Jordan in Depth: Petra, Desert Fortresses, Wadi Rum and the Red Sea 2026

Day 1: Thursday 19 March, Arrive Amman

• Tour commences at 2.30pm in the foyer of The House Boutique Suites
• Welcome Meeting
• Roman Theatre of Amman
• Short coach orientation tour and walk through downtown Amman
• Light Dinner at Levant Restaurant

Meeting Point: The tour commences at 2.30pm in the foyer of The House Boutique Suites, located near 2nd Circle on Abdullah Abu Qurah Street.

Following a short welcome meeting we begin our program with a visit to the beautifully preserved 2nd-century AD Roman theatre of Amman, or Philadelphia, as it was known to its Roman and Greek-speaking inhabitants. Philadelphia was an integral unit of the ‘Decapolis’, an informal league of ten Greek-speaking cities of the eastern Roman Empire that were linked by geography, culture and language. Philadelphia’s theatre was constructed during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 AD), seating 6000 citizens and orientated north to protect theatregoers from the glare of the harsh desert sun.

We end our day with a short coach tour of the city, and a walk through downtown Amman, during which we will learn about the various periods of occupation of the city. We will finish at the famous Levant Restaurant celebrating flavours of Armenian/Lebanese cuisine with a modern twist. (Overnight Amman) D

Day 2: Friday 20 March, Amman – Ajlun – Jerash – Amman

• Ajlun Castle and Mosque
• Graeco-Roman city of Jerash

This morning we drive 68 kilometres north from Amman to explore Ajlun Castle and Mosque. Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), constructed Ajlun castle (1184-1185). He built it in response to attacks by crusaders from the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan who were based in the castles of Kerak and Belvoir. Ajlun Castle successfully dominated much of the Jordan Valley for the Ayyubid dynasty, controlling three key trade routes leading into the valley (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes) and vital communication links between Damascus and Ayyubid dominions in the south. The citadel also protected rich iron mines at Ajlun, vital for the production of famed Damascene steel swords. The original square keep with walls protected by four corner towers and a fosse was extended by the Mamluk governor Aibak ibn Abdullah in 1214-15, but the citadel lost strategic importance with the eviction of crusader knights from the castle of Kerak. Like so many fortifications in the Middle East, Ajlun was partly destroyed by a Mongol assault (1260), but was repaired and rebuilt. The fortifications then continued in use as an Ottoman stronghold until the successful Arab revolt led by T.E. Lawrence in 1918.

In the afternoon we explore another Graeco-Roman city of the Decapolis: Jerash was founded by the Seleucid Hellenistic Kings who took power in the Middle East and Central Asia after the death of Alexander the Great. It was incorporated into the expanding Roman Empire and with the other nine Greek-speaking cities of the Decapolis formed a buffer zone between Roman imperial dominions, the Nabataean Arab kingdom to the south, and the Parthians (Persians) to the east. After Trajan subjugated the Greek-speaking cities of the Middle East, and conquered the rebellious Jewish Kingdom and the wealthy mercantile Nabataean state, in the 2nd century AD, Jerash was made capital of the phenomenally wealthy Roman province of Syria.

The city’s famed prosperity developed from international trade based on exploitation of its local agricultural base and its role as centre of Imperial Roman government. The Emperor Hadrian resided in the city for a period and a great deal of construction was undertaken during his reign. Unlike Palmyra or Petra, Jerash did not preserve its pre-Roman character; the city plan is exclusively Roman, making Jerash one of the purest and most complete extant examples of Roman urban planning. Dubbed the ‘Pompeii of the East’, its most important architectural remains include a large triumphal arch dedicated to Hadrian’s visit in 129/130 AD, a large hippodrome, a colonnaded cardo (main street), an almost unique colonnaded oval forum, baths, a nymphaeum and two theatres. Two grand temples dominate the city – one dedicated to Zeus and the other to Artemis. The climatic approach to the latter will be a highlight of this visit.

