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Place of High Sacrafice Petra
1 Review Very much worth the hike. We climbed up the "winding staircase" on a rainy/cloudy day and had this site at the top of the valley to our selves for nearly an hour. Amazing view! Check out the locals...
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monastery Petra
1 Review I mean it, it is 1,000 steps - not a bad idea to mount a mule for this climb as it is long and tiring. You get the feeling along the way that you are on a pilgrimmage of some sort as the people going...
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Since the new highway was built to go from north to south, not many people use the King's Highway. We were advised to take it as it passes through some amazing landscapes and depicts a good picture of the variety of landscape the country has to offer.
Khirbet al Mukhayat is roughly between Madaba and Mount Nebo on a side road; it was originally the village near to the large Byzantine monastery of which the present Mount Nebo church is part of the basilicaThere are several churches, mostly pretty ruined. There is a beautiful mosaic in the "Martyrs' Church" of Saints Lot and Procupius but there are also 2 specatcular mosaics in Preacher John's church which are less well knownOne of the mosaics was placed above the other one which was completely covered and unknown until the newer one was removed for restoring. The figures on the older mosaic have thus escaped the iconoclasts. These mosaics are very attractive.To get there you would need to take a taxi or hitch from the main road. The road to Khirbet al Mukhayat turns to the left a couple of kilometers from Madaba when going towards Mount Nebo. It's not very far.Posted by Lulu
More land has been opened to archaeologists at Um Ar Rasas and 1' churches have been discovered from the great mosaic period - all of them with magnificent floors. You can't see very much at the moment, these churches are just heaps of stones, but Father Piccirillo of the Franciscan Instititute at Madaba has succeeded in obtaining funds from the Vatican to restore all of them. It is hoped that these churches, which were all destroyed in a major earthquake, escaped the attentions of the "iconoclasts" and that the mosaics will not have been attacked before the destruction of the earthquake.
Pella, in the north of the Jordan Valley, is a particularly rich archaeological site. From the first settlement - Chalcolithic (4000BC) - man has left his mark here through the Bronze and Iron Ages followed by Greeks, Romans and Byzantines and on into the more recent early Islamic period. While there are no great ruins, there is evidence everywhere of these settlements, but even if you only come for the view and a brief stop at the resthouse, Pella will reward you with its serene beauty and quiet tranquility.leyle
Another detour off the King's Highway will bring you to the isolated Byzantine religious complex at Umm-ar-Resas - the most important section of which is housed nowadays in an ugly yellow hangar. Inside, however, are splendid mosaics in amazingly good condition. In the largest of these, scenes of rural and river life are framed by images of the cities of the the West and East banks of the River Jordan, many of whose names are still in use today - Jerusalem, Nablus, Gaza, Madaba, while others, such as modern Kerak and Amman are identifiable by their Roman-era names, Charach Mouba and Philadelphia. Posted by leyle
Continue down the road from the Bani Hamida shop and, rising up in front of you, you will see the strange flat-topped mound of Mukawir, site of Herod the Great's palace of Machaerus, where Salome danced and claimed the head of John the Baptist as her price. Virtually nothing remains to be seen of the palace and the climb to the top is a stiff one, but the views of the Dead Sea and the surrounding countryside are spectacular and the still quiet of the place has a magic all of its own.The road to Mukawir is signposted off the King's Highway about 20km south of Madaba.posted by leyle
Whilst you can buy the work of the Bani Hamida Bedouin weavers in Amman, a visit to their headquarters near Mukawir is another experience entirely. Here you will not only find a huge selection of this wonderful work (the warp-faced flatweave style is uniquely Bedouin), you will also see the great piles of dyed but unwoven wool waiting to be collected - the weavers work in their own homes - and observe a very successful cottage enterprise at work. This is more than just another shopping trip. Prices reflect the value of the work, which is of the highest quality (eg$75 for a piece 70x55cms)Posted by leyle
Aaran was the brother of Moses, you can see his tomb (just!), in the distance from the High Place of Sacrafice on top of Jebel Hor, Petra. Which is a 6 hour trek away!If you look very closely (enlarge the photo) at the middle peak you can see a while nipple shaped dome, that is the Tomb of Aaran! (~_~)
The High Place of Sacrafice is a good walk from Petra's main area, there is a path by the side of the Ampitheatre. Well worth the trek, the views are incredible. We only saw one other person on our way there & back and he was a drinks seller! We had quite an amusing experience whilst walking up to the high Place of Sacrifice at Petra.We came across a man sitting behind a rock selling Pepsi, seemingly in the middle of no where. He had a fridge, which I can see would keep already cold drinks, cold longer. But he had taped the electric lead in to a rock, to try to give the impression that the fridge was plugged in!It stuck Alex & myself as so funny (I think it must have partly been the heat!), Even the drinks seller couldnt help laughing. (~_~) To top it off, the drinks were warm!
Get away from the crowds in Petra & walk up to the high sacrifice, Also take the time to walk to the monastry rather than staying in the centre where it can be very busy. You can climb up the side of the monastry, on to the very top of it, but looking down isnt for those with vertigo! Give a donation to the donkey sanctuary as you walk in to Petra. (or out!) Visit a locals cafe, have a game of backgammon. I am sure Jarash has its busy times, but there was hardly anyone else there when we visited, the same for Karak CastleThe photo is of Jerash ruins in the north of the country
Petra Movenpick Petra
10 Reviews and 581 Opinions Called one of the most notable hotels in the Middle East. Lovely hotel, lobby and lounge areas, and...
Four Seasons Hotel Amman Amman
4 Reviews and 172 Opinions We stayed overnight at the Four Seasons, on our return trip home to Australia. We were warmly...
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Wadi Rum Zeltcamps Wadi Rum
2 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Jordan attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Jordan sightseeing.
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Q: I am considering booking a Thomas Cook trip to Aqaba jan 7th. The main purpose of the trip is sunbathing, but we also would like...
A: Personally, I would miss out the Dead Sea and do both Wadi Rum and Petra. However, if you are set on the Dead Sea, then Petra is the other choice. I cannot see that...
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