Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Middle East is a grand epic, a cradle of civilisations and a beautiful, complicated land that's home to some of the planet's most hospitable people.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan (Welcome)  to incredible Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan - the charming yet confounding kingdom that casts a spell on visitors with its World Heritage Sites, friendly towns with tradition of hospitality & inspiring desert landscapes.

Arrive in Amman, the gateway to an ancient world as well as the country's economic, political & cultural centre.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Amman Queen Alia International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next day.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Amman, the modern capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world. A fascinating city of contrasts - a unique blend of old and new, situated on a hilly area between the desert & the fertile Jordan Valley

Recent excavations have uncovered homes & towers believed to have been built during the Stone Age. With many references to it in the Bible, Amman was known as Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites, it was also referred to as the “city of waters’. In the 3^rd century BC, the city was renamed Philadelphia after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus. The city later came under Seleucid as well as Nabtean rule, until the Roman General Pompey annexed Syria and made Philadelphia part of the Decapolis League - a loose alliance of initially ten free city-states under overall allegiance to Rome. Under the influence of the Roman culture, Philadelphia was reconstructed in typically grand Roman style with colonnaded streets, baths, a theatre & impressive public buildings.

During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Bishop & therefore several Churches were built. The city declined somewhat until the year 635AD. As Islam spread northwards from the Arabian Peninsula, the land became part of its domain. It reverted to its original Semitic name Ammon or Amman.

The ancient capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan city spread over 19 hills, or "jebels"., is a fascinating city of contrasts - a unique blend of old & new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert & the fertile Jordan Valley. Often referred to as the white city due to its low size canvas of stone houses, the city offers a variety of historical sites. Towering above Amman, the site of the earliest fortifications is now subject to numerous excavations which have revealed remains from the Neolithic period as well as from the Hellenestic & late Roman to Arab Islamic Ages. 

Though it lacks the storied history & thrilling architectural tapestry of other regional capitals, there is plenty here to encourage you to linger awhile before making for Petra, the Dead Sea or Wadi Rum. In fact, Amman is one of the easiest cities in which to enjoy the Middle East experience.

Amman’s modern history began in the late 19^th century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants in 1878. As the Great Arab revolt progressed & the State of Transjordan was established, King Abdullah I, the founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, made Amman his capital in 1921. Since then, Amman has grown rapidly into a modern, thriving metropolis of well over a million people.

Downtown Amman is a must-see. At the bottom of the city’s many hills & overlooked by the magisterial Citadel, it features spectacular Roman ruins & the hubbub of mosques, souqs & coffeehouses, that are central to Jordanian life.

In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries & boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops & tiny artisans' workshops. Amman’s neighborhoods are diverse and range in cultural & historical context from hustle & bustle of the downtown markets to the art galleries of Jabal Lweibdeh & the modern shopping district of Abdali

Elsewhere, urbane western Amman has leafy residential districts, cafes, bars, modern malls & art galleries; and in earthy eastern Amman, it’s easy to sense the more traditional and conservative pulse of the capital.

The 3 Museums located here, that offer a glimpse of history & culture, they are the Jordan Archaeological Museum, the Folklore Museum & the Museum of Popular Tradition.  Due to the city’s modern-day prosperity & temperate climate, almost half of Jordan’s population is concentrated in the Amman area. The people of Amman are multi-cultural, multi - denominational, well-educated & extremely hospitable.

Balance of the day is at leisure for independent exploration or perhaps for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Overnight. 

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 07:00 am & depart for a full day 10 hour excursion to the ‘Red Rose’ City of Petra.

A famous archaeological site - Petra, the great ancient city that lies half-hidden in the wind-blown landscape in Jordan's southwestern desert, is one of the world's most treasured UNESCO World Heritage Sites & undoubtedly the most famous attraction of Jordan

Dating to around 300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains & shifting sand, Petra tells of a lost civilization. Little is known about the Nabateans - a nomadic desert people whose Kingdom rose up from these cliffs & peaks, and whose incredible wealth grew from the lucrative incense trade.

Petra was only rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt in 1812 & it continues to spill its secrets. Even now, Archaeologists have explored less than half of the sprawling site & in 2016, with the help of satellite imagery, a monumental structure was found still buried in the sand. It is no wonder that Petra remains Jordan’s top tourist attraction.