In the late afternoon we return to Amman, where the evening is at leisure. (Overnight Amman) BL

Day 3: Saturday 21 March, Amman

• Qasr Amman
• The Jordan Museum
• American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR)
• Dinner at the Fakhr El-Din Restaurant

We begin our day with a visit to the Citadel of Amman, inhabited since the Neolithic period and towering above Downtown Amman. We will see Roman and Byzantine remains, such as the Temple of Hercules and the remains of a possibly associated colossal cult statue, and a Byzantine church. We will explore the Umayyad Qasr, built on high ground at the centre of the old medieval city. This fortress constitutes a square audience hall with four iwans constructed in the Sasanian (Persian) style. Within the citadel is a small museum and from the fortress’s commanding heights we look down upon the modern city of Amman and the remnants of Roman Philadelphia.

We then drive to the Jordan Museum, recently expanded and modernised, with a collection covering 1.5 million years of human activity. The museum visit is designed to illustrate and contextualise the many cultural and archaeological sites we shall visit on our exploration of this fascinating country and includes some of the priceless Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered by a Palestinian shepherd in 1947.

We enjoy lunch in Amman before heading to the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), one of the most active archaeological and historical research bodies in the Middle East. Part of our private tour includes an examination of the famous Petra Scrolls, dated ca. 537 to 594 AD. The Petra scrolls vary in size from a single sheet listing stolen goods (P. Petra 6, L. 28 cm), to the exceptionally long P. Petra 2 (L. 8.5 m), an agreement concerned with inherited property. The cache of scrolls deals with real-estate transactions, legal disputes, contracts, division of property, marriages, dowries, and inheritance. The central figures of the archive are Theodoros, son of Obodianos, who was deacon and later archdeacon in Petra’s church, his extended family and social peers. The language of the scrolls indicates that the people of Petra at this time were speaking an early form of Arabic.

This evening we dine at the Fakhr El-Din Restaurant, one of the leading Lebanese restaurants in Amman, located in a house once owned by Jordan’s first Prime Minister, Mr Fawzi Al-Mulki. (Overnight Amman) BLD

Day 4: Sunday 22 March, Amman – Iraq El-Amir – Al-Salt – Amman

• Qasr Al-Abd (Hellenistic palace complex)
• Iraq El-Amir Women Cooperative Society
• Beit Abu Jaber (Historic Old Salt Museum)
• Walking tour of Al-Salt, including Souq Hammam
• Salt Archaeological Museum

The gentle hills which roll westward from Amman down to the Jordan Valley through the historic Balqa region – of which the graceful old town of Salt is capital – are laced with lush valleys and dotted with quiet, pleasant towns such as Wadi Seer and Fuheis.

Near Wadi Seer we visit one of the few examples of Hellenistic architecture surviving in Jordan – the impressive white palace of Qasr al-Abd. This 2nd century BC two-storey structure, remarkable for the size of its blocks and decoration, was originally placed in the middle of an artificial lake. Described by the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus in the 1^st century, it most likely belonged to Hyrcanus of Jerusalem, head of the powerful Tobiad family. Nearby, we will explore the associated burial caves with Aramaic inscriptions. We also visit the women’s cooperative, which makes paper and practises other crafts in the nearby 19th century stone village of Iraq al-Amir.

For many centuries, Al-Salt was the only settlement of any size in Transjordan. A regional capital under the Ottomans, the town – whose name derives from the ancient Greek santos, (‘thick forest’) – came into its own in the late 19th century, when merchants from Nablus arrived to expand their trading base east of the river. Into what was then a peasant village of shacks boxed between precipitous hills, the merchants brought sophisticated architects and masons to work with the honey-coloured local limestone; buildings were put up in the ornate Nablusi style to serve both as grand residences and as merchandise centres. With open trade to and from Palestine, Salt’s boom continued into the 1920s; the new Emirate of Transjordan, precursor of the Kingdom, was formally proclaimed in 1921 in the town’s main square, but by then the railway from Damascus had reached nearby Amman and Emir Abdullah chose better-connected Amman to be his capital. As quickly as Salt had flourished, it went into decline: superseded by Amman, it was cut off by war in 1948 from its traditional trade outlet to the Mediterranean at Haifa, then again in 1967 from its Palestinian twin, Nablus.

