Tourist Attractions & Monuments Jordan

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Fans of beautiful bodies will be served. This museum was opened in 2003 by King Abdullah II, in memory of his father, a motor vehicle enthusiast. The collection presents more than 80 vehicles that belonged to King Hussein. From rally cars to Bentley's armoured limousines, including sports cars, military vehicles, family sedans, motorcycles for desert sand tracks and even bicycles... the collection displays a part of the automotive history from the post-war period to the present day. Small video installations punctuate the tour, showing King Hussein in action in his cars. It seems that the passion has been passed on from father to son, as King Abdullah II's cars have now been added to the collection. It also seems that the royal family had an unlimited interest in the German manufacturer Mercedes, which is widely represented here. In addition to this small retrospective of the German firm, we find prestigious brands that have made history in the automobile such as Aston Martin, Rolls Royace, Bentley, Lincoln, Cadillac... The oldest car dates back to 1916 and was imported by Hussein bin Ali, the grandfather of King Hussein, hero of the Great Arab Revolt. The museum has a replica of the first motorcycle ever invented in 1886. The vehicles are perfectly maintained and all are said to be roadworthy.

The site is set in a beautiful setting of green hills in spring. Two hours are enough to walk around it. It is best to hire a guide to help you decipher the not always well-presented remains.

Before entering the site , coming from Al-Mashari'a, you will see the remains of a church, marked by three columns. It is thought to date from the^5th or early 6th century. It is one of the largest Byzantine churches found in the Near East, although not much remains today.

At the entrance, on the right, are the few remains of a Roman gate. A little further on, you will see the remains of an Umayyad village and a Mamluk mosque (14th century) (Arab occupation), as well as a Canaanite temple probably dating from the 13th century BC, carved into the hillside.

At the top of the terrace, a group of two-storey Byzantine-Umayyad houses was discovered during excavations. Their walls are made of mud-brick laid on stone foundations. The upper floor was reserved for living quarters, and the ground floor for animals. Skeletons of men and animals trapped during the 749 earthquake were found on site.

Center. Another Byzantine church from the^5th century was built here. Virtually nothing remains of the portico, but it is easily recognizable by its columns that rise to the sky. These columns supported a roof that covered a large room that served as an atrium. The building is located between the remains of a small odeon whose hemicycle seats can still be guessed and a Roman nymphaeum (further east).

To theeast, on the slopes of Jebel Abu al-Qas, stands the third Byzantine church of the same period. Few details remain, but it was connected to the Wadi Malawi by a beautiful staircase and had three naves. A fountain was fed by a huge cistern. On the other side of the Wadi stands Tell Husn, on top of which are the remains of a 6th century Byzantine fortress.

To the north, finally, was the necropolis. Numerous tombs from the Roman and Byzantine periods have been uncovered.

In the vicinity. Ask at the Visitor Centre for directions to a Greek temple built on the hill, from where a panoramic view of the Jordan Valley, and even Jerusalem on a clear day, awaits you. It's a 2-hour walk there and back. To get there by car, ask for the small road to Ajloun, which passes through some very pretty landscapes.

On the heights of Iraq Al-Amir, there is an alignment of eleven chutes caves on several levels, forming a deep gallery along the cliff. They probably served as a stables, stables for goats and barn. There were inscriptions in Aramaic, especially above the entrance of a cellar, where the word «tobiade» is engraved, confirming the hypothesis that the castle was built by this family. They probably gave their names to the village because literally Iraq al Amir means «the caves of the prince».

The street of the Colonnades ends with a monumental gate, delimiting the temenos or "sacred enclosure" from the profane part of the city. This triple-arched gate allowed the passage of carts in its center, and pedestrians on each side. The arches were equipped with wooden doors that were folded back into the niches inside the pillars. Some of the decorative friezes can still be seen coming from the city. The stone blocks were carved with floral or geometric motifs framing portraits of deities.

