Description
Day 1: Arrival Queen Alia International Airport — Amman Hotel
Arrival at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, our airport representative will wait for you before the immigration desk holding a sign with your name and will assist you with the visa procedures (please don’t miss him or proceed without him). Our airport representative will walk you through customs and to the luggage hall, then you will be transferred to your hotel in Amman for overnight.
Day 2: Amman Hotel — Jerash — Amman Hotel
After breakfast, Tour the downtown part of capital city Amman for 2 hours. Amman is mentioned in the Old Testament as Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites around 1200 BC, it was also referred to as “the City of Waters”. This is the place where David sent Uriah the Hittite to the front lines of battle. The massive fortifications, where David, an ancestor of Jesus, brought about Uriah’s death so that he could marry his widow Bathsheba, are still standing. You will start of by visiting the Citadel, towering above downtown Amman, the site gives beautiful views over the city. It includes many structures such as the Temple of Hercules, the Omayyad Palace and the Byzantine church. Continue to visit the Roman Theatre in downtown Amman. Later, drive to Jerash (Gerasa), to tour the world’s best preserved Roman provincial city. In Jerash you can at least find 15 churches. Ending the day with an overnight at hotel in Amman. (B)
Day 3: Amman Hotel —Ajlun (Mar Elias & Ajlun Castle) – Anjara — Amman Hotel
After breakfast, drive to Ajlun Nature Reserve to hike the Prophet’s Trail. This is a guided 4-hour, moderate hike of 8.5 km. The hike takes you from Ajlun Forest Reserve Visitor Center to Mar Elias, the ruins of one of Jordan’s oldest churches. It is named for the Prophet Elias, or Elijah, to whom Mar Elias is dedicated. The trail leads through fig and pear orchards, amongst forests of oak and oriental strawberry trees. The stonewalls that crisscross the valley guard the farmers’ crops inside from both the winter rains and wild boar. Relax in the shade with a glass of tea before climbing to the hilltop ruins, which provide sweeping views of the surrounding area. The hike also includes a locally prepared picnic lunch near the ruins. After your hike you will visit Ajlun Castle and then continue driving to Anjara. Jesus Christ, his disciples, and the Virgin Mary, passed through Anjara once and rested in a cave there during a journey between the Sea of Galilee, the Decapolis cities, Bethany Beyond the Jordan and Jerusalem. The cave in Anjara has long been a holy place for pilgrims and has now been commemorated with a modern shrine, the Church of Our Lady of the Mountain. The cave was also designated by the Catholic Churches of the Middle East as one of the five pilgrimage sites for the year 2000. ending the day with a transfer back to Amman for overnight. (B, L)
Day 4: Amman Hotel —Bethany—Mt. Nebo—Madaba Hotel
After breakfast, drive to Bethany Beyond the Jordan. The site of John the Baptist’s settlement at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, has long been known from the Bible (John 1:28 and 10:40) and from the Byzantine and medieval texts. The area is also associated with the biblical account of how the Prophet Elijah (Mar Elias in Arabic) ascended to heaven in a whirlwind on a chariot of fire. Drive on to Mt. Nebo, from where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Continue to Madaba for a short city tour. Visit the St. George Church, with its famous mosaic map, the Apostle’s Church, Archaeological Park and Madaba Museum. Overnight at a hotel in Madaba. (B)
Day 5: Madaba Hotel — Mukawir — Um Ar-Rasas — Karak – Petra Hotel
After breakfast check out of your hotel in Madaba and drive to Mukawir. The 1st century AD Roman-Jewish historian, Josephus, identifies the awe-inspiring site of Mukawir (Machaerus) as the palace/fort of Herod, who was the Roman-appointed ruler over the region during the life of Jesus Christ. It was here, at this hilltop fortified palace, overlooking the Dead Sea region and the distance hills of Palestine and Israel that Herod Antipas, the son of Herod, imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist after Salome’s fateful dance.
Continue to Um Ar-Rasas, a rectangular walled city, about 30km southeast of Madaba, that is mentioned on both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. It was fortified by the Romans and local Christians were still embellishing it with Byzantine-style mosaics well over 100 years after the start of the Muslim Umayyad rule. Just outside the city walls is the recently unearthed Church of Saint Stephen with its perfectly preserved outstanding mosaic floor, the largest of its kind to be discovered in Jordan and second only to the world-famous mosaic map at Madaba. Then drive along the King’s Highway, which Abraham used to pass through northern, central and southern Jordan. He would certainly have used this route on his journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan. Stop at Karak for a visit to the immense Crusaders Castle. The Tomb on Noah can be found in Karak as well. continue driving to Little Petra if the time permits for a visit, then continue to your hotel in Petra for overnight. (B)
Day 6: Petra Hotel – Petra Visit – Petra Hotel
After breakfast, enjoy a Full day of exploring Petra, one of the seven world wonders. Petra seems to be mentioned in the Bible’s Old Testament under several possible names, including Sela and Joktheel (2 Kings 14:7). Petra was almost certainly the last staging post of the three kings, who took frankincense, gold and myrrh to honor the baby Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12).
After visiting the Siq, Treasury, Street of Façades, the Amphitheatre, you still have time to visit the High Place of Sacrifice and/or the Monastery. Overnight at a hotel in Petra. (B)
Day 7: Petra Hotel – 3-hour Jeep tour in Wadi Rum – Aqaba Hotel
After breakfast, Drive to Explore Wadi Rum on a 3 -hour jeep ride into the Jordanian desert! Wadi Rum was best described by T.E. Lawrence as “Vast, echoing and god-like”, and by the locals as “Valley of the Moon.” Then, continue to Aqaba to visit perhaps one of the oldest churches on earth. There are remains of a mud brick building at Aqaba that may be the world’s oldest known purpose-built church. This early church dates from the late 3rd or early 4th century AD (exactly between 293 and 303). Overnight at a hotel in Aqaba. (B)
Day 8: Aqaba Hotel – Queen Alia International Airport
After breakfast, Transfer to Queen Alia International Airport 6 prior to your departure (it takes 4 hours to reach Amman).
