Jordan

Overview

Jordan (Arabic: الأردنّ, al-Urdunn ) is an Arab kingdom in the Middle East , at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. It has been repeatedly called an "oasis of stability" in the Middle East. Since the 1940s, millions have immigrated to Jordan for a better life. With an extensive collection of tourist attractions, ranging from biblical sites to seaside sites, there is a lot to see and do in Jordan.

In antiquity, the area of what is now Jordan was home to ancient kingdoms. Among them were Ammon, Edom and Moab. It was part of the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire .

Before World War I, the entire Levant was part of the Ottoman Empire . In 1916, during World War I , the Arab Revolt was launched against the Ottomans. It was led by Sharif Hussein, assisted by British intelligence officer T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia). The revolt was successful in gaining control of most of the Hejaz and the Levant. However, it failed to gain international recognition as an independent state, due mainly to the secret Sykes–Picot Agreement between the United Kingdom and France in 1916 (dividing up the Middle East between the two colonial powers) and the UK's Balfour Declaration of 1917 (promising a national home for the Jews on a small piece of land in the Middle East). The region was divided and Abdullah I, the second son of Sharif Hussein, arrived from Hejaz by train and established the Emirate of Transjordan, which then became a British protectorate.

Sights and landscapes

Considering the regular entrance fees to Petra of 50/55/60 JD (90 JD for single-day Jordan visitors), to Jerash of 10 JD and to Wadi Rum of 5 JD, it is hard not to take advantage of this great offer.

Parts of the western edge of Jordan's border are the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea to experience floating without the fear of drowning. Close to the Dead Sea is also Bethany (Jesus's baptismal site).

The archaeological ruins at Petra are Jordan's biggest tourist draw and a must-see for anyone travelling in Jordan. A vast site, and at least two days are needed to really see the entire area.

Jordan, during World War I , was home to intelligence officers such as T. E. Lawrence, (aka Lawrence of Arabia). Some of its sites from the military expedition can be seen in parts of the country.

Experiences

While not immediately intuitive, Jordan is perfect for hiking. It is one of the best ways to experience the Jordanian culture since one frequently meets nice Bedouins who will try to invite you to a cup of tea.

Great places to hike are Dana Nature Reserve, Wadi Rum, Wadi Mujib, Wadi Bin Hammad (northwest of Kerak), some canyons, other Wadis, along the Dead Sea, and various routes in the North of Jordan. The north is also a popular place since it is the greenest part of Jordan.

There is also a 675-km trail running through all of Jordan—from Umm Qais in the North to Aqaba in the South. It is called "The Jordan Trail " with adequate lodging along the route. It runs through many areas mentioned above, such as Wadi Rum.

Go to one of these baths. They're segregated by sex, and you'll enjoy it more if you go with someone of the same sex. It's a completely non-sexual experience.

Culture and food

Jordanian cuisine is quite similar to fare served elsewhere in the region. The daily staple being khobez , a large, flat bread sold in bakeries across the country for a few hundred fils. Delicious when freshly baked.

For breakfast, the traditional breakfast is usually fried eggs, labaneh , cheese, zaatar and olive oil along with bread and a cup of tea. Falafel and hummus are eaten on the weekends by some and more often by others. There's no convention for when you should or should not eat any type of food. It's up to you. This is the most popular breakfast. Manousheh and pastries come in as the second most popular breakfast item. All of the hotels offer American breakfast.

The national dish of Jordan is the mansaf , prepared with jameed, a sun-dried yogurt. Grumpygourmet.com describes the mansaf as "an enormous platter layered with crêpe-like traditional "shraak" bread, mounds of glistening rice and chunks of lamb that have been cooked in a unique sauce made from reconstituted jameed and spices, sprinkled with golden pine nuts." In actuality more people use fried almonds instead of pine nuts because of the cheaper price tag. The best mansaf can be found in Kerak .

Planning your route

Jordan is one of the easiest countries to hitch-hike in. It is not uncommon to wait less than 5-10 min before getting picked up. Especially if you are not from the US or such, people are happy to take you along the way and immediately will raise topics like FCB, Paris, Bayern Munich, or pizza depending on your nationality. In addition, hitch-hiking is made even easier by the fact that many tourists with guides or rental cars will pick you up if they see you are not from around the region. Although Jordan is targeted by extremists, hitch-hiking is not more dangerous than in other countries taking into account the high likelihood of getting picked up by someone. Even on a holiday in off season you will barely wait more than 10 min for someone to stop.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.