Access to the Neolithic village of Beidha is from the Little Petra car park. Instead of entering the gorge, take the path on the left that leads down to a sandy plateau. The round or rectangular houses installed at the entrance of the site are life-size reproductions made by archaeologists to better understand the extraordinary discoveries made here. It takes a lot of imagination to give this site its full importance. The dry-stone ruins dating back to the end of the Stone Age make up one of the oldest Neolithic villages known to date. It was occupied by one of the first agricultural communities in the Near East between 8500 and 5500 BC. Artifacts found at this site have allowed archaeologists to better understand the origins of human development, which led to a constant evolution that allowed civilizations to flourish. With the manufacture of tools, the beginnings of agriculture and the domestication of certain animals, humans began to settle down, and this is what Beidha is all about. We know that the men and women of the village cultivated barley and owned goats. By moving from circular to rectangular buildings, they made the architecture evolve so that it better took into account their needs. Nomadism and the life of a hunter-gatherer did not prevent prehistoric man from constructing buildings. These served as temporary shelters or storage places. As the villagers of Beidha settled down, they realized that it was easier to enlarge a square or rectangular house than a round one, and that space could also be gained upwards by adding a floor. The Beidha site also proves that there were belief systems with established rituals. Stone slabs in an oval shape with small depressions, standing stones and a pool were found about 40 meters from the houses. It would appear that this arrangement served as a sacrificial site or altar. Remains of goat horns show that the animal played an important role in the life of the inhabitants. However, it is impossible to know the nature and meaning of the religious rites. We can only assume that the beliefs were centred on the cult of the ancestors.

How to get there. At the beginning of the street of the Colonnades, on the left of the "Great Temple".

Visit. There is not much left of this market which had a very important function in the Nabatean capital. It was the market that ensured the wealth of the capital for several centuries. Petra was an almost unavoidable commercial center, at the crossroads of a dense network of caravan trails. Trading and stalls were held along the street to which the Romans added the columns. The upper terrace was a garden adjacent to the "Great Temple".

If the 'castles of the desert' have their origin in the Roman-Byzantine architecture, fortified or rural, as it existed in Syria before Islam, Qasr Kharranah is singled out by its specificities inherited from Sassanid Iran. It is thought to be one of the earliest known Umayyad monuments, built between 661 and 684, although an inscription above a doorway gives the date 710. Its imposing silhouette stands out in the middle of the desolate plain that surrounds it, quite different from the small Qasr that were built around Azraq. It is thought to have been more of a meeting place for the Bedouins, with no military purpose, as shown by its archways, which were only used for ventilation and ornamentation.

It is square and measures 35 m on each side. Its plan is typical of the Sassanids: a courtyard, surrounded on two levels by rooms arranged in living units. While Syrian castles are often larger, there are a number of buildings in Iraq that are close in scale to the Qasr Kharranah. Once through the entrance gate, one discovers, on either side of the courtyard, stables designed to accommodate camels. A small basin that was used to collect rainwater is located in the middle of the courtyard. Note the beautiful vaulted rooms at the top of the entrance gate and on the second floor, decorated with stucco mouldings and the saw-tooth pattern of the arches, which are found on many utilitarian potteries, both European and Islamic. The 'fleurs de lys' of some of the roundels in the rooms seem more unusual.

The impressive dimensions of the Qasr Mushatta are only found in the Qasr al Tuba, probably built by Al Walid II. This palace, which means "winter" in Arabic, is unfinished, probably because of the murder of Waldi II. Its plan is not organized around a central courtyard, but in three parts. The two unfinished side spaces were designed to house soldiers, servants or courtiers, while the central part housed the Caliph and his family. A mosque, identifiable by its mihrâb, leads to a large courtyard. Four housing units, known as bayt, which can be found in many Umayyad civil buildings, surround the throne room. Although Syrian in plan, they are also reminiscent of Sassanid Iran with their brick vaults, and may have served as the residence of the Caliph's four wives.

South facade.

Mushatta is also known for its rich decoration, especially its southern façade, a large part of which is displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It consists of a band bordered by richly carved moldings and divided by a zigzag, perhaps deriving from Arab folk art motifs, with rosettes and vegetal elements, often animated by animal figures, real (felines, birds) or fantastic (griffins, centaurs...). Animals were already present in the ancient cylinder seals and then abundantly used in Christian art. Other motifs, such as birds, seem to be directly inspired by Coptic Egypt, where some artists came from. They rub shoulders with fantastic creatures: centaurs and sphinxes, which come from the classical culture that bathed the whole Mediterranean world before Islam, the Iranian "dragon-peacock" is linked, under the Sassanids, to astrology, to the Zoroastrian religion and to power. Originally a deity of Central Asia, this animal still often appears on medallions and talismans as a simple figure of prosperity. It was also often represented in the Byzantine world, and sometimes even on Romanesque works.

Some of the scrolls are decorated with beaded circles, reminiscent of Sassanian silks. Often copied by the Byzantines, these textiles were exported to Europe, where they were frequently used to wrap relics. The only human beings depicted are grape pickers as they are represented on some Roman mosaics or in the Qasr Amra. The vine with lions recalls the cult of Dionysus in antiquity and in Coptic Egypt. The pine cones of the rosettes would come from the figurative art of Sassanid Iran.

Housed in the superb Dar es Saraya building, this 18th-century mansion was the residence of the Ottoman governor. After being used as a prison, it was partly converted into an Archaeological Museum. The museum displays objects from the Stone Age to the Ottoman period. Amongst others, there are pieces of pottery, alabaster, glass, sculptures and mosaic floor tiles from the Byzantine period.

The Touquan House is a beautiful building dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The entrance is located on the first floor while the first floor was used as storage space. The reception rooms encircled the entrance hall, and the kitchen and bathrooms were located at the back of the house. The Touqan family occupied the house until the 1950s, when it became a school. Abandoned in the 1980s, the As-Salt town council decided to restore it in 1990 and turn it into a Museum of Archaeology. Artifacts dating back to the Neolithic period are on display.

The site contains the ruins of Jordan's largest Byzantine church, dating back to the ^6th century. But, as elsewhere in the country, all that remains are the foundations and some beautiful mosaics. These feature magnificent floral and geometric motifs. A staircase leads to an underground cemetery dug into the rock. The ruins of another, smaller church backs onto what used to be a natural waterfall. It was here that the first Christian believers were baptized.

Tell Mar Elias is of great biblical significance, as Elias de Tisbé is mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Kings. Thus, it is commonly believed that the prophet Elias was a native of the region. The Jordan Tourism Board, which seeks to promote the country's biblical sites, is highlighting this site by including it in its "Sacred Land" tour.

For the time being, few tourists come here other than pilgrims on organized tours. If you have the time, Tel Mar Elias is only a short detour from Ajloun and only an hour's drive from Amman. You'll be able to enjoy a site off the beaten track, with a lovely

countryside. When the wind isn't too strong, the picnic tables are very pleasant and the ideal place for a peaceful "lunch on the grass". Marble sculptures and metal religious relics found here can be seen in the small Archaeological Museum at Château d'Ajloun.

The village of Qasr Al-Hallabat is located not far from the highway, at the gateway to the eastern desert. On your way there, you will pass the ruins of an ancient bathhouse, the Hammam as-Sarah, dating from the Umayyad period. The small limestone building has been well restored and the pipes that carried the water to the baths remain largely intact.

Qasr al-Hallabat is an interesting site from a historical point of view, as it provides a better understanding of the transition from Roman antiquity to the Islamic Middle Ages and of the customs of the people of that time. The site was originally occupied by a Roman fortress, built during the reign of Caracalla around 200 A.D. It was intended to protect the Via Nova Trajana, the new Roman road that crossed the province of Arabia from north to south, linking Bostra (in Syria) to Aqaba, which was conquered in 106 A.D. The fort was part of the Limes of Arabia, and was used as a base for the construction of the new road. This fort was part of the Limes Arabicus, the eastern border of the Roman province of Arabia. In the 4th century, probably during the reign of Diocletian, the garrison was enlarged and transformed into a fort with four towers. This was badly damaged by the earthquake of 551 and abandoned. During the Byzantine period, the Ghassanids took over the site and turned it into a monastery. Then the arrival of the Arabs and the foundation of the Umayyad dynasty gave it a new function: a palace. The Umayyads retained the original plan of the building, but added a rectangular mosque to the exterior. Inside, the palace rooms were retained but the monastic outbuildings were transformed into functional warehouses. The decorations evoking the political or religious identity of their Christian predecessors were removed.

