I Love Jordan – What Wonderful Places!

(a sunset from our apartment in Amman, Jordan)

In the last post, I mentioned the wonderful people of Jordan.

This time, I want to call attention to a few of the wonderful places in Jordan.

I love Jordan – what wonderful places!

Here are some that we have been blessed to visit:

Amman (the capital and most populous city of Jordan – one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world)

The Temple of Hercules, The Hand of Hercules at the Citadel (the Citadel is a group of ruins – Roman, Christian, and Muslim – on top of the highest of 7 hills, or jabals, in Amman)

The King Abdullah Mosque in Amman (capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome)

Gadara (near Umm Qais in the extreme north-west of the country, where the borders of Jordan, Israel and Syria meet, perched on a hilltop overlooking the sea of Tiberias/Galilee and the Golan heights)

Petra (the prehistoric “Rose City” – located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains – famous for being carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces; “lost” to the Western world for hundreds of years)

Petra – The Treasury, Al-Khazneh (one thing that is fairly certain is that it was not a treasury; it is generally believed to be a temple or a royal tomb)

Petra – The Monastery, Al-Deir (like the “Treasury,” the name “Monastery” is a rather inaccurate nickname, which is probably based on its remote location and some inscribed crosses in the interior. Although it may have been later used as a church, it was probably a temple)

The Madaba Mosaic Map (an index map of the region dating from the 6th century, preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George; with two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta)