JORDAN
World Heritage-listed history and culture may be the main attractions but beyond the ancient sites Jordan offers a whole lot more, says Jane Archer
he Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is bursting with history that dates back centuries. It’s the land Moses is said to have passed through while leading his tribe to the Promised Land of Israel, and where John the Baptist preached and Jesus is believed to have been baptised. However, the country we now know
T
has existed only since 1946, when the territory east of the Jordan River that was part of the British Mandate for Palestine was given its independence. It’s in the Middle East, bordered to the west by Israel, to the east and south by Saudi Arabia, and with Iraq and Syria to the north and north- east; it is also one of the friendliest countries in the world, welcoming and full of amazing sights that can be ticked off in a week of easy touring.
There are the remains of Roman
Jerash in the north, Mount Nebo, from where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land before he died, and the nearby town of Madaba, famous for its hand-woven carpets and a sixth-century mosaic map of the region. Petra, voted one of the seven New
Wonders of the World in 2007, which dates back to the sixth century BC, is a ‘must-see’ for land-based visitors, but is also visited by cruise passengers on day trips from the port of Aqaba (a healthy 26,000 cruise passengers visited Jordan in 2011). While the historical sights are the
main draw, the tourist office stresses they are not the only attractions in Jordan. Amman is a bustling city with top-class hotels. Families can enjoy a beach holiday in the fast-growing
resort of Aqaba, take hot-air balloon rides over the desert in Wadi Rum and exciting 4x4 jeep rides through the shifting sands, and watch chariot races in the hippodrome in Jerash. For adventurous types, there’s scuba diving in Aqaba, rock-climbing in the desert and hiking through Dana Biosphere Reserve. Travel the Unknown (
www.traveltheunknown.com), an adventure travel specialist keen to expand its network of agents, has an 11-day hiking tour visiting Madaba, Mt Nebo and Dana Biosphere Reserve. KE Adventure (
www.keadventure.
com), another specialist that works with ABTA-accredited agents, has trekking and multi-activity holidays that include canyoning, abseiling, cycling, hiking, a camel ride and rock- scrambling in Wadi Rum.
Both tours are among a selection of new Jordan holidays launched this year to coincide with two important anniversaries that the Jordan Tourist Board hopes will help to reverse 2011’s 10% fall in UK visitor numbers to a total 65,000 overnights. One is the 50th anniversary of David Lean’s epic movie Lawrence of Arabia, which the British Film Institute is looking to celebrate with an extended run at London’s Southbank, drawing attention to Wadi Rum and the desert landscapes (the film is also coming out on Blu-Ray in June). More importantly, 2012 marks 200
years since Petra, dubbed the Lost City because it disappeared from history in the 13th century, was `discovered´ by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt. Jordan Tourist Board director Stephen
u
8 March/April 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36