel upwards without reverberating, and to allow people to sit down without being disturbed by the person in front. The pit, or orchestra, is surrounded by bleachers and faces the raised stage. Actors came to stand in the niches(pulpitum) at the foot of the stage during long tirades or for certain dialogues. The columns along the stage served as a street backdrop, while the stage wall represented a palace and was used as a backdrop for interior scenes. Access to the interior is via a passageway leading off either end of the orchestra. For years, the theater was the site of a vast excavation project. Now restored, it is sometimes the setting for traditional dance and music performances in summer (ask at the tourist office).

The Folklore Museum. On the left as you enter the theater. It features a collection of objects typical of the country: musical instruments, weapons, a large Bedouin goat-hair tent with two compartments (men on one side, women on the other), teapots, carpets, weaving looms, beautiful gold and coral jewelry from the Red Sea... Don't miss the black-and-white photos of Amman at the entrance to the museum.

The Museum of Popular Traditions. Located on the right as you enter the theater, it's not very different from the Folklore Museum. The small museum displays Bedouin objects (traditional dress, jewelry, etc.), marquetry, evidence of the rich local crafts (carpets, saddles, etc.) and traditional Palestinian dress. The collection is completed by Byzantine mosaics and pottery from excavations in Madaba and Jerash.

The Odeon. Far less impressive than the Roman theater, it's still worth a stop. Built in the ^2nd century, it was mainly used for musical performances and political meetings, for up to 600 people.

The Orthodox Church of St. George built in 1986 has some beautiful icons. But above all it houses the very first map of Palestine, also called the Map of Madaba. It was displayed on the floor of the 6th century Byzantine church that preceded it. This map is considered a historical treasure, as it is the oldest representation of the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem. A Greek dedication inscription engraved in a tank beneath the church gives historians a valuable clue as to the date of construction of the Byzantine church: " This is the work which our most pious emperor Flavius Justinian had done with munificence, under the auspices of the most holy Constantine, priest and Hegumen, in the year 13 of the indiction ", i.e. after 550. The mosaic is the work of unknown artists and was probably made on the initiative of the Christian community of the city, which was an important bishopric during the Byzantine Christian era. Unfortunately, the master builder of the new Orthodox church was not impressed by this antiquity and took little care to preserve or even enhance it. He found nothing better than to plant pillars in the middle of a large fragment. Entire sections of the map disappeared in the course of the work, especially the part describing the area between Hebron and Beersheva. As a result, the mosaic is poorly displayed and is barely protected by a security cordon that must be walked around repeatedly to appreciate the details.

The map was originally quite exceptional in size (21 meters by 7 meters, as opposed to the current 16 meters by 5 meters) and was composed of more than two million tesserae.

The work represents the Holy Land, from Lebanon to Lower Egypt and the Nile delta, including the places mentioned in both the New and Old Testaments. The territory is depicted with astonishing realism and attention to detail. One can see, for example, boats crossing the Dead Sea, or fish going up the Jordan River to avoid ending up in the salty sea, or bridges spanning the river...

The artists used letters of different sizes and colors (black, white and red) that mentioned the names of biblical territories and the relative importance of cities. There are more than 150 legends written in Greek letters and, to this day, all the names of these cities have been identified. Jerusalem (surrounded by walls) and the major holy places are, of course, included in this list, as well as the names of all the tribes that populated the region at the time. This map provides a great deal of information to historians, especially about the size and influence of the various cities in the 6th century, or the flora and fauna that could be found in the different regions. Beyond its historical or geographical interest, the map is a true work of art. It deploys rich and deep colors and draws a dizzying profusion of details.

The cities. The cities are precisely drawn, like a city map without perspective. You can see Jericho and its palm trees, Bethlehem, Gaza, Ashkelon (Israel), Peluse (Egypt), Flavia Neaoplis (Nablus), Kerak. Jerusalem is recognizable by its two maximum Cardo lined with columns, its Damascus Gate or its church of the Holy Sepulchre topped with a golden dome.

The surroundings. We can thus clearly see the organization of the space of this province of Palestine, articulated around a main axis constituted by the Jordan River, which flows into the Dead Sea. The drawings evoke very well the landscapes visible in Palestine (dark mountains, bright valleys). If you look closely, you can see a lion (rather iconoclastic, because in small mosaic squares) chasing a gazelle in the desert of Moab.