As a consequence, Salt has seen none of the headlong modernisation that has so completely changed the capital: much of its Ottoman architecture has survived. We shall stroll up Dayr Street and through the crowded central streets to the graceful arched façade of the Abu Jaber House, one of the city’s most beautiful residences, built over 20 years from 1886 using local sandstone, Belgian stained glass, Italian marble and hand-painted Jerusalem tiles. Newly restored, it is now the home of the Historic Old Salt Museum, with interesting displays presenting local history and trade. It offers splendid views from the top-floor frescoed salon and has a fine café.

From Al-Ain square, we enter narrow Hammam Street (the eponymous hamam was razed in the 1930s for lack of customers). It is lined with buildings dating from Salt’s golden age, including a wonderful old mosque. The street has Jordan’s oldest – and, some say, best – souk (Souk Hammam), a small market selling food and household goods that is full of atmosphere, wreathed in the aroma of spices and flanked by gorgeous honey stone Ottoman architecture.

At the end of Souk Hammam we reach the Salt Archeological Museum, housing a fascinating collection that includes a working model of a Mamluk sugar mill and a representation of a Neolithic dolmen landscape. The Ottoman-era building is equally interesting. Known as Beit Touqan, it was once the stately residence of the Touqan family (King Hussein’s third wife, Queen Alia, was a Touqan). (Overnight Amman) BL

Day 5: Monday 23 March, Amman – Pella – Umm Qais – Amman

• Ancient Pella
• Umm Qais: Graeco-Roman city of Gadara

An early morning departure takes us through the Jordan Valley to the ruins of the ancient city of Pella (Arabic: Taqabat Fahl), another of the ten cities of the Decapolis. Although not as spectacular as Jerash, Pella is particularly important to archaeologists as it reveals evidence of 6000 years of continuous settlement. In fact, it’s regarded as the most historically significant site in all of Jordan. It centres on a large tell and is surrounded by fertile valleys that together comprise a rich watershed. The characteristic tell features on Roman-period coins where it is topped by a temple, which no longer survives.

Midday we continue to Umm Qais, located in the north-west corner of Jordan on the borders of Israel and Syria. Perched high on a plateau, it overlooks the edge of the Jordan River valley, offering a panorama of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Umm Qais is the site of ancient Gadara, a member of the Decapolis. The city is mentioned in the New Testament as the site where Jesus cast out demons and sent them into a herd of pigs, which then ran into the sea (Matthew 8:28-34). Since excavations began in 1974, archaeologists have uncovered many impressive remains, including a colonnaded street, a theatre, a mausoleum and a Byzantine church. The buildings are constructed from the local black basalt, giving the city a unique and distinctive appearance. (Overnight Amman) BL

Day 6:  Tuesday 24 March, Amman – Desert Fortresses – Amman

• Qasr Azraq
• Qasr Amra
• Qasr Kharana

Today is devoted to an exploration of lovely Umayyad fortified palaces constructed within the desert environs of Amman. These Umayyad palaces were probably inspired by Roman and Byzantine fortresses and villas but functioned in a roughly similar way to medieval European castles, as they combined agricultural activity with the imperial domination of local Bedouin tribes. They not only functioned as agricultural and political centres but also as hunting lodges and as elegant resting places for Umayyad dignitaries travelling their domains.

We depart Amman early this morning and head into the desert to visit Qasr Azraq, which is constructed from the region’s black basalt. It dominates a local oasis and was watered by four strategically located, abundant springs.  The fortress was probably founded during the 2nd century BC by the Romans, and was ultimately used by T.E. Lawrence as his military base during the winter of 1917-18.