The castle visible today is little more than a pile of stones. However, it is possible (with good eyes) to admire some mosaics and frescoes from the period, inside what remains of the old palace rooms. The large mosaic on the floor of room 11 may be reminiscent of the Byzantine tradition, but it is also reminiscent of the lion and gazelles mosaic at Khirbat al-Majfar. The complex iconography of the mosaic, in which a man appears to be guiding an ostrich, may have had a significance that no archaeologist has been able to determine. In the larger of the two courtyards, there is a well coping with geometrically carved arches. The mosque behind the palace was completely restored between 2002 and 2013. Its delicate entrance porch is particularly noteworthy.

The Visitors Center is located at the Dana Guesthouse. It is here that you will pay the entrance fee to the Reserve. The dynamic and enthusiastic staff will be able to provide you with information about guided and unguided hiking opportunities. An exhibition presenting the fauna and flora offers an interesting introduction to what awaits you. A shop selling local handicrafts (jewellery, bags...) produced by the local people is also located in the Visitors' Centre.

How to get there. The Qasr al-Bint is located at the end of the Rue des Colonnades, after Hadrian's Arch, on the left.

Visit. Mostly in ruins, the Qasr al-Bint is nevertheless the only building still standing in Petra. Its imposing walls, 24 meters high and 27 meters wide, hint at the splendor of the city at its peak. It would have been built during the reign of Aretas IV (9 BC - 40) just like the Treasury. Its full name, Qasr al-Bint Fa'run, means in Arabic "The castle of the Pharaoh's daughter". It is the name chosen by the Bedouins in reference to the so-called pharaoh (and his putative daughter) who had the Treasury built to hide his wealth. It is actually a temple, probably dedicated to Dushara. Excavations around the site have revealed the remains of the oldest foundations of Raqmu (the Nabataean name for Petra) and it is likely that the natural platform on which the Qasr al-Bint was erected was already used as a place of worship

The altar. The temenos includes a huge altar positioned in front of the temple. It consists of a platform of 13.5 x 12 m raised 3 meters above the ground. It was probably a sacrificial altar in the Nabatean period. The Romans added an apsidal temple next to it. Its outer wall was protected by a gallery of columns. Inside, it housed statues of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus who ruled the Roman Empire between 161 and 169. The inauguration of this temple took place between 165 and 169. It is there that French archaeologists found the head of the marble statue representing Marcus Aurelius.

The temple of Dushara. The building mixes Greco-Roman and Nabatean styles. The façade is a Greek tetrastyle, that is to say 4 columns erected in front of the entrance and supporting a triangular pediment. The wide staircase and the raised podium on which the temple was built are typical of Roman architecture. The decorative elements with geometrical patterns made of stucco were characteristic of the Nabataean style. A monumental staircase that only the priests could use led to the temple. They entered the sanctuary through a monumental door. The small room against the back wall contained a betyl, a stone symbolizing the divine presence. Two halls, on either side of the central courtyard, were perhaps used for ritual banquets. Each had a staircase leading to the upper floor and then to the roof where incense offerings and other religious rituals were held.

The hippodrome is immediately on the left, after passing under Hadrian's Arch. At 245 meters long and 52 meters wide, the racecourse is considered small compared to those of other Roman cities. The long and imposing building along the entrance road to the site of Jerash was used as bleachers. With its 17,000 seats, it could hold the entire population of the city at the height of its development. It was the place of entertainment par excellence, where the gladiatorial combats took place. Spectators came to watch all kinds of performances such as Greco-Roman chariot and horse races or athletic races. The Persian Sassanids even played polo there in the 7th century. It is still used to host performances during the Jerash Festival.

Researchers have not been able to pinpoint the date of construction of the racecourse, but they place it between the 1st and 3rd centuries. During the Byzantine period, the hippodrome was redesigned. A small amphitheatre was built on the north side to host sports jousts, while the southern part was abandoned. Potters settled there and the brick ovens can still be seen. Between the 6th and 8th centuries, the southern part was stripped of its stones, which were used to repair the city walls. The dyers set up their workshops there. Finally, the site was also used as a mass grave during a plague epidemic. The earthquake of 749 rendered the site unusable.