Some archaeologists have ranked ancient Petra as the 8^th wonder of the ancient world - a truly justifiable claim. Petra is unique in every respect, having something to offer to the historian, anthropologist, archaeologist, geologist, architect & the naturalist, all of whom regularly come to Petra to conduct their studies & be in touch with the ancient past. You do not have to be a specialist in any field though to appreciate Petra because, once inside of it, you will be quickly awe-struck & you will want to know the how, why & where about it.

Much of Petra’s legendary appeal comes from its awesome, multicolored sandstone high mountains; it is a secluded site of steep rocky slopes, towering craggy mountain tops & blushing pink sandstone cliffs, into which most of the celebrated honeycomb of caves, tombs, facades, theatres & stairways carved by the Nabateans, an industrious Arab people who settled in the South more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice & other trade routes that linked China, India & southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece & Rome.

Raqmu, or Petra (as the Greeks knew it), grew into the Nabateans’ most prominent city, linking camel caravans between the Mediterranean & Arabian Seas, from Egypt to Syria & beyond to Greece. Control of water sources & an almost magic ability to vanish into the cleft rocks ensured the Nabateans remained unconquered for centuries.

The Romans arrived in 63 B.C., signaling a new era of massive expansion & grandiose construction, like the theater that sat more than 6,000 spectators, as well as some of the city’s most impressive facades.

Christianity came to Petra in the 3^rd & 4^th centuries & flourished, but the city waned after an A.D. 336 earthquake & under the early Islamic dynasties of the 7^th century.

Petra’s engineering phenomena are legion, including the sophisticated water system that supported some 30,000 inhabitants. Carved into the twisted passageway of the Siq, the irrigation channel drops only 12 feet over the course of a mile, while underground cisterns stored runoff to be used in drier times of the year.

The entire city of ruins is a work of art, painted on a natural stone backdrop that changes color every hour. The elegant Silk Tomb swirls with streaks of red, blue & ocher, while vivid mosaics still pave the floors of a Byzantine-era church. No wonder, it’s the raw beauty draws in so many millions of visitors.

There are more Nabataean attractions nearby at so-called Little Petra (only for those who have more time to explore).

A visit to Petra when it was rediscovered for the wider world by Johann in the 19^th century meant going in disguise, speaking in local dialect & engaging the trust of surrounding tribespeople. Today visitors are warmly welcomed both by the Bedouins who still relate to the ancient city as their ancestral home & the townspeople of neighbouring Wadi Musa whose facilities make visiting a pleasure.

The approach to the ancient Nabatean Capital starts on horse cart, followed by a walk through the cool gloom of Al Siq, a long narrow gorge whose steeply rising sides all but obliterate the sun, provides a dramatic contrast with the magic to come.

Suddenly, the gorge opens into a natural square dominated by Petra's most famous monument, the 45m high Al Khazneh (Treasury), whose intricately carved ornate, Greek-style facade glows in the dazzling sun earning its nickname, the "Rose City"… nature & architecture concur into conferring a mythical aura to the site.

The Monastery [El Deir] & the High Place of the Sacrifice [Al Madbah] are among the myriad archeological wonders to be explored in Petra. The giant red mountains & vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with modern civilization, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at their true value - as one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by nature & man.

Carved into the rock face, the Treasury & the Monastery both have unmistakable Hellenistic features, with ornate Corinthian columns, bas-relief Amazons & fanciful acroteria. Knowing that such architectural feats were achieved by carving from the top down makes it even more impressive.

Proceed to gradually unfold the mysteries of the Red Rose City with its spectacular treasury, Royal Tombs, burial chambers & high places of sacrifice.

The experience comes to an end & you are transferred back to Amman.

Balance of the day is at leisure to relax or for optional activities (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Overnight.  B

Alas, like all good things, the wonderful experience comes to an end. Time to say good-bye to enchanting Kingdom of Jordan go home. But, we sure hope that you may want to discover a bit more of this mystical country on your next visit.

Check-out of the hotel by 12:00 noon (if the departure time is later in the evening, we will request the hotel to allow the usage of the facilities & to leave the luggage at the Bell Desk). 

In time, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to Terminal? - Amman Queen Alia International Airport for your onward journey.  B

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