After lunch we continue to Qasr Amra, a small and enigmatic foundation consisting primarily of an audience hall and a series of hamams, or bathing rooms. Qasr Amra’s audience hall is decorated with startling frescoes of hunting parties, beautiful women and contemporary rulers paying homage to the Umayyads; astronomical and astrological designs decorate a dome in a hamam.

Our final visit is to Qasr Kharana, built in the style of a small square Byzantine border fortress. Its primary purpose was probably military, but it could also have been a political and agricultural centre, a hunting lodge and a place of respite. (Overnight Amman) BL

Day 7: Wednesday 25 March, Amman – Mount Nebo – Madaba – Petra

• The Monastery of Sygha, Mount Nebo
• Queen Noor Foundation sponsored Mosaic Workshop
• Madaba Archaeological Park
• Mosaic Map, Greek Orthodox Church of St George

This morning we depart Amman to visit Mount Nebo and explore Madaba, a centre of early Christianity that now shelters a large Palestinian population. Madaba was home to a very substantial Christian community and today is the seat of an Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan. Behind Madaba rises Mount Nebo, with commanding views over the Dead Sea with Palestine and Israel beyond. Mount Nebo is also known as Jabal Musa (‘Moses’ Mountain’), because, according to legend, God granted Moses his dying wish to see the Promised Land by transporting him to its summit. To commemorate this legend, a 4th-century chapel was erected at Sygha on Mount Nebo’s highest crest, which was further extended during the 6th century AD. A later Byzantine monastery was constructed around the chapel and decorated with a series of detailed mosaic floors, including a vine of life and a cornucopia of animal life.

During 20th century building work in Madaba, a number of Roman and Byzantine churches were unearthed, all of which were brightly decorated with fabulous mosaics. These churches often incorporated the architecture of earlier Roman palatial structures and one of these, the so-called Hippolytus Hall, the vestibule of the Church of the Virgin, was built above the hall of a 6th-century AD Madaba mansion. A mosaic with a border of acanthus scrolls depicting hunting and pastoral scenes is framed by images of the four seasons at its corners. All of the early churches have been successfully preserved in the Madaba archaeological park.

Without doubt, the most famous mosaic in Madaba covers the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George. This is an extraordinary 6th-century AD mosaic map of Palestine, vividly depicting the holy city of Jerusalem at its centre. Comprising two million individual pieces of brightly-coloured local stone, the mosaic also depicts hills and valleys, and villages and towns, as far away as the Nile Delta.

We also visit the Queen Noor Foundation sponsored Mosaic Workshop located just outside of Mount Nebo. Here we can see the training of artisans and making of mosaics in action.

From Madaba we drive south along ancient trade routes to the ‘rose-red’ city of Petra, the administrative, political, religious and cultural centre of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were Semitic Arabic-speaking nomads who settled in towns during the 3rd – 1st centuries BC and quickly developed a powerful mercantile kingdom controlling the phenomenally lucrative trade in frankincense and myrrh. This was vital for religious practice in temples from the western Mediterranean to the highlands of modern Afghanistan. The Nabataeans combined commercial acumen with a remarkable understanding of hydraulic technology, enabling them to develop agriculture in a hostile landscape and make the desert bloom. At its height, the Nabataean kingdom stretched as far north as Damascus and as far south as Hegra in northwest Arabia. However, Roman expansion gradually eroded Nabataean borders until Petra itself was annexed to the Roman province of Arabia in AD 106. (Overnight Petra) BLD

Day 8: Thursday 26 March, Petra

• Ancient Petra

Petra is one of the most unique and spectacular ancient cities in the world. The centre of the city is situated in a mountain basin of the Wadi Arabah and surrounded by soaring sandstone cliffs, which are characterised by rock-cut tombs with beautifully decorated monumental façades. We enter Petra through the narrow winding canyon known as the ‘Siq’, having passed through the Bab as-Siq necropolis where some of Petra’s earliest tombs are carved. Along the Siq we will get our first glimpses into the religious life of the Nabataeans through the inscriptions and motifs they carved on the rock walls, as well as their famed water management skills in the channels and basins that line the way. As we exit the canyon we are faced with Al-Khasneh (‘the Treasury’), the most famous tomb of Petra that likely belonged to King Aretas IV. Dr Wadeson will provide a detailed explanation of its elusive carved imagery and the messages it communicates.

