| Main scenic spots and hotel informations in Jordan | |||
City infomation and Hotel: |
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| About Amman: Amman, the Capital of Jordan, is the center for politics, culture, business and international exchanges, it is a centuries-old city built on 7 mountains, which is further expanded to 14 mountains due to rapid development of municipal construction. The famous sites include: Mount Amman, Mount Hussein and Mount Leviburd with the highest altitude of 918m. Currently Amman has a population of 1.9 million. With favorable climate, beautiful scenery, tidy streets and orderly management, Amman is a city combining tradition and modernity, where there are a number of historic sites and new buildings, such as Roman Amphitheatre, Raghadan Palace, King Hussein I Mosque, Jordan University, Royal Scientific Institution, Hussein Medical City, Hussein Youth Sports Center, National Museum and etc. Ordinary buildings are also constructed in line with the terrain, strewing at random to express a unique beauty.
Amman is a vibrant city that is filled up with market hotels, fantastic eateries offering the finest international gastronomy, modern buildings and fantastic shopping venues. This bustling metropolis remarkably maintains its historic beauty as seen in the monolithic monuments like the Temple of Hercules. The city also enjoys a lively art scene and an active nightlife. |
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| Palaces and Prime Minister's Office | |||
| Built on a hill in the older part of Amman, the Palaces are located near Merca Military Airport. During the WWI, Arabian armies were stationed here when fighting against Ottoman Empire. The whole palaces consist of three parts: Raghadan Palace, Basman Palace and Al-Sagheer Palace. Built in 1926, Raghadan Palace is also called “the Large Palace”, where colored glass was used like the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The magnificent Royal Summoning Hall is located here. In 1983, the roof of Raghadan Palace was destroyed in a fire and then rehabilitated, but the Islamic style remained the original one. Former King Abdullah I used to live here, and now it becomes the place for King Abdullah II to welcome foreign guests, accept ambassadors' letter de creance and host major festivals like Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. It is the most important part of the palaces. Basman Palace was built in 1950 and also known as “the Small Palace”, which at the very beginning was used by the King to welcome foreign guests and by palaces officers to handle office affairs. The former King Abdullah I once lived here. Now King Abdullah II and some important offices handle office businesses here. Al-Sagheer Palace was built in 1930, where former King Abdullah I was born. It was once used by important officers, but now Queen Lani Yan’s office is located here. | |||
| Besides, the newly built Barak Palace is located on another hill in old Amman, where King Abdullah II and Queen Lani Yan live. Sometimes, they also welcome foreign guests here.The Prime Minister's Office is located in the legation quarter of Amman, where Jordan PM handles office business, call for cabinet conference, and welcome foreign guests. The offices of Vice PM and Secretary of State are also located here, but the Mansion of Prime Minister is not here. |
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The Roman Amphitheatre, Amman |
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| Citadel Hill, Amman | |||
| Citadel Hill is the remains of Abbas Amon Kingdom, which ruled in early Iron Age, i.e. 13th Century BC. In 11th Century BC, Amons, who adored God of Sun and who lived around current Amman, established Abbas Amon Kingdom, and built their capital on the Citadel Hill, calling it “Amon”, hence the current name. Since the time of Amons, Citadel Hill has been the centre of city, and the remains reflect live of all ages. The remains on Citadel Hill mainly include Umayyad Palace and pillars. The former is the royal palace of Umayyad Dynasty of Arab Empire. Arabian style can still be observed from this 1300-year-old East-oriented palace. A museum established in 1951 is also located here, where antiques excavated from all over Jordan are displayed, for instance, the stone knives and hatchets of the Paleolithic Period found in Jordan Valley, which are the earliest antiques in Jordan. |
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| Hussein Park | |||
