Sightseeing in Jordan: Amman

Here comes my first update from Jordan!
It´s been 3 days since we arrived at the international airport situated just outside the capital Amman.
I´m traveling with a group consisting of 14 people including my grandparents and our guide, and though the groups average age is slightly higher than that of my own I´m still having a great time here.!
The two first days were spent in or near the capital Amman, starting with a sightseeing touron the 12th of September going to the Roman city of Jerash.
Jerash is situated just about an hours drive outside of the city Amman and is actually often being compared with Italy´s Pompei for some reason or another..! I´ve never been to Pompei though, but anyways.. Unfortunately the remains has been heavily damaged by the flow of time including the great earthquake of 746 AD and today we can only imagine the greatness this place must have had.
Lunch was also quite exciting, seeing the local families dressed up for a nice Ramadan-dinner.
A really exciting day, though I have to admit I spent a lot of the afternoon sleeping due to the long and tiering flight on the 11th September.

On the second day we had the opportunity to take a better look at the capital itself. We entered the grounds of the old citadel in the middle of the town where we had an astonishing view over the so-called seven hills of Amman.
So from the top we had a good view of all over the city, where we could see everything from our hotel to what is considered to be one of the highest flagpoles (126,8 m) in the world.
The citadel Jabal al-Qal'a dating back to ancient times was of course a view in itself. Not to mention the national museum there, housing the famous Death Sea Scrolls which were found by shepherds in caves located near the Dead Sea in the years between 1947 and 1956 and supposedly dates back to between 150 BC and 70 AD.
Today it´s Tuesday the 13th, and today our travel company UnikTravel really got the chance to live up to it´s name.
First stop was the mountain of Nebo which is the place where, according to the Bible, Moses got to see his Promised Land for the first time.
From Mount Nebo our travel continued down the King's Highway to the city and crusader castle of Karak, which again led us to a beautiful sight of the Dead Sea.
After viewing the castle we had hoped for a smooth passing through the rest of the desert landscape. But on the road from Karak to Petra the engine in our bus got overheated and we had to stop in the middle of nowhere. Quite the charm..!
Still we arrived safe and sound in time for dinner and we also got to see the sunset over the mountains where the second world wonder Petra is situated.
All in all I´ve had another great day here. We are supposed to get a new and better bus tomorrow, so.. Fingers crossed;)!

Related blogposts

All blogposts from Jordan

Sightseeing in Jordan:  Petra & the Desert of Wadi Rum

Last days in Jordan! The Death Sea & A Day Trip to Israel

Sightseeing in Jordan: Travelling from Amman to Dubai

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.