Essential Jordan: The major Roman, Christian & Islamic sites
18–26 October 2008 (EV 160)
9 days, £1,950
Lecturers: Sue Rollin and Jane Streetly
- Outstanding monuments to several civilizations - Nabatean, Roman, Early Christian, Umayyad, Crusader.
- Petra is the most spectacular archaeological site in the Middle East - this tour has three nights there.
Jordan possesses the most spectacular archaeological site of the Middle East – Petra, ‘rose-red city, half as old as time’, that easternly fascinating, westernly Baroque, altogether extraordinary city of the desert.
Jordan is rich in remains of many civilizations. It lay within the wealthy Roman provinces of Syria and Arabia; Jerash is one of the best preserved and most beautiful of Roman cities. The remains of many Byzantine churches and some very fine floor mosaics are scattered through the hills and valleys which were the setting of many events recorded in the Old Testament. The art of Islam is represented and the castles of the Crusaders and their Arab opponents are among the most impressive examples of military architecture anywhere.
As a constant backdrop, the natural scene is of awesome beauty, with mountains, gorges and deserts.
Itinerary
DAY 1: fly at about c. 5.00 p.m. from London Heathrow to Amman, arriving at the hotel at c. 1.00/1.30 a.m.—first of three nights in Amman.
DAY 2: AJLUN, JERASH—drive through olive groves and pine woods to the hilltop Ajlun Castle, built by Arabs in response to the Crusader threat—the Roman city of Jerash with forum, the Cardo, triumphal arches, hippodrome, theatres, magnificent temples and several Early Christian churches.
DAY 3: UMAYYAD DESERT PALACES—in the desert are remarkable survivals from the early Islamic Umayyad dynasty, 7th- and 8th-century small pleasure palaces, hunting lodges and forts.
DAY 4: AMMAN, KARAK—the citadel in Amman was the religious and political centre of the ancient city—here are the remains of the Temple of Heracles, the Umayyad palace and the Archaeological Museum—drive south to the 12th-century Crusader castle of Karak, an impressive example of mediaeval military architecture—first of three nights in Petra.
DAY 5: PETRA—one of the most astonishing archaeological sites in the Middle East—see the Siq, ‘Treasury’ and innumerable tombs, altars and associated chambers carved out of the living rock the length of the gorge—optional climb to the High Place of Sacrifice where the sacrificial furnishings are still clearly visible.
DAY 6: PETRA—walk again through the Siq and necropolis gorge to see the remains of two mighty buildings, the ‘Great Temple’ and Qasr al Bint—recent excavations have revealed the church (cathedral?) with mosaic floors and a villa with trompe l’oeil wall paintings—climb to Ed-Deir (the Monastery), with staggering views of hills and valleys.
DAY 7: LITTLE PETRA, DEAD SEA—at ‘Little Petra’ see carved façades and chambers and a fragment of naturalistic Nabatean painting—spectacular descent through rugged sandstone to Wadi Araba, the Jordanian section of the Great Rift Valley, and then to the Dead Sea—stop at the Sanctuary of Lot, remains of a 7th-century church—first of two nights at Sweimeh (Dead Sea).
DAY 8: MOUNT NEBO, MADABA—dramatic drive to Mount Nebo, reputed burial site of Moses, a Byzantine church with remarkable mosaics—at Madaba, the archaeological park and the 6th-century mosaic map of the Levant in the church of St George.
DAY 9: drive to Amman airport (1 hour)—arrive Heathrow c. 4.00 p.m.
Please note that there may be slight variations to this itinerary depending on the preferences of the lecturer.
Practicalities
Price: £1,950 (deposit £200)–this includes:–scheduled air travel (economy class) with Royal Jordanian flights (Airbus A310–travel by private coach–breakfasts, 7 lunches (1 is a picnic) and 4 dinners (1 on the flight) with wine, water and coffee–all admissions–all tips–all taxes–the cost of the group visa–the services of the lecturer and a Jordanian guide–single supplement £180–price without flights £1,650.
Sue Rollin: archaeologist, interpreter and lecturer–studied at London University (Institute of Archaeology and SOAS) and at Heidelberg University–linguistic repertoire includes three ancient Near-Eastern languages and several modern European ones–with Jane Streetly has written Blue Guide: Jordan.
Jane Streetly: conference interpreter and travel writer–has travelled widely throughout Europe, Latin America and the Middle East–Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society–co-author with Sue Rollin of Blue Guide: Jordan.
Hotels: all the hotels are locally rated as 5-star –in Amman (3 nights): modern hotel in the western part of the city, adequate but undistinguished–in Petra (3 nights): hotel close to the site, modern but in part fitted out in traditional Arab style–in Sweimeh (2 nights): on the Dead Sea, an extensive hotel with buildings scattered through lush tropical gardens–included dinners are good quality buffets.
Visas: required for most foreign nationals–passports do not have to be submitted in advance and a group visa will be issued on arrival (the cost is included in the price of the tour)–passports must be valid for six months beyond the dates of the tour.
How strenuous? This tour is quite demanding–participants must be capable of walking all day over rough archaeological sites–anyone not in good shape would be unable to manage the climbs in Petra to Ed-Deir and the High Place–average distance by coach per day: 72 miles.
Small group: this tour will operate with between 12 and 22 participants.
