Petra is one of the wonders of the ancient world, far more extensive and extraordinary than you could imagine and built in a semi-desert, but all of Jordan is full of wonders...
£2100 (sgl supp £420) | Price without flights £1675
Thu 7th October - Sat 16th October 2010, 10 days with Nick Jackson
Tour Manager: Odeh al Shobaki | Availability: Singles Last One | Doubles Last two
Thu 21st October - Sat 30th October 2010, 10 days with Dr Kay Prag
Tour Manager: Odeh al Shobaki | Availability: Singles Last few | Doubles Available
Introduction
Jordan’s Iron Age history, home to the bellicose Israelites, Ammonites, Edomites and Moabites is documented in the Old Testament. It was from Mount Nebo, for example, that Moses looked down upon the Promised Land, and we see the 6th century church built over what was believed to be Lot’s cave, where he lived with his daughters after his wife had been turned to salt. Gadara was home of the infamous swine.
The upheavals caused by the mighty Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, and the Roman Empire’s purple centuries in Jordan as a part of Provincia Arabica, are recorded in the New Testament. Here the East first met the revolution of Hellenism, bringing its world philosophy and technological expertise.
Jordan’s position geologically is as important as it is culturally. Indeed it is the geology of Jordan which is so unforgettable - the colours of the rock and the dramatic gorges of the wadi beds, deserts of black basalt and golden sand, and the end of the Great Rift Valley containing the salty waters of the Dead Sea - the lowest place on earth.
Our tour offers you two full days to explore and discover one of the most exciting ancient cities on earth, where the Nabateans grew wealthy from the trade routes which passed through these majestic landscapes.
Itinerary
Day OneArrive Amman and transfer to our hotel.
Day Two
The remains of a Hellenistic palace at Qasr al-Abd; then on to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, with a salt content of 33% - trying to swim here is a unique experience, and highly recommended at least once - but keep your mouth closed.
Day Three
Two Decapolis cities: Umm Qais (Gadara) on the edge of the Jordan River valley, from where there are views over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. As everywhere you turn in Jordan, this is the setting for one of the biblical stories - that of the Gadarene swine. Jerash is set in the pine valleys of the Gilead, and is one of the best-preserved Roman city in the East. The architecture is particularly fine, and a unique feature is the Oval Plaza, which has a paved surface over what was a natural sub-circular depression. Framed by a magnificent curved colonnade, its specific function is not now known.
Day Four
Early citadel and museum of Amman; south down the King's Highway to the church at Mount Nebo and the 6th century Madaba mosaic map. This schematic depiction of the Holy Land, with Jerusalem at the centre, has all sorts of lively detail indicating what life in town and country beside the River Jordan would have looked like then.
Day Five
The dramatic basalt city at Umm al-Jimal - even the doors are made of huge black slabs, and some of them still operate! There is no water in the area and all the Nabatean expertise in hydraulic management was needed to survive. One of the beauties of the site is the surviving domestic archtecture - stables, manger, and ablution areas.
Azraq has far-reaching views over the surrounding empty landscape, and is situated in an oasis area of marshland on the southern tip of the Hauran. Wildlife was once abundant, and evidence of sheep and goat and plant domestication have been found. In the middle of town is a 3rd century Roman basalt fort. The hunting lodge at Amra is unique and one of the most lovely monuments in Jordan. Behind a rather plain exterior are are baths decorated with colourful and strange murals and frescoes. Qasr Kharaneh appears as a military installation but seems to have led a purely civilian life, possibly as a trade stop-over point.
Day Six
Dramatic drive through the Wadi Mujib, with spectacular scenery.
The mightly ruins of the Kerak crusader castle, originally the site of an Iron Age Moabite town. The church of St Lot at Deir ‘Ain Abata was only discovered relatively recently, following a search in which the main clue was its position marked on the Madaba map. The church was constructed in front of a natural cave which was believed to have been where Lot lived after his flight from Sodom and Gomorrah.
Day Seven
All day in Petra. We recommend walking into the site, both for the sense of discovery and because there are so many interesting monuments in the Siq. This is a city of the Nabateans, a people who seem to have drifted north from the southern desert where they roamed, trading with their mobile wealth, surviving from a number of ingenious water storage depots all over northern Arabia. They settled in this wide crescent ravine, impregnable on three sides by the towering peaks of core islands left by the abrasive rapids of millennia, and it grew into one of the most famous cities in the world. Its tombs cover a huge area, all cut into the richly coloured rock - it is called the ‘rose red city’ for good reason. There are two
(optional) steepish climbs to the Nabatean ‘High Places’, which afford incredible views over the
surrounding terrain.
Day Eight
Another full day in Petra - take as long as you like - our hotel is very close to the entrance.
Day Nine
The Neolithic site of Beidha, where prehistoric houses can still be seen. Drive to Wadi Rum, 50 miles south of Petra, where we take 4x4s through spectacular desert scenery, made famous by "Lawrence of Arabia". There are also several very fine rock art sites to be explored here, with carvings from very early times to the fairly recent past - this was how nomadic peoples left messages for each other.
Day Ten
Return to Amman for flight home.
NB Petra is a hugh site and lots of walking is required, even before you enter through the Siq. There are some climbs on well-trodden but uneven paths, sometimes with eock-cut steps.
Included
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Flights Scheduled flights from London to Amman.
- Transfers private coach provided to coincide with group flights
- Local Travel Private a/c coach; 4x4 trucks at Wadi Rum
- Meals All meals included (drinks except water are not).
- Guide Lecturer (plus local guide) Not to be confused with "guest lecturers"! The guide lecturer will be with you from breakfast to supper, and probably even a drink in the bar afterwards. There is the occasional site where they may not be allowed to guide because of local regulations (we normally manage to circumnavigate these) but otherwise the guides are just that. They will have been chosen because of specialist knowledge and their ability to communicate and interest you. After 22 years of making tours worldwide, we are highly appreciative of the attributes of a good guide, and intensely critical of people who do not possess them. If you would like to know more about Nick Jackson
or Dr Kay Prag, please click their name. - Tour Manager We never know how best to call the very special people whom we choose to accompany you on your tour. They are usually employed in this capacity only by us, and have been trained to do things in the Andante way - unobtrusive, friendly and quietly efficient.
- Fieldnotes written for the tour
- Entry & tips Entry to all sites in programme; tips included.
Flights & Visa
Please note these flights are an indication of what the flights are likely to be. Please contact the office for exact details.
Scheduled flights with Royal Jordanian
RJ112 London Heathrow / Amman 17:05 / 23:59
RJ111 Amman / London Heathrow 11:50 / 15:25
Visa and Passport Requirements (for British passport holders only)*
Note: Passport must be valid for 6 months after your return home. Visas will be arranged for you by Andante Travels and will be administered on arrival at Amman airport.Hotels
5 nights in a comfortable business-style hotel in Amman;
4 nights in a hotel with pool close to entrance of Petra.
Comments
What Did You Enjoy Most About This Tour?
The extraordinary range and variety of the sites - Umm Qais and Jerash; seeing the Golan Heights; Umm al- Jimal and the other sites in the eastern desert. Petra was even more overwhelming and awe inspiring than I had expected. The hammam at Petra. Guest, October 2009
Jordan exceeded our high expectations - the dramatic scenery was a particular surprise and hardly a wasted minute in our schedule - the long trip to the desert fortresses was very worthwhile. An excellent Andante team on the ground. Guest, October 2008
Climbing up to the High Place of Sacrifice in Petra - great exercise, wonderful sites and sense of achievement. Guest, October 2008
The excellent management and leadership of the tour team and Kay’s enthusiasm and ready response on all occasions. Petra lived up to all expectations and more. Guest, October 2008
I enjoyed the mix of sites visited and the climax of Petra was amazing - beyond expectations. Guest, April 2008
The tour was well thought out and offered a wonderful mix of archaeology and landscape. The balance of information given between Nick and Odeh was excellent - it was good to learn about the cultural aspects of Jordon as well as the archaeological and historical ones. Guest, April 2008
Reading List
General Reading:
Lankester Harding, G.; (1967) The Antiquities of Jordan. Lutterworth Press.
This is an old favourite, somewhat out of date but nothing as good has yet replaced it. An easy and enjoyable read.
Bienkowski, P.; (1991) The Art of Jordan, Alan Sutton Publications.
This is a good introduction and is well-illustrated.
Browning, I.; (1982) Jerash. Chatto & Windus.
Well illustrated book on the site.
Browning, I.; (1973) Petra. Chatto & Windus.
A little dated but with nice reconstructions.
Burkhardt, J-L.; (1822) Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, (reprinted in 1992).
The best description of Jordan at the time of its "rediscovery". Available from Darf publishers in Hampstead, 277 West End Lane, NW6 1QS Tel: 0207 431 7009, www.darfpublishers.co.uk orders@darfpublishers.co.uk
Creswell K.A.C (1958) Early Muslim Architecture. Penguin
Donner H. (1992) The Madaba Map. Kok Pharos Publishing House.
Josephus. The Jewish War. First century A.D. graphic account of contemporary events - readable, in various translations in the Loeb or Penguin editions (or even the classic Whiston).
Kennedy, D. (2004) The Roman Army in Jordan. CBRL. Revised edition.
Kennedy, D. and Bewley, R. (2004) Ancient Jordan from the Air. CBRL. London. Recently published, beautiful photographs of archaeological sites, up-to-date text.
Kennedy, D. and Riley, D. (1990) Rome's Desert Frontier from the Air. Batsford.
H. Kennedy (1994) Crusader Castles. Cambridge University Press. A modern account.
Maalouf, A. (1984) The Crusades through Arab Eyes. al-Saki Books: London. An excellent redress to the traditional western view of the Crusades.
MacDonald, B., Adams, R., Bienkowski, P. (2001) The Archaeology of Jordan. Sheffield Academic Press: Sheffield. More up-to-date and useful, but uneven quality.
Riley-Smith, J. ed. (1995) The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades. Oxford University Press: Oxford. A pictorial and textual resource book.
Taylor, J. (2002) Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans. Harvard University Press:
Site Guides:
Unfortunately Al Kubta publishers no longer exists, and all remaining stock of their highly rated single-site guides have been sold. Sometimes copies can be found in Amman's bookshops.
Augé, C. and Dentzer, J.M. (2000) Petra. The Rose-Red City. Thames and Hudson
Guide books:
Lonely Planet Guide to Jordan, a reasonable, lightweight guide.
Blue Guide to Jordan published by A & C Black is recommended.
Travel Literature:
T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Jordan in the early twentieth century.
Maps:
Bartholomew produce a map of Israel and Jordan combined, and some maps of Israel will include western Jordan. Freyer & Berndt produce a good map of Jordan at 1:800,000. Stanfords Bookshop 12-14 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, Tel: 0207 836 1321 is the best place to help in locating maps, and they offer an excellent mail order service.
Book Now
Price and confirmed details for this tour will appear in our full brochure due out in October 2009. You can reserve a place on this tour before October on payment of a deposit. If you then change your mind, we will refund your deposit in full.