| Located near Amman Hussein Medical City, Hussein Park covers 657,510 square meters (equal to 65.75 hectares or 986.265 mou). This park is built in memories of former King Hussein, which consists of outdoor theatre, multifunctional ground, children's Elysium, mosque and three museums introducing the history and culture of Jordan. The King attended the commencement ceremony on Feb. 7, 2000. In 2002, the 200-m2 China Park was completed by Beijing City, where there were sundials, octagonal pavilion and ornamental pillars. |
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| Dead Sea | |||
| An hour’s drive to the west of Amman, the world famous Dead Sea is an inland salt-water lake, which is 82 km long and 16 km wide on average. The total area of Dead Sea is 1,049 km2, with a maximum depth of 409m and average depth of 146m. 407 m lower than the sea level, even 250m lower than Turfan Depression, Dead Sea is the lowest salt-water lake in the world, which is known as “navel of the earth”. The salt concentration is about 23£¥£25£¥, and can be 33% at most, which is four times as that of ordinary sea water; therefore, no organisms can live in or beside Dead Sea, hence the name. As the sea water abounds in chemicals which can cure various diseases including dermatosis, and the mud is of great medical benefit, Dead Sea has become a world famous tourist attraction. In recent years, as the evaporation capacity is lower than that of volume emptying into it, Dead Sea has been shrinking. The average winter temperature of water can be 20 degree. |
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| Jerash | |||
| Located 40km away from Amman in the north, Jerash is one of the important tourist attractions in Jordan, where the historic relics can be dated to Bronze Age, Iron Age, Greece, Roma, Umayyad and Abbas, i.e. from 1600 BC to 900 AD. There have been inhabitants in Jerash since 1600 BC. In 64 BC, Roman army took over Syria and its southern areas including Jerash, since then it was built in Roman style and a number of shrines and temples were completed. In early 3rd Century, due to the upheaval of Roman Empire, Jerash collapsed. In middle 8th Century, Abbas Dynasty emerged, and Baghdad became the capital. Jerash was ignored due to the long distance from the capital. Several earthquakes further worsened the situation. In 9th Century, the once prosperous Jerash was buried under sand and dust. It was only until 1806 that German explorer Ulrich Seetzen found Jerash. From 1920, the historic relic of Jerash, which has been buried for centuries, was being excavated. |
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| Petra | |||
| Undoubtedly, the most important archaeological site in Jordon, Petra, is renowned for having beautifully carved stone structures. Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the city is on the verge of becoming one of the new 'Seven Wonders of the World'. 260 km from Amman, Petra is a historic city in south Jordan. Ancient Petra was known as the business center in the Middle East, serving as the market and transfer hub between Egypt, Syria, Greece and Roma. In early 2nd Century, Petra became a district of Roman Empire, with a population of 25,000 persons. Some Roman buildings still remain. The aboriginals of Petra chiseled many buildings on rocks to form a unique “Rock City”. As local rocks are in rose-red, which are amazing in sunrise and sunset, Petra is also known as “The City of Roses”. In 1812, a British Switzer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt discovered for the first time the mystic “Rock City”. The major spots include Siq, Al Khazneh ("the Treasury"), Urn Tomb, Roman Amphitheatre, Qasr al Bint and museums. Jordan government is very much concerned with the protection of Petra, listing it as one of the key tourism regions of Jordan. In 1981, King Hussein issued an order, naming Jordan News Agency as “Petra News Agency”, making this ruins buried in oblivion for over 2000 years once again known to the world. Petra has an impressive number of accommodations on offer that ranges from luxury hotels to mid-range and budget accommodation. Customers are advised to make their hotel bookings in advance. |
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| Urban Hotels: • Petra Marriott Hotel • Moevenpick Resort Petra • Crown Plaza Hotel Petra • Golden Tulip Kings Way Hotel |
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| Aqaba | |||