Installed in ancient houses, some of which have mosaics, this archaeological museum presents a rather rich collection. The most interesting mosaics show a naked satyr next to a bacchante dancing with cymbals and another shows a lamb next to a tree. The museum also houses archaeological remains (amphorae, weapons), as well as a section dedicated to Bedouin folklore and local crafts (carpets, chests, weapons).

This vast public fountain was dedicated to the nymphs, mythological creatures in the guise of young girls, who were associated with springs, woods and mountains. It dates back to 191 and included a large pool of 600 square metres, two floors with colonnades and alcoves decorated with mosaics and engravings. The lower part was made of marble while the upper part was made of painted plaster. It was surmounted by a dome and water flowed from lions' heads carved into the receptacle. The pink granite basin was added in the Byzantine period.

How to get there. On the hill in front of the "Great Temple", below the Byzantine church.

Visit. The earthquake of 363 destroyed this complex which included a temple and infrastructures related to the practice of worship. The temple takes its name from the capitals adorning its columns, representing winged lions. Excavations undertaken here between 1974 and 2005 have found objects of worship dedicated to the goddess Hayyan, also known as Al-Uzza. This was the most revered female deity in Petra. The temple was probably completed around 25, when Petra was at its peak. It was accessed from the main street by a bridge that spanned the Wadi Musa and entered a propylaeum, a monumental staircase framed by high walls and columns. The sanctuary consisted of a raised platform in the center of which was placed a betylus. The niche was encircled by 12 columns with capitals decorated with winged lions. They served as sacred guards, capable of warding off spells. The columns were positioned so as to form an ambulatory path around the niche. A liwan, or vaulted terrace, was uncovered to the southwest of the temple, with arches once rising 5.75 m above the ground. The rooms uncovered to the north of this terrace probably served as residences for the priests as well as workshops for the making of cult objects. A project to safeguard and develop the site, including the Bedouin, was set up in 2009.

Less than 2 km north of the fortified city, an ancient tower intrigue specialists. It is 15 m high and has neither a door nor a staircase, but a few windows at the top level. Perhaps she was once inhabited by the first Christian monks who found the solitude necessary for their meditation. Today, you won't see more of the building, but we can go there to feel the special atmosphere that emerges from the place. The remains of a church are scattered not far away.

The Archaeology Museum occupies one of the most beautiful houses in the ancient village of Umm Qais, dating from the Ottoman period. It exhibits artifacts found on the site during various excavations. The statue of the goddess Tychee and the mosaic of the underground mausoleum can be admired. The latter contains the names of the deceased owners (Valentinanos, Eustathia and Protogenia). You will also notice an amazing sculpture of a rattlesnake coiled on itself.

This staircase with terraces links the Cardo maximus to the temple of Artemis. It is a propylea, a vestibule leading to a sanctuary. The pilgrims crossed the river by a bridge that led directly to the impressive door with 3 openings. The 4 columns with acanthus leaf capitals were integrated into the colonnade of the Cardo maximus. The monumental staircase is 30 metres wide. One can imagine the strong impression that the ascent to the temple must have given. The propylaeum ended with a portico opening onto the sanctuary.

The ruins of the basilica lie just above the hypogeum. It dates from the second half of the 4th century. Very damaged by the earthquake of 749, there is not much left. We can still guess its huge atrium of 52 meters long. The church was divided into 5 bays oriented from west to east and ended with an apse over the crypt. The entrance was through a hall supported by Ionic columns. Two additional small entrances were pierced in the north and south walls. The basilica was converted into a mosque after the defeat of the Crusaders.

Following the main road after the nabatéen theatre, the left remains the small remains of this fountain, probably dating from the th century. At that time, it was abreuvée by the waters of Wadi Musa, routed through the pipes, and probably supplied water to a good part of the city.