We continue towards the city centre, past the Theatre, and towards the so-called ‘Royal Tombs’ at the base of the Khubthah mountain. It is here we have the unique and rare opportunity to visit the tombs excavated by Dr Wadeson and hear about the elusive funerary practices of the Nabataeans, whose boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead were surprisingly fluid. Making our way around the base of this mountain, various mysterious carvings high in the rock will be indicated and their meaning explored, and the supposed site of the Nabataean palaces will be visited.

Making our way down towards the city centre, we will return to the world of the living and visit the remains of structures that gave Petra the appearance of a typical Graeco-Roman city, such as the Colonnaded Street, the temples, marketplace, nymphaeum and temenos gate. However, we will learn to discern the characteristic and unique style of Nabataean sculpture and architecture.

After lunch, we will visit the nearby al-Habis mountain, where we will see the enigmatic ‘columbarium’, an unfinished façade, and a little-known and inaccessible chamber where burials are still visible. We will continue up Wadi Siyyagh to the natural spring and one of the few painted chambers in Petra. Finally, we will exit Petra via the Turkmaniyah valley where we can see the only tomb in the city with a formal Nabataean inscription on its façade. At the modern Bedouin village of Umm Sayhoon we will take transport back to the hotel in Wadi Musa. (Overnight Petra) BLD

Day 9: Friday 27 March: Petra

• Ancient Petra

We begin our day at the Petra Museum, examining the many artefacts that have been excavated and found in the city and which form part of the rich and distinctive Nabataean material culture. We then continue our in-depth tour of Petra again entering the city via the Siq, this time focusing on the many inscriptions and learning about the spoken and written word of the Nabataeans. Before reaching the Theatre, we will take the path up to the ‘High Place of Sacrifice’ which commands breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys – a typical trait of Nabataean religious sites. Here we will find out about how the Nabataeans worshipped their deities. We will make our way down the other side of Jabal Madbah into the beautiful and secluded Wadi Farasa. Here we can explore the elegant ‘Garden tomb’ and the elaborate funerary complex of the Soldier Tomb, where much more than burial took place.

On our return to the city centre, we will stop off at the Nabataean villa of Az-Zantur, excavated some years ago by a Swiss team and showing remarkable traits with fresco painting in Pompeii. The rest of the afternoon will be spent viewing the beautiful early Christian mosaics in the Petra Church – the source of the Petra Scrolls – and exploring Petra’s other Christian buildings in the vicinity. On our way out of Petra, there will be the chance to look inside the Wadi al-Mudhlim tunnel, constructed by the Nabataeans to divert floodwater away from the Siq. (Overnight Petra) BLD

Day 10: Saturday 28 March, Petra

• Optional climb to the rock-cut façade, Ad Deir (the Monastery)
• Little Petra (Siq al Barid)
• Neolithic site of Beidah
• Optional evening excursion: ‘Petra by night’

This morning there will be an optional walk up the to ad-Deir (the ‘Monastery’), a monumental Nabataean dining hall with an elaborate rock-cut façade. This is where the Nabataeans met for ritual feasting in honour of the gods or an important individual. The ad-Deir is one of Petra’s most spectacular sites and commands a tremendous view across to the Wadi Arabah desert in the west. The climb involves over 900 steps and takes about 45 minutes each way.

In the afternoon we drive a short distance from the main archaeological site to ‘Little Petra’. Also known as Siq al-Barid (the ‘cold canyon’), it is located north of Petra in the arid desert 1040 metres above sea level. Much smaller than Petra, it consists of three open areas connected by a narrow 450m long canyon. It was developed during the height of Nabataean power (1st c. AD) as a suburb of Petra and possibly also to accommodate wealthy visiting merchants, given the number of dining rooms and chambers for shelter carved there. We will see the famous ‘Painted Biclinium’ that features imagery related to the god of wine and fertility. After Petra’s decline, Little Petra became a Bedouin camp for centuries. It remained known only to local Bedouin until the 1950s, when British archaeologist Diana Kirkbridge surveyed it.

