Touring Historic Sites in Jordan

Our second day in Jordan, Hala, a friend we were put in touch with, offered to take us to one of the most historic sites in Jordan: Jerash. Showing us the most amazing display of Jordanian hospitality, Hala and her friend got us lunch and drinks (great Jordanian falafel) and drove us about 1 hour north of Amman to the site. Mostly known for being one of the best preserved Roman cities along the Mediterranean, it covers a large area and has an impressive number of standing Roman columns. The area has been populated since prehistory and was even mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, but its Roman inhabitants are what gave it its fame.

We have now visited quite a few historical sites on this trip, especially Greek and Roman, and admittedly after so many they can lose their thrill. However, Jerash was a bit different for its size and therefore interesting to visit …and our Jordanian guides made it a lot more fun! One thing we have discovered is that Jordanians have a lot of pride for their country and are really helpful in answering any question you may have about it. They really want you to see everything and try everything, and of course have a wonderful time while doing it.

After Jerash we visited the Ajloun Castle, which is just a short distance from Jerash. Actually resembling more of a fortress, it sits atop a large hill and offers a view of the entire area, including over to neighboring Palestine.

After having spend the entire day sightseeing, we had the treat of going to the City Mall and more importantly, its food court! There was so many American restaurants, so we felt it was justified to indulge ourselves and eat Sbarro and maybe even a McDonalds’ McFlurry. We've been in Spain for a long time. Overall it was a great day in Jordan and we were fortunate enough to spend it with some really nice Jordanian people.

That night we decided we would leave Amman and take a 2 day excursion south to Wadi Rum (the desert) and Petra, the most famous site in Jordan! So the next morning we were up early to catch the bus south to Aqaba (a southern city on the Red Sea), and from there we took a taxi to meet our Bedouin guide Freyes who would be taking care of us for the next 24 hours while we were in the middle of the desert.