Ammon, Edom & Moab

Jordan's history goes back to Biblical times and beyond. Some of the earliest Neolithic villages in the world are found here. It was the centre of the Old Testament Kingdom of Ammon. It was at the forefront of oriental trade in Roman times. And it was the Kingdom of Oultre Jourdain to the Crusaders

The Roman East

The classical sites of Jerash (Gerasa) and Amman (Philadelphia) were cities of the Decapolis. Founded in Hellenistic times they reached their zenith in the Roman era. Jerash especially, after careful recontruction, gives an excellent vision of a Roman provincial city.

The Nabatean Arabs

In the south the Nabatean capital at Petra in Jordan was the centre of an intricate traffic in frankincense, myrrh and other costly good from south Arabia. They were to become an integral part of the Roman Eastern Empire. But Petra is just timeless - fantastic!

The Knights in Transjordan

Castles like Kerak and Shobak indicate the forces of Christendom from the First Crusade at the end of the 11th Century until their defeat at the hands of the armies of the Prophet. Combining this with some of the Byzantine and Bronze Age sites makes the tour a kaleidoscope of Near Eastern history.