Read the map. It may be wise to purchase the map sold in the welcome shop if you wish to understand the innumerable details of the map. First of all, you should know that the map faces east (east is up). The north is therefore on your left. Jerusalem, with its walls, towers, and gates, is the centerpiece of the map and the real masterpiece of the mosaic. It provides valuable information about the layout and architecture of the city in the 6th century. It shows the Cardo, the main artery dividing the city in two (with the Damascus Gate at its northern end), and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The city walls are punctuated by twenty-one towers, the main one being the so-called Tower of David, and pierced by only six gates, the last one, the New Gate, dating from 1890.

To the south of Jerusalem (on the right) is Bethlehem. You will also recognize other sites: the Jordan Valley, planted with palm trees, the Dead Sea, represented with boats and sailors. On the shores, you can see lions and gazelles. Below the mouth of the Jordan is the palm-tree oasis of Jericho. On the right side of the map you can see the colourful peaks of the Sinai and not far south the Nile delta.

The museum. Take a look at the small museum at the entrance of the site, which houses some beautiful mosaics. You can then visit the remains of the Byzantine basilica and the superb mosaics that have been uncovered. One of them, measuring 9 m x 3 m, dates from 530 and represents pastoral and hunting scenes, as well as numerous animals: ostrich, zebra, lions... The state of conservation is exceptional. Moving towards the apse, we notice other mosaics, one of which represents two gazelles at the foot of a date palm. The authorities have built a shelter to protect the remains, near the small Franciscan monastery.

The panorama. At the back of the site, from the viewpoint, one can enjoy, on a clear day, an extraordinary view of the surrounding mountains and valleys: the Dead Sea, the Judean mountains, the oasis of Jericho, the Jordan Valley... On a clear day, one can even see Jerusalem some 45 km away. An orientation table allows you to find your bearings.

Near the viewpoint, you will also see a large bronze cross overlooking the valley: this memorial is the work of Gian Paolo Fantoni, an artist from a Florentine art school. It represents the serpent raised by Moses in the desert and the crucifixion of Jesus. The renovations of the Moses Memorial were completed in 2016, after several years of work.

For your personal information, Mount Nebo is not the highest peak in the region, but is simply the last peak before the vast Ghor Depression.

Bathing in the Dead Sea is a unique experience, well worth trying, despite the high cost of access to the beaches. The very high salinity of the water (almost 10 times higher than in other seas around the world) ensures better buoyancy. Even non-swimmers can bathe without risk, as it is impossible to sink or swim. On the other hand, salt is very aggressive to the skin, and you won't be able to stay in the water for long. What's more, the heat is often overpowering and the sun is scorching. It's essential to rinse off thoroughly with fresh water when you leave the beach. All beaches have showers, whether public or private.

Clay. Private beaches provide visitors with jars or pots filled with mud, a mineral-rich Dead Sea clay that is incredibly skin-softening. Coat your body and, if you have a shower nearby, your face, avoiding the eye area. You'll soon feel dry and cracked under the sun like a reptile. Now's the time to get in the water and gently remove the mud. For the face, rinse off in the shower of course, but don't try it in the sea - it burns the eyes.

Bathing. After the clay, the bath. Don't try to swim, you won't make it! Instead, float, drift a little (but not too far), taking care not to get your face wet - bathing is corrosive to the skin and especially the mucous membranes! Go carefully into the water and rinse thoroughly on your way out.

The death of the Dead Sea? The Dead Sea lies between Lake Tiberias and the Jordan Valley to the north, and the Red Sea to the south. Its extreme salinity began around 40,000 years ago, when rainfall became less abundant, leading to very strong evaporation of water and, consequently, a regression of the lake and a constant concentration of salt in the water. The water level in the Dead Sea continues to fall: it is so suffocatingly hot during the summer months (the mercury sometimes registers 50°C) that over 20 mm of water disappears every year. At this rate, the Dead Sea will be completely forgotten by 2050. The cause? Overuse of the Jordan River, which is now little more than a trickle. Pumped and diverted by the Israelis, but also by the Jordanians, it is no longer able to supply the Dead Sea sufficiently. The catastrophic effects of an industrial complex exploiting the marine mineral wealth (potash) are also worth noting.

The Jordan Tourism Board is the official tourism showcase of Jordan. It is mainly aimed at professionals of the sector, but also welcomes tourists. You will find there some interesting brochures in French and a good map of the country. The website referencing tourist activities and organized tours in Jordan is very complete. You will find many interesting ideas to enrich your visits and your itinerary, from a nice café in Ajloun to stores specialized in traditional crafts.