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Located in the utmost south of Jordan, the north of Red Sea, and the juncture of Asia, Africa and Europe, Al aqaba is adjacent to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt. 340 km from Amman, the 375 km2 city has a coastline of 27 km. Tapah, Egypt, Eliat, Israel, Al aqaba, Jordan, and Tabuk, Saudi Arabia form the shape of a hoof around Aqaba Bay, which is share by these four countries. In the past, the Jordan – Saudi Arabia border displayed a jigsaw pattern. In 1965, the 25 km land of former Saudi Arabia was transferred to Jordan in a land exchange, making the domain of Jordan into a whole. Cherishing a long history, Al aqaba was conquered by Roman, the Crusades and Ottoman Empire. When Islamism became prosperous, Al aqaba has become an important hub and business center for Muslims in Syria, Egypt and Maghrib, which fell to obsolete after the discovery of Cape of Good Hope. Shielded by mountains in two directions, Al aqaba has a steep terrain. “Al aqaba” means “obstacle” in Arabic, hence the name for the city. The climate here is quite favorable, with average ambient and sea water temperatures of 15 degree. The peaceful bay is ideal for swimming, boating and fishing. Corel and fishes also attracted many tourists. In addition, the famous coral reef, together with Petra ruins in the south, and Moon Valley Desert in the east, form the Golden Tourism Triangle of Jordan. Al aqaba port is the one and only marine outlet and the im-ex trading hub of Jordan. After years of expansion, the capacity has been remarkably increased. There are 3 docks and 23 berths with annual container processing capacity of 300,000 units. In 2002, some 13.7 million tons of commodities are processed. Emphasizing on the construction of Al aqaba, Jordan government has set it up as a special economic zone. The construction is under way to attract foreign investment. |
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| Madaba & Nebo | |||
| Located at 33 km away from Amman in the southeast, Madaba is an important settlement for Christians in Jordan, which accounts for 8% of the total population (mainly Orthodox). As early as 4500 years ago, people began to live here. The most famous relic is the mosaic map of the Middle East on the ground of St. George Orthodox Church. Mount Nebo near Madaba is said to be the place where ascending of Moses, the prophet and the founder of Judaism, took place. The traditional manual carpet of Madaba has a long standing reputation. |
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| £šI£© City of Mosaic Madaba has most types of mosaic in the world, known as “the City of Mosaic”. Most mosaic wares have a history of over 1,400 years, which depicts various scenes including flowers, birds, insects, fishes and animals, as well as daily life and fairy tales. In the St. George Orthodox Church originated in 5th Century (rebuilt in 1896), there is the oldest mosaic map of Middle East in the world, which is completed in 560 AD. This map gives accurate positions of some Palestine and Egyptian cities including Jerusalem and Alexander, as well as some rivers and oceans. The mosaic pictures on the ground of St. Virgin Church depicted the drama scenes in ancient Greece. Nowadays, only these cities have such pictures, i.e. Madaba, Roma and Constantine. The Arthur Church nearby is a two-storey one built in 596 AD. A number of mosaic inlays are found at a church 30km south of Madaba. One was completed in 531 AD, and one in 758 AD, indicating that Islamism and Christianity co-existed in harmony at that time.Madaba is a Christian city in Roman and Byzantium days. As taxes were collected from non-Muslims since Umayyad Dynasty, some Christians moved to other places and some were converted into Muslims, so Muslims became the majority. |
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| £šII£© Moses’ Ascending - Mount Nebo 10 km to the north of Madeba is the famous Mount Nebo, which is 870 m high, giving a view of Dead Sea and Jordan Valley. The churches in Jerusalem and the historic city Bethlehem on the west bank of Jordan River can be seen. According to the Bible, Moses spent his last days here. Moses is the third most important character in Bible only next to God and Jesus, and one of the six heralds in Islamism; therefore, Mount Nebo attracts a number of disciples and western tourists every year. The story of Exodus took place at about 13th Century BC, and nowadays there is nothing left. Since 2nd Century, many Christians came here to build churches for self-cultivation, preaching and practicing medicine. The main churches on Mount Nebo were built at early 4th Century, and the tombs with mosaic inlays were built in 531 AD. The Christian church with three courts was built in 597, the Byzantium days. The Brazen Serpent sculpture was established by Italian artist, Giovanni Fantoni in 1984. |
