What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you read about Jordan? For me, it was history. The country holds a lot of historical significance in terms of its architecture. Kingdoms as old as third century BCE, or even earlier, ruled over the land and left behind several sites that we now get to explore. One, in particular, is Petra, a city completely carved in a mountain. Its finest structure, the Treasury, has earned a spot in the New Seven Wonders of the World.
But that’s not all in Jordan; in addition to the wonderful Petra, this blog will take you through the streets of Amman, the country’s capital and most populated place, Aqaba, a seaside town, Wadi Rum, the film-friendly exotic desert filled with mountains and blissful views.
Amman: Jordan’s capital city of Amman is a melange of the old and the new situated between the endless dunes and the Jordan valley. In one part, there are modern buildings, hotels, restaurants and art galleries, and the other houses traditional souqs (markets), eateries, old neighbourhoods and artisan workshops.
In the commercial part of the city, you’ll find your fancy eateries and shops, and elsewhere, a bustling marketplace housing the best of traditional clothes and goods for you to take home. And in the middle of it all, a restored Roman Theatre, dating back to the second century AD. Built into three sides of the hillside, the amphitheatre seats around 6,000 people and is still used for performances.
Petra: The ancient city of Petra is Jordan’s best-known tourist attraction. It is a city that was once inhabited by Nabataeans, an Arab tribe that settled in southern Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. Now, what’s left behind are just attractions. To completely explore Petra, visitors can go on trails. There are different trails to different routes, each requiring a different amount of time to complete. The most popular trail is the one that leads to the Treasury, a significant piece of architecture carved in the mountains.
This particular trail takes just about an hour to complete and is filled with beautiful sights as you cross ‘The Siq’, which roughly translates to ‘the entrance’. It is filled with narrow lanes amidst the beautiful rocks that sometimes appear more pink-ish than sandy. Petra doesn’t end at The Treasury, there are several other landmarks to explore and trails that can take up to 4-5 hours. Inside, you will also find beautiful photo opportunities, local merchants dealing in traditional wear and some refreshments, as well as horse and camel rides.
Aqaba: Aqaba is a beachside town on the souther tip of Jordan. It is a small vibrant place filled with resorts and various water sports activities. Here, you’ll also find the local Jordanian flair when it comes to food, souqs, and people. There’s a market at the centre of the town housing all touristy sovereigns you want to take back home. Aqaba’s most popular destination, though, is a small fortress at the shores of the city. And next to it, is a plaza for your seaside coffee endeavours. The same plaza holds huge significance due to the Great Arab Revolt.
Wadi Rum: If there’s a place that blew my mind, it is Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon. You’ve probably seen the landscapes of Wadi Rum in several Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars, Dune, Lawrence of Arabia and several others. Bollywood’s latest film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring superstar Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, produced by Pooja Entertainment, also featured one of its songs in the desert landscape.
Keeping films aside, Wadi Rum looks like an endless space of sands and mountains, and above us, beautiful textures of clouds. In winter, it can get as cold as it gets hot during the summers in the desert. Multiple tours into the desert of Wadi Rum take place on 4x4s, camels and horses. There, visitors can explore various activities such as hikes, rock climbing, stargazing, and a lot more.
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