Like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, this place was the scene of some of the most dramatic events in the Old Testament, including the story of Abraham's nephew Lot. According to legend, his wife was turned into a statue of salt for disobeying God. She turned around in her flight to see Sodom in flames. The Bible records that Lot and his two daughters survived and found refuge in a cave near the small town of Zoar (Gawr as-Safi today). Lot's daughters gave birth to sons whose descendants would become the Ammonites and Moabites. Their kingdoms were located in what is now central Jordan. Byzantine Christians built a church dedicated to St. Lot in the sixth century on a hillside above the city. The famous Madaba mosaic, which depicts a map of Palestine, clearly places ancient Zoar on the site of present-day Gawr as-Safi. On the other hand, the two words Zoar and Segor are equivalent, and mean "small", one in Syriac, the other in Hebrew. It is therefore quite likely that the cave near Gawr as-Safi is the one once occupied by Abraham's nephew. The church was discovered by teams of archaeologists a few years ago. It seems to have been abandoned in the middle of the 8th century, probably after the great earthquake that shook the region. The cave and the monastery can be visited.

Access to it. Continuing along the Siq, just past the Treasury, the gorge, narrow at first, widens and descends toward the center of the ancient city. It leads to the royal tombs (on the right) and to the Street of Colonnades (on the left).

Visit. The street starts on the right of the Treasury. The high walls of pink sandstone open in a V shape to the Petra cirque. They are crossed by about forty tombs, sometimes dug and sculpted on several levels. Some of these tombs are reworked natural caves that were used as troglodytic dwellings during the Assyrian period, i.e. in the 2nd millennium BC.

The Triclinium. Immediately on the right, at the beginning of the Rue des Façades, a large rectangular opening in the rock catches the eye. One can still make out the staircase (forbidden access) that allowed to reach the entrance of what is the largest triclinium in Petra. The exceptionally large 12 x 12 meter chamber was probably used as a reception hall during ceremonies in honor of the deceased of El Khazneh. But this is only a guess.

The collapsed tomb. A little further to the left, one can see the remains of a façade that collapsed in 1847. Partial excavations had revealed an inscription in Greek mentioning a certain Arrianos of Petra "dragged by Hades at the age of 27" as a result of an illness. All that can be seen today is a piece of frieze alternating rhombuses and circles and a pilaster with a Nabataean capital. The tomb dates from after the Nabataean occupation of Petra and would have been carved between the 3rd and^5th centuries.

The Street of Facades. As the Siq widens and forms a recess on the left side, one can admire a line of high carved facades. These tombs, with ornamentation heavily damaged by erosion, date from the late 1st century BC and the first half of the 1st century. These façades were probably covered with a thin layer of painted plaster. The first tomb on the left is representative of the Hegira style found in Mada'in Salih in Saudi Arabia. It is distinguished by a stepped frieze on the upper part, a cornice supported by pilasters that frame a door surmounted by a triangular pediment. This tomb has a unique feature with a funerary chamber installed high up. As you continue, you will notice the tomb cleared from the main rock and carved on 3 sides. The staircase frieze at the top has been replaced by a crenellated crown, which suggests that the tomb has been reworked. Behind this tomb, still on the same side of the rock face, the upper frieze of a tomb can be seen, at ground level. It is not known whether the alluvium brought by the recurrent floods covered the entrance to this tomb or whether it was an unfinished project.

Tomb 825. On the other side of the Siq, on the right as you descend to the center of the ancient city, opposite the café-restaurant. From this tomb, located in the corner, one can clearly see the figurative elements of the "hegra" type tombs. The high frieze with a double staircase of five steps rests on a cornice. An attic separates it from the entablature framed by two pilasters. Only the right pilaster remains, with a Nabataean capital. The one on the left had been embedded in the structure, the rock being too friable at this point to allow it to be carved on the façade. The entrance to the tomb is framed by two pilasters and surmounted by a slightly overhanging triangular pediment. In the doorway, on the right-hand side, one can see a nefesh, a graffiti in the shape of an obelisk, to which two petals and a triangle have been added at the top. The name of the deceased was usually written in the cartouche at the bottom of the nefesh. Five other nefashot were found inside the burial chamber attributing the tomb to the family of Zayd Qawmw bin Yaqum. The tomb has 14 graves.

