JORDAN

Location - Middle East; Capital - Amman; Population - 6 million; Currency - Jordan Dinar

Public transport isn't great between Aqaba and Petra so get a few passengers together and take a taxi - November 2012. MORE JORDAN

The Jordanian Dinar

The amazing 'Red-Rose City' of Petra was built over the 6th to 1st centuries BC by the Nabateans. The Romans then built on and expanded it

The Treasury is the first magnificent sight to behold after a walk through the rock gorge - Petra

Three times a week the Treasury is lit by candles for 'Petra by Night' - Petra

Take a place on the rugs and listen to music and voice - Petra

It's well worth doing and the siq looks beautifully atmospheric but I recommend going the night before spending a whole day exploring. You may want to put your feet up in the evening! Petra

Get an idea of the size of the 1.2km siq - a towering canyon-like corridor - that leads to the Treasury and the rest of Petra

At points the siq's 200m high walls narrow so much you can almost touch both sides - Petra

A first glimpse of the Treasury at the end of the siq - Petra

The Treasury (al-Khazneh) was built to serve as the tomb for Nabatean King Aretas III - Petra

King Aretas III lived sometime around the 1st century BC to 2nd century AD - Petra

Notice the difference in colour from early morning (right) to the previous photos taken as the sun peaks out late morning - Petra

The site is remarkable in that most buildings are cut direct into the sandstone rock - Petra

A close up of the Treasury - Petra

A short walk after the Treasury is a long flight of steps leading up to the High Place of Sacrifice where you can take in Petra below

Obelisks at the High Place of Sacrifice - Petra

This area was where people would share a supper at the sacrifical site - Petra

At the High Place of Sacrifice at the top of Jebel Madbah - Petra

Not sure what this signifies but it remionds me of The Blair Witch Project.. Petra

Take the steps down the other side of Jebel Madbah to more tombs and temples - Petra

Water was designed to pour from the mouth of the Lion Monument in ancient times - Petra

Keep going down to take a look at the Garden Triclinium, a hall used to pay respect to those placed in the Soldier's Tomb - Petra

The Soldier's Tomb - Petra

In 1812 the lost city was 'rediscovered' by Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt. Of course the locals knew about it all the while.. Petra

Some of the tombs have been put to good use by the locals -Petra

The beginning of a 30-45 minute climb to the Monastery - Petra

The Lion Tomb is just off the Monastery trail - Petra

The climb takes longer if you want to admire the excellent views. The Royal Tombs can just be made out in the distance - Petra

The 3rd century BC Monastery (Al-Deir) - Petra

Walk a little further up the hill and look down on the Monastery to get a better idea of scale - Petra

The doorway is massive and not that easy to climb into! Petra

There's a cafe opposite the Monastery to recover and take it all in - Petra

The first time I visited I climbed to the top but perch on the top pediment? Crazy! Petra

The Monastery is bigger than the Treasury and definitely has the wow factor - Petra

Back in central Petra are the remains of the colonnaded street built by the Romans

One of the Royal Tombs, a few minutes walk from the Treasury - Petra

Further on is the Silk Tomb, known for its distinctive swirls of coloured rock - Petra

From the entrance to the Urn Tomb - Petra

Petra is known as the Red-Rose City because of the colour of the rocks

Symmetry at Petra

There's plenty of weird and wonderful shapes and colours - Petra

Petra is a large area which takes at the very least one whole day to cover the main sights. If you can, put aside two days which can include Little Petra plus an evening for 'Petra by Night'

After Petra it was a coach back to Amman followed by a taxi tour of the north-west. This is the view from Umm Qais, with Syria straight ahead and the Golan Heights and Israel off-picture to the left

The ruins of the Roman city of Gadara - Umm Qais

Full-scale excavation of Gadara only began in the 1980s so more will be revealed in time - Umm Qais

The basalt rocks of the West Theatre - Gadara, Umm Qais

There's also some great views from the top of Ajloun Castle - Ajloun

The castle was built in the 12th century - Ajloun

Israel and the Sea of Galilee lie a stone's throw away (if you can throw a stone a few kms). I guess this fighter plane somehow has a link to that - Ajloun

Driving past Ajloun Castle to Jerash - Ajloun

Hadrian's Arch marks the entrance to the Roman city of Jerash

Waiting for tourists beneath in the Hippodrome - Jerash

Columns of the Forum enclose an oval shaped plaza - Jerash

The Forum as used as a market in Roman times - Jerash

Looking skywards at the Temple of Zeus - Jerash

The Temple of Zeus stands above the Forum - Jerash

The South Theatre dates to the 1st century AD - Jerash

The Cardo Maximus, or colonnaded street, links the Forum to the North Gate at the far edge of Jerash

The Cardo Maximus is about 800m in length - Jerash

The Propylaeum served as the gateway to the Temple of Artemis - Jerash

The Nymphaeum was a fountain dedicated to the water nymphs - Jerash

Several castles lie in the Eastern Desert on the road to Iraq. This is Qasr al-Hallabat - Eastern Desert Castles

A mosaic in the 3rd century Qasr al-Hallabat, built by the Romans - Eastern Desert Castles

A few kms from the Qasr al-Hallabat is the bathhouse Hammam as-Sarah - Eastern Desert Castles

Iraq or Saudi? I'll plump for Azraq - Eastern Desert Castles

Present-day Qasr al-Azraq (Azraq Castle) dates to the 13th century - Azraq, Eastern Desert Castles

TE Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia stayed in this room in 1917/18 during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule - Azraq, Eastern Desert Castles

Inside the castle are a mosque, well, kitchen, storerooms and stables - Azraq, Eastern Desert Castles

The entrance is made from extremely heavy basalt blocks - Azraq, Eastern Desert Castles

The 8th century Umayyad castle Qusayr Amra - Eastern Desert Castles

Qusayr Amra is famous for its erotic frescoes - Eastern Desert Castles

Continuing on the drive back to Amman we arrived at Qasr Kharana - Eastern Desert Castles

Qasr Kharana likely served as a meeting lodge or caravanserai (a roadside inn common on trading routes) rather than as a fort - Eastern Desert Castles

A central courtyard is surrounded by rooms with narrow staircases leading upstairs - Qasr Kharana, Eastern Desert Castles

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2013 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.kingabdullah.jo - King Abdullah II's website

www.visitjordan.com - Jordan Tourism Board

www.visitpetra.jo - Petra info

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.