Jordan

Jordan is a land steeped in history. It has been home to some of mankind's earliest settlements and villages, and relics of many of the worlds great civilizations can still be seen today. As the crossroads of the Middle East, the lands of Jordan and Palestine have served as a strategic nexus connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. Thus, since the dawn of civilization, Jordan's geography has given it an important role to play as a conduit for trade and communications, connecting east and west, north and south. Jordan continues to play this role today.

Petra lies in a great rift valley east of Wadi 'Araba in Jordan about 80 kilometres south of the Dead Sea. It came into prominence in the late first century BCE (BC) through the success of the spice trade. The city was the principal city of ancient Nabataea and was famous above all for two things: its trade and its hydraulic engineering systems. It was locally autonomous until the reign of Trajan, but it flourished under Roman rule. The town grew up around its Colonnaded Street in the first century CE (AD) and by the mid-first century had witnessed rapid urbanization. Following the flow of the Wadi Musa, the city-center was laid out on either sides of the Colonnaded Street on an elongated plan between the theater in the east and the Qasr al-Bint in the west. The quarries were probably opened in this period, and there followed virtually continuous building through the first and second centuries CE.

According to tradition, in ca. 1200 BCE, the Petra area (but not necessarily the site itself) was populated by Edomites and the area was known as Edom ("red"). Before the Israelite incursions, the Edomites controlled the trade routes from Arabia in the south to Damascus in the north. Little is known about the Edomites at Petra itself, but as a people they were known for their wisdom, their writing, their textile industry, the excellence and fineness of their ceramics, and their skilled metal working.

The Dead Sea is a salt lake that lies on the border between the West Bank and Israel to the west, and Jordan to the east. It is said to be the lowest point on Earth, at 420 m (1,378 feet) below sea level; its shores are actually the lowest point on dry land, as there are deeper points on Earth under water or ice. At 330m deep (1,083 feet), the Dead Sea is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also the world's saltiest body of water apart from Lake Asal in Djibouti; with 30 percent salinity, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. The Dead Sea is 67 km (42 miles) long and 18 km (11 miles) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea has attracted interest and visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was a place of refuge for King David, one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of products as diverse as balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers.

The Dead Sea's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air with low pollution. It has less than 50mm mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between 32 and 39 °C. Winter average temperatures range between 20 and 23 °C. The region has weakened ultraviolet radiation, particularly the UVB (erythrogenic rays), and an atmosphere characterized by a high oxygen content due to the high barometric pressure. The shore is the lowest dry place in the world.

The castle of Qala'at ar-Rabad near Ajlun, is located on the site of an old monastery. It was built by Ezz-ed-din Al-Qassam, a general of Saladin army, in 1184. It permitted to control the road of Damas and Egypt. The fortress marks the limit which the Franks could never exceed in the east. The Mamelukes increased it then, adding its square tower in particular to it. It was taken by the Mongols into 1260 and partially destroyed.

The small fortress was built by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), in AD 1184-1185. The fortress is considered one of the very few built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from Karak in the south and Bisan in the west. From its situation, the fortress dominated a wide stretch of the northern Jordan Valley, controlled the three main passages that led to it (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes), and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria. It was built to contain the progress of the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan and as a retort to the castle of Belvoir on the lake of Tiberias. Another major objective of the fortress was to protect the development and control of the iron mines of Ajlun.

 

Mt Nebo is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 metres (2680 feet) above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.

According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses was given a view of the Promised Land that God was giving to the Hebrews. "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho." (Deuteronomy 34:1).

According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Moses was buried on this mountain by God himself, and his final resting place is unknown. Scholars continue to dispute whether the mountain currently known as Nebo is the same as the mountain referred to in the Torah.

The serpentine cross sculpture (the Brazen Serpent Monument) atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14).

 

Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures — including the Nabateans — leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. As of 2007, several Bedouin tribes inhabit the area.

In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T.E. Lawrence, who based his operations in Wadi Rum during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18.

The area is now also one of Jordan's important tourist destinations, and attracts an increasing number of foreign tourists. In contrast, local or Arab tourists are almost none-existing. Popular activities in the desert environment include camping under the stars, riding Arab horses, hiking and rock-climbing amongst the massive rock formations. Jabal Rum (1754 metres above sea level) is the highest peak in the area, and the second-highest peak in Jordan. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Red Sea and the Saudi border from the top.

 

 

 

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