Tomb of Aneishu. Going around the projecting tomb, still on the right side of the Siq, one comes across a series of caves with barely worked and very eroded facades. Above and set back from these is the tomb of Aneishu. The man was a high dignitary of the Nabataean kingdom, probably a minister of Queen Shuqailat II during the regency period from 70 to 76. An inscription attesting to this was found on the slab that closed the tomb. The 20 x 12 meter façade is typical of the "hegra" style. The Nabatean capitals in the form of half-crowns are clearly visible. The door frame is decorated with pilasters and a pediment resting on a discreet attic. The burial chamber consists of a square room measuring nearly 8 x 8 meters. Loculi were built into the back wall and those on the side. Each of these 11 lodges contained a tomb. A final tomb was dug outside, high up on the right wall. At the bottom right of this tomb, one can see a deep pyramid-shaped cut in the rock. It is possible that a nefesh was placed there. A triclinium was dug into the mountain to the left of the façade. One can still see the tank to the left of the entrance (next to the staircase) where water for ablutions was stored. The back wall of the triclinium was also provided with three loculi used to house tombs.

Your visit to Jordan can begin as soon as you leave the airport. The Qasr Al Qastal is located only 7 kilometers from the runways, on the road to Amman. It is one of the most important Umayyad complexes, built as early as the 8th century, and one of the first as well. Unlike many other desert castles, the Qar Al Qastal was not built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. In addition to the palace, it includes a mosque, a cemetery, baths, private dwellings, the remains of a 400-meter long dam and underground cisterns. Its decoration is also influenced by Roman and Sassanid arts. The complex was built by Caliph Yazid ibn 'Abd Al Malik (r. 720-724) and his son Al Walid (r. 743-744). The palace is very similar to other Umayyad palaces in its layout and the many buildings that surround it.

The qasr. This small palace of 68 sq m is built of limestone. Around a porticoed courtyard are groups of six bayt

(self-contained houses), each consisting of a large room framed by two smaller rooms. The walls were originally decorated with colored mosaics, still visible in places. Numerous niches carved in the rock, with plant decorations, have been discovered. They probably come from the audience room on the second floor, and are reminiscent of the decoration of the living room of the Umayyad palace in the citadel of Amman. The salon included a large room with a triple apse.

The mosque. To the north of the qasr

is a mosque that has been rebuilt and restored more than once since the mid-nineteenth century. Only the lower courses of the western and northern walls belong to the original mosque. At the northwestern end stands a minaret, the oldest preserved minaret of the Umayyad era. A shaped cornice supports Corinthian pilasters.

The Baths. About 400 meters north of the qasr is a structure discovered in 2000: the baths, which were part of a similar complex found at Qasr Amra and the hammam Al Sarakh. The mosaics are splendid, representing in particular a ferocious lion leaping on the back of a huge bull which tries to put it down, and a leopard devouring a gazelle. This type of decoration, inherited from the Roman period, can be found in the baths of Khirbat al-Mafjar in Jericho. The vitality of these animal scenes and the subtle gradations of color place these mosaic pavements in the rank of the most beautiful, and show great technical skill

A street ran below the basilica and its huge platform. Cells had been built under it, which were probably shops. There are 17 of them, and some of them still have their facades. Those in which the façade has collapsed reveal vaulted arched cellars. The pillars of the arches were reinforced with cement. The facades and the longitudinal wall were made of black basalt. This shopping street was only uncovered fairly recently, during the 1995 excavations carried out by a Jordanian team.

The ancient city of Gerasa had two thermal complexes. The thermal baths fulfilled an important social function, allowing the exchange of news and the latest gossip while attending musical performances.

The western thermal baths. Below the northern tetrapyle, in the opposite direction of the Decumanus, you will notice some ruined buildings, made of big blocks of stone, and pierced with big arches. This is the old thermal complex of the city of Gerasa, dating from the 2nd century. It included a caldarium (room with hot water basin), a tepidarium (room with warm water basin) and a frigidarium (room with cold water basin). One of the chambers still has its dome on top of the square room. The remains of the hypocaust ovens used to heat the water in the caldarium can also be seen.

The eastern baths. Located outside the walls, behind the mosque facing the southern bridge, these thermal ruins are among the largest and best preserved in the Near East. They were the subject of major excavations between 2016 and 2018, during which fragments of sculptures were found, now on display at the Jerash Archaeological Museum. This huge complex was built in several phases: the first began around 140 with the construction of 7 buildings, including the huge baths with walls that could exceed 11 meters in height. Towards the middle of the 3rd century, the complex was extended to the north with the addition of 13 rooms and an exedra with columns decorated with statues.

