Middle East - Anthony Ham [282]
HISTORY
Jordan has always been a crossroads for the Middle East’s great civilisations, although most invaders have simply passed through en route to more prized possessions.
In 333 BC, Alexander the Great stormed through Jordan on his way to Egypt. After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, Ptolemy I gained Egypt, Jordan and some parts of Syria. In southern Jordan, the Nabataeans, who were a semi-nomadic Arabian tribe that controlled lucrative trade routes, built a splendid capital at Petra, while the Roman Empire controlled much of the rest of the country.
After periods of occupation by the Seleucids, Sassanians and Byzantines, Jordan was the site of several initial key battles between the Byzantines and Arabs, before it was overrun by the armies of Islam in the 7th century AD. In the late 7th century, Jordan came under the control of the Umayyad Empire centred in Damascus.
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JORDAN IN…
One Week
Arrive in Aqaba from Egypt, and party in Jordan’s holiday town. Take the early-morning bus to spectacular Wadi Rum (Click here) on day two. Hike from the visitor centre or share the cost of a 4x4 tour of the desert, made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. Hitch and bus back to Aqaba. On day three, take the early-morning bus to Wadi Musa and explore the rock-hewn wonders of neighbouring Petra(Click here), a world-class site. On day four, catch the evening bus to Amman (Click here) and spend day five exploring the frenetic capital. On day six, catch a chariot race in the Roman ruins of Jerash (Click here) and leave the next day on a direct bus from Amman, either north to Damascus or west to Jerusalem via the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge crossing, taking note of visa restrictions (Click here).
For an easier border crossing into Israel and the Palestinian Territories, spend longer at Wadi Rum and Petra and use the Wadi Araba crossing from Aqaba into Eilat (Click here).
Two Weeks
Amplify the above by treading in the path of the ancients from Petra to Amman via the King’s Highway (Click here), either by taxi or a combination of minibus and some hitching. Stop off at the Crusader castles of Shobak (Click here) and Karak (Click here); overnight at the remarkable escarpment village of Dana (Click here) and hike in the surrounding reserve; pause for photo stops in dramatic Wadi Mujib (Click here); and, finally, chill out in the travel-friendly town of Madaba (Click here) and neighbouring Mt Nebo (Click here). Choose between a tour of the Dead Sea (Click here) and Bethany (Click here), baptism site of Jesus, or romp round the Eastern Desert (Click here) with its bizarre collection of fortified outposts.
Join the Itineraries
Egypt (Click here)
Israel and the Palestinian Territories (Click here)
Syria (Click here)
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In AD 747 an earthquake devastated much of Jordan, ushering in the rule of the Abbasids, who were in turn followed by the Cairo-based Fatimids in AD 969, and then, from 1037, by the Seljuk Turks.
In the 11th century, Pope Urban II launched the Crusades, capturing Jerusalem in 1099, slaughtering countless inhabitants and devastating the area. The Crusaders took control of most of Jordan by about 1115, and built fortresses at Karak, Shobak and Petra.
In the 12th century, the armies of Nur ad-Din, and later Salah ad-Din (Saladin), reunited the Arab and Islamic world and occupied most of the Crusader strongholds in Jordan. The Mamluks, former soldier-slaves, finally expelled the Crusaders in 1250. The Ottoman Turks defeated the Mamluks in 1516 and ruled until WWI.
In June 1916 the Arabs, with the assistance of TE Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’), launched the Arab Revolt and helped the British drive the Turks from the region. In return, the Arabs were given British assurances that they would be allowed to establish an independent Arab state.
The newly formed League of Nations instead gave Britain a mandate over Palestine,