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Baptism site
Entry to the Baptism site includes a one-hour guided tour (in seven languages) and shuttle-bus service which departs every 30 minutes to the main complex, close to the sensitive border with Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Collect a brochure and map at the main gate, where t
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