Renovated in 2005, the Jordan Fine Arts Museum comprises two buildings facing each other around a small park. The first building houses the permanent collection and the ticket office, while the second houses the temporary exhibitions. The museum showcases the best of contemporary art in Jordan and more broadly in the Arab and Muslim world. Painting, sculpture and pottery are among the arts represented here. The exhibitions have a very good reputation.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the Martyrs' Memorial, commissioned by King Hussein in 1977, was set up in the huge park that includes the national stadium, the Olympic swimming pool and many other sports facilities. The youth must not forget their ancestors who fought for Jordan's independence and the fate of the Arab world. A museum and memorial, the large golden stone cube typical of Amman houses a permanent exhibition that traces the country's military history from the Great Revolt of 1916 to the present day.

A large number of churches were built by the Byzantines. Three quarters of them have still not been uncovered and excavated. Three of these churches are grouped around an atrium in the same area: the Church of St John the Baptist, the Church of Saints Como and Damian, and the Church of St George. They were all built between 529 and 533. They are located in the extension of the church of St. Theodore, west of the cathedral and before the temple of Artemis.

Church of Saints-Come-and-Damien. It is of remarkable interest because of its size and its particularly well preserved mosaics on the floor. These represent animals and human figures, including those probably of Theodore and his wife Giorgia, the guardians of the church. The base of the pillars separating the nave from the aisles is still clearly visible, as well as some columns. The baptistery was added in the 6th century and was shared with the adjacent church.

Church of St. John the Baptist. This is the largest and most recent of the three churches. It is sandwiched between the other two. It retains part of its façade (which faces the colonnade) and its main entrance. Inside, the nave was delimited by four high columns. One can still admire fragments of coloured mosaics with geometrical patterns.

Church of Saint George. Of the three, it is the one that presents the least interest, because it is in very bad condition, and contains no mosaics. It is probably the oldest of the three churches.

Going towards the exit of the city by the Decumanus, we arrive in front of the nymphaeum dating from the 2nd century. It is exactly in front of the large western terrace. This sacred fountain supplied water to the whole city and was decorated with marble statues. Today it is very dilapidated, but it can be seen by its 15-metre long basin. Excavations in 1998 revealed a marble block on which was engraved the name of the nymphaeum's donor, a certain Aurelios Diophantes, who was the city's superintendent of police.

The old village of Umm Qais dates back to the Ottoman Empire and most of the stones used for its construction came from the ancient city. It is built on the Roman Acropolis, the highest and richest part of the city. The village was bombed during the Six Day War and its inhabitants were relocated further away. Today, this ghost village houses the archaeological museum and a visitor centre with craft shops.

Situated in front of the nymphaeum, the thermal baths made a rather late appearance in Gadara, since they date from the IVth century. They covered a surface of 2,400 m². Very damaged shortly after their construction, they were reduced to a more modest size. They included several baths housed in closed and decorated halls. Their use was abandoned around the 7th century, when the city was under water and firewood rationing. The great earthquake of 749 and its successive aftershocks were the reason for the baths.

When one overlooks the ancient city from the village, it is the first building that one sees. Carved in black basalt and able to accommodate 3,000 people, it is not the most imposing of the theaters of the city, but it is the best preserved. The seats in the stands are not all the same: those near the stage and in the last rows have a lower back and are also more comfortable. These seats of honor were reserved for the local aristocracy or distinguished guests during performances and city councils.

Below the museum, you can see the remains of what was once an amphitheatre. It was located at the entrance to the city, along the Decumanus maximus. It takes some imagination to reconstruct the auditorium, its bays, its galleries, its stage that were leaning against the hill. The theatre was built towards the end of the 1st century BC and could accommodate up to 4,000 spectators. The theatre was probably destroyed by successive earthquakes in the region. Its stones were used to build the houses of the village.

The former residence of the royal family stands on a secluded hill. Built in 1926, it was chosen by Abdullah I to serve as his palace. You will be able to see (from a distance) on the gates, the arms of the Hashemite dynasty. But do not expect to enter even the gardens, visits are prohibited. The Raghadan Palace still has official functions, especially when receiving visiting heads of state or when presenting the credentials of new ambassadors.