The temple of Artemis stands in front of you, once you have climbed the steps of the propylaeum. The Romans built it around 150, in homage to Artemis, daughter of Zeus, goddess of hunting and fertility and protective goddess of Gerasa. Much larger than the one dedicated to Zeus, the temple maintained the rivalry between the faithful. It was the center of the social and spiritual life of the city and stood at the center of a vast sacred enclosure of 3.4 hectares. Built on a platform, its beautiful columns with Corinthian capitals rise towards the sky. They present an interest which delights the tourists: they move with the wind or when one shakes them. Only 11 of the 12 columns originally erected remain. They are signed by the artist (or contractor in charge), Hygeinos. But the Temple of Artemis is unfinished, for a total of 32 columns were planned to frame the cella, the main chamber. The floor of the inner room was covered with marble slabs. The back of the temple, the adytum, was accessible only to priests. Only they could approach the thalamos, the niche that probably housed a statue of the goddess, and enter the two chambers that flanked the niche. The sacrificial altar was located at the foot of the stairs leading to the platform, some twenty meters upstream from the temple. From the 4th century onwards, pagan cults were forbidden by imperial edict and the temple of Artemis was stripped of its furnishings.

After crossing the Oval Square and taking the Cardo maximus, the alley widens, marking the entrance to the Macellum. These are the ancient halls, one of the busiest places in the city. A triple door opens onto an octagonal courtyard with a fountain in the centre. The lion heads were used as trestles for the merchants' stalls. One of them bears the engraving "211" on one side, indicating the probable time of its construction. Many agree that the market was used until the arrival of the Umayyads in the 7th century.

This 21 m high arch was built in 129, in honour of the Roman Emperor Hadrian visiting the Decapolis. The plans called for the arch to become the main gateway to the city, but it was never extended to the south. The openings probably each supported a wooden gate. The arch was reconstructed in the 1980s by Jordanian archaeologists. Note the crown of acanthus leaves carved above the bases of the pillars. Hadrian's Arch is now the entry point to the site of Gerasa.

Almost in front of the theatre, on the right, above the cafés, you can see several imposing burials where it is easy to climb through a staircase eroded by the rainwater.

How to get there. In the Rue des Façades, on the left.

Visit. Built at the very beginning of the 1st century, under the reign of Aretas IV, the theatre was directly carved in stone. Located in the heart of the necropolis, it shows that life in Petra was not limited to the worship of the gods or the dead. The hemicycle could originally accommodate 4,000 spectators. It was enlarged upwards by the Romans, who doubled its capacity. In the process, they cut out tombs, as shown by the gaping openings left on the back wall. The cavea (the tiers) faced east and was divided into three series of benches. The most important people sat in the lower part while the ordinary citizen took possession of the upper tiers. Only a few elements of the stage remain and it has been partly rebuilt. It had three entrances, one of which was in the middle and was reserved for the king (during political meetings) or the main actor (during cultural performances). The backdrop of the stage included columns (four remain), balconies and sculptures. Fragments of statues of the Greek gods Heracles, Hermes and Aphrodite were found during excavations at the site. The stage was separated from the audience by the orchestra, which sat on the terrace at the foot of the cavea. The structure is based on the elements of classical Roman theatres, but the drainage systems and masonry techniques are specific to Nabataean architecture.

The southern theatre is located slightly above the temple of Zeus. It can be reached by a path that starts from the forum. This small amphitheatre was built around 90, during the reign of the emperor Domitian, thanks to donations from the rich inhabitants of the city. It could hold about 5,000 spectators, compared to 3,000 today. It has been completely restored and is still used today, notably during the Jerash festival. Its exceptional acoustics delight the tourists who can regularly listen to the bagpipers of the Jordanian army practicing.

This gate was the main entrance of the four entrances to the city, before the expansion project symbolized by Hadrian's Arch. It is also the official entrance to the ancient site of Jerash. It is said to have been built in the 2nd century and has the particularity of being pierced directly into the city wall. The decorations of this monument are composed of sculptures of acanthus leaves, characteristic of this time. It inspired the construction of Hadrian's Arch. Do not miss the oil press on the left after the gate.

The present castle, made of large blocks of black basalt, was built by the Ayyubids in the 13th century. The site had previously housed Roman garrisons (between 286 and 305) and then Byzantine garrisons, as evidenced by inscriptions here and there. Built on a quadrangular plan, this fortress controlled the Wadi Sirham valley on the trade route between Arabia and Syria, where caravans loaded with goods flowed. The fortress originally had three floors but was largely destroyed by the 1927 earthquake. The fort served as the headquarters of Sherif Hussein of Mecca and Lawrence of Arabia's troops during the Great Revolt. It was from Azraq that the Sheriff undertook his final assault on the city of Damascus, which marked the defeat of the Turks and the end of the First World War in the Middle East.