Nearby we also visit the extremely important Neolithic site of Beidah. Archaeologists detected three periods of occupation here: the Natufian period in the 11th millennium BC, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B village with masonry construction in the 7th millennium BC and a Nabataean period dating to the 1st or 2nd century BC.

In the evening there will be an optional walk, following an atmospheric candle-lit path, through the Siq to the Khasneh, which may be viewed by the light of 1800 candles. (Overnight Petra) BLD

Day 11: Sunday 29 March, Petra – Shobak Castle – Wadi Rum – Aqaba

• Shobak Castle
• Wadi Rum: Disi Women’s Cooperative (Lunch, Thamudic Scripts class)
• Jeep tour of Wadi Rum Protected Area

This morning we visit Shobak Castle, an early 12th-century crusader castle isolated in barren surroundings. It is perched on the side of a rocky, conical mountain at 1300m above sea level, looking down over plantations of fruit trees. Although it is not so well-preserved as Kerak Castle, its isolation creates a special atmosphere. Built in 1115, Shobak was originally called Krak de Montreal or Mons Regalis. It was the first of many fortifications constructed by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem to guard the road from Egypt to Damascus. It successfully resisted a number of sieges before it fell to Saladin’s troops in 1189.

Much of what remains of Shobak Castle consists of Mamluk additions, but there are also numerous original Crusader elements. At the northeast corner of the enceinte there is a keep inscribed with Quaranic verses in Kufic script, possibly dating to the time of Saladin. There are two churches within Shobak Castle’s walls. The first, near the entrance, consists of an apse, two smaller niches, and a baptistery. The second church, near the southeast corner of the enceinte (next to a Mamluk watchtower with more Kufic script), has a crusader cross carved in its east wall. Beneath this church are catacombs that contain Islamic tablets, Christian carvings, large round rocks used by catapults, and what is claimed to be Saladin’s throne.

From Shobak we drive to the extraordinary landscapes of Wadi Rum, a desert valley frequented by Lawrence of Arabia and later made famous through the glorious cinematography of David Lean’s 1962 film. Here we will lunch at the Disi Women’s Cooperative and have a short class to learn about the historic Thamudic scripts that can be seen on rock-art panels throughout Wadi Rum. Later we transfer to the Wadi Rum Protected Area where we view its beautiful rose sandstone mountains (jebels), dunes, scarce water sources with nearby rock-art and inscriptions. We will also see the remains of the Nabataean Temple dedicated to the goddess Allat, sister goddess of aI-‘Uzza (venerated in Petra), and equated with the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman Minerva. Wadi Rum became a Nabataean outpost on the trading route between Saudi Arabia and Petra in the last century BC. Remains of several Nabataean constructions may be viewed besides the temple, including a residential complex.

In the late afternoon we continue in T. E. Lawrence’s footsteps and drive to the port city of Aqaba on the Red Sea. (Overnight Aqaba) BLD

Day 12: Monday 30 March, Aqaba – Pharaoh’s Island – Aqaba

• Aqaba Fort
• Cruise of the Red Sea: Snorkelling amongst the Coral Reefs & Saladin’s Citadel on Pharaoh’s Island
• Optional walk to Aqaba’s market

We depart early this morning for a short visit to the Aqaba Fort which is a Mamluk and Ottoman fortified caravanserai built between 1510 and 1517 to host pilgrims on their way to Mecca and Medina.

We continue to Berenice Beach where we commence a six-hour cruise of the Red Sea during which we visit the Aqaba Marine Park and the Crusader castle of Saladin located on Pharaoh’s Island, Egypt. Aqaba’s greatest asset is the Red Sea with fringing reef stretching for over 25km right down to the Saudi Arabian border. The Red Sea Marine Peace Park is known to be one of the most beautiful diving areas of the world due to the amazing combination of sea life, corals, water transparency and nice weather it offers year round. There are approximately 127 coral species found in the Gulf of Aqaba. During our relaxing cruise we visit the Aqaba Marine Park where we will have time to snorkel or swim amongst the coral. Interestingly, there are a number of Australian scientists undertaking research in this area to understand why, in contrast to the Great Barrier Reef, the coral species of the Gulf of Aqaba are particularly resilient to high temperatures.

During our cruise we also visit Saladin’s citadel on Pharaoh’s Island which is located in the northern Gulf of Aqaba approximately 200 metres east off the shore of Egypt’s eastern Sinai Peninsula. Although the site contains remnants of Byzantine-era buildings, Crusaders are believed to have built the original fort in the early 12th century during the reign of Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem, to aid in defending one of the major routes between Cairo and Damascus. The Arab general and Islamic dynasty founder, Saladin, conquered the island and surrounding area in 1170-1171. Saladin ordered the Crusader fort to be consolidated and redeveloped; he left a garrison of men there. For about 150 years, it served an important strategic and symbolic role, until the nearby Crusades ended and the Mamluk governor of Aqaba moved his residence to the city on the shore. From the top of the citadel it is possible to see the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list in 2003.

Following our cruise there will be an optional visit to Aqaba’s atmospheric market which sells different types of fruits, vegetables, oriental delicacies and fragrant spices, as well as handicrafts, jewellery, natural products and antiques. (Overnight Aqaba) BL

Day 13: Tuesday 31 March, Aqaba – Kerak – Dead Sea

• Crusader Castle of Kerak

This morning we journey to the famous 12th-century crusader castle at Kerak. Initially constructed by Pagan the Butler during the 1140s to protect the eastern flanks of the Christian Kingdom of Outremer, Crac des Moabites (‘Karak in Moab’) is one of the largest of all the crusader castles in the Middle East. It rivals Crac des Chevaliers in Syria for the strength, size and the completeness of its surviving architecture. The castle, which dominates the surrounding landscape, was expanded through the 12th and 13th centuries by the ‘Lords of Oultrejordain’ (Lords of Transjordan). Besieged by Saladin after the Battle of Hattin in 1187, the castle held out for two long years before falling in 1189. Further expanded by Mamluk Sultans in the 13th century, it was only during the 19th century that Kerak finally lost its position as the dominant fortification in the region. As with Ajlun, Kerak was used by Ottoman forces until their expulsion in 1918.

In the afternoon we travel north to the Dead Sea where we check in to our luxury 5-star hotel. Situated on the edge of this famous salt lake, the hotel provides uninterrupted views across the sea towards the West Bank. (Overnight Dead Sea) BLD

Day 14: Wednesday 1 April, Dead Sea – Bani Hamida – Mukawir – Umm ar-Rasas – Dead Sea

• Bani Hamida Showroom
• Mukawir (Machaerus)
• Archaeological site of Umm ar-Rasas

We depart the Dead Sea for a visit to the Bani Hamida Show Room. The Jordan River Foundation was founded by Queen Nour Al-Hussein, wife of the late King Hussein. Queen Rania then took over this non-profit organisation that aims to empower women and children and to improve the quality of life of all Jordanians. The Bani Hamida Women’s Weaving Project is one of the projects hosted by the Foundation. Based in Mukawir, the project works to promote Bedouin handicrafts and to improve economic and social wellbeing of Bedouin women and children. Bani Hamida handicrafts are displayed in its showroom. The Wadi Al Rayan Project is also hosted by the Jordan River Foundation. A group of 165 women involved in the project make baskets, mats, and furniture from local banana leaves and cattail reeds.

Mid-morning we continue to the site of Mukawir (Machaerus). Machaerus is a fortified hilltop palace located southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. The Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer Flavius Josephus believed it to be where John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed. The fortress was originally built by a Hasmonean king, Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BC) in around 90 BC. Its high, rocky location was difficult to access and invaders from the east could easily be spotted from its heights. It was also in line of sight of other Hasmonean (and later Herodian) citadels, so other fortresses could be signaled if danger appeared on the horizon. It was, however, destroyed by Pompey’s general Gabinius in 57 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt it in 30 BC as a military base to safeguard his territories east of the Jordan River. It was under his son, Herod Antipas (c. 4 BC-39 AD) that John the Baptist was purportedly imprisoned and beheaded here. It eventually came under Roman control, but Jewish rebels took it during the First Jewish Revolt (66 AD). The Roman legate Lucilius Bassus besieged and retook it in 72 AD. The fortress was torn down, leaving only its foundations intact.

Before returning to the Dead Sea we drive east once more to the gloriously atmospheric and little visited archaeological site of Umm ar-Rasas. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, it began life as a Roman military camp and developed as a major provincial town in the 5th century AD. Most of the site has not yet been excavated. Umm ar-Rasas contains remains from the Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad and Abbasid periods (3rd to 9th centuries AD). The old town has sixteen churches, most with well-preserved mosaic floors. Particularly noteworthy is the mosaic floor of the Church of Saint Stephen depicting a pictorial map of Roman and Byzantine towns in the region. Two square towers at Umm ar-Rasas are almost certainly the only remnants of stylite pillars of ascetic monks who spent time in isolation atop a column or tower. Simeon Stylites of Antioch is probably the most famous practitioner of this once widespread Christian tradition in the Middle East. Lunch will be arranged at the Umm Rasas Women Cooperative Society.

This evening is free for you to dine at leisure. Your hotel offers a number of different dining options. (Overnight Dead Sea) BL

Day 15: Thursday 2 April, Dead Sea – Ghwar As-Safi – Dead Sea

• Dead Sea: Morning at leisure
• Lot’s Cave & Museum, Ghwar as-Safi
• Tawahin as-Sukkar (Sugar Mill), Ghwar as-Safi
• Farewell Dinner

This morning is at leisure for you to enjoy the soothing saline waters of the Dead Sea. This is the lowest place on earth at 434m below sea level. The waters of this cobalt-blue lake, shared by Israel and the Palestinian Territories on the western side and Jordan on the east, have a salt concentration of 34%, 10 times more than ocean water.

Midday we depart for lunch at the Mujib Chalets. Located on the shores of the Madash peninsula within the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, they provide some of the best Dead Sea views along the coast. Fifty kilometres further south we reach Ghwar as-Safi where we visit Lot’s Cave and Museum. The cave purportedly sheltered Lot and his daughters after they fled from the ill-fated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A Byzantine monastery was built there, and recently a magnificent new museum. In addition to exploring the unique environmental and geological conditions that make the Dead Sea the lowest elevation on earth, the museum showcases the rich archaeological and cultural heritage of the diverse populations that have inhabited the shores of the Dead Sea over millennia. The collection includes 4500-year-old pottery excavated from the sites of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira, thought by some to be the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We also visit the ancient Tawahin as-Sukkar or sugar mill. Sugar production dominated the area’s economy from the 11th to the 15th century, an industry that demanded tremendous technology and tools. The historic stone mill gives great insight into the technology of the time, revealing an elaborate system of extracting, purifying, and storing sugar from sugar canes. As recently as 2016, archaeologists discovered the complex gear system used to channel water from the Wadi Hasa across the surrounding sugar fields and the mill. The site shows that Ghawr as-Safi was the centre of the sugar industry, and that sugar was then sold across the entire Mediterranean region.

This evening we enjoy a farewell meal at the hotel. (Overnight Dead Sea) BLD

Day 16: Friday 3 April, Dead Sea; Tour Ends

• Tour concludes in the morning
• At leisure/Check out

Our tour ends after breakfast. In the morning you will be required to check out of the hotel. Please contact ASA if you require assistance with a transfer to Amman Airport. B