The tower through which one enters the fortress has several inscriptions in Latin, Greek and Arabic. The room above the southern entrance was that of T.E. Lawrence. The west gate still has its heavy basalt leaves (over 3 tons each) which are still in use. This type of gate is a legacy from Roman times and was frequently used throughout the Byzantine period. In the centre of the fort, the 13th-century mosque, facing Mecca, was built by the Ayyubids, the dynasty founded by Saladin, on the ruins of a Byzantine church. Its fine columns are noteworthy.

Qusayr Amra was a fortress commissioned by Prince Walid ibn Yazid, better known as Caliph Walid II. Although his reign was short-lived, from 743 to 744, he left his mark on the Umayyad dynasty. The castle was probably built between 730 and 740 and served as a garrison as well as a palatial residence dedicated to the pleasures of the princes.

The audience hall. Built according to a plan with three naves with barrel vaults, it is reminiscent of Byzantine architecture. There is an alcove in the central nave and two rooms in the side naves which probably served as private audience rooms. The reception rooms are connected by a door to a bathhouse, a Roman legacy much appreciated by the Arabs. The interior of the first room included a checkroom under the central alcove(apodyterium) and a cold bath(frigidarium). The second room was dedicated to warm baths(tepidarium) and the third room was the hot room(caldarium). Outside the baths, you will see the hydraulic system that allowed the water to be conveyed: composed of a cistern and a very deep well of about 15 m, surrounded by a circle of more than 6 m in diameter dug into the ground. This circle must have corresponded to the route followed by the beast of burden (a camel or a donkey) attached to a wheel, which was used to bring up the water from the well.

The walls, floor and ceilings are covered with marble and frescoes, with scenes of hunting and daily life, in which more than 250 Byzantine-inspired figures appear. Many of them are isolated in black square frames as in some Roman, Byzantine and Western manuscripts of the medieval period. They represent warriors, musicians, stone cutters, dancers, architects and... naked women taking a bath. These last drawings are quite exceptional in Islamic art, which does not allow human representations, and even less so of women in Eve's clothing. It seems that Al-Walid was a true art lover and, above all, a very liberal man for his time.

The fresco of the Kings. This is the most famous fresco on the site, but it has been heavily degraded. It shows the Umayyad caliph wearing his headdress as on Iranian coins, surrounded by the other great rulers of the time. The Arabic and Greek inscriptions allow us to identify the emperor of Byzantium, the Visigoth Roderick, the Persian emperor Khosroes and the Negus of Abyssinia. The emperor of China and the Turkish khaqan are also present. The figure of Roderick, who died in 711, is an indication that allows the construction of the site to be dated. The influence of pre-Islamic Iran is both iconographic and stylistic: the representation of royal figures recalls the Sassanid custom of portraits of the royal lineage, as does the disappearance of the bodies behind the decorative mass of costumes. The kings seem to pledge their allegiance to the Muslim ruler, differentiating the fresco from other decorative ornaments; the aim here is to assert the power of the Muslim ruler over his rivals.

The other frescoes of the audience room. The prince and his throne in the central alcove of the audience hall seem to be inspired by Byzantine art and also symbolize Umayyad power. The architectural throne and the two lateral figures are comparable to the representations in Syriac manuscripts. In the apse of the audience hall, a reclining figure under a sheet is observed by a cherub and a figure of Eros. Another scene presents wrestlers in ancient style. To their left, a fight between a lion and a gazelle evokes that of Khirbat al-Mafjar in Jericho. In the same room, a primrose hunt evokes Roman mosaics but also the favorite activity of the Sassanian king Bahrâm Gûr. The large scene on the southeast side of the audience hall shows a female figure reminiscent of the Greek Aphrodite in front of a rectangular pool. Women watch her from a balcony, hidden behind an openwork fence.

The frescoes of the baths. In the hot room, naked female figures are accompanied by children. The style adopted for the figurative representations owes much to other artistic centers of the Mediterranean world. The opulent nude women with their bodies surrounded by brown are reminiscent of Coptic art. Their elaborate hairstyles are reminiscent of Palmyrene representations. The small round faces with large eyes recall Parthian, Sassanid and Coptic art.

The dome of the caldarium is also richly decorated with an astrological sky, with the signs of the zodiac from Greco-Roman mythology. They were probably copied from an ancient globe. The first known representation of the sky in Islamic art, this decoration reflects the taste of Muslim scientists for this subject, which was one of their main fields of research and led to the creation of observatories, astronomical manuscripts, astrolabes... This decoration can be compared to illustrations from the Treatise on Fixed Stars (1009). The constellations are personified, as on the ancient models. In 2017, the Italian renovation institute Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro took over the renovation of the castle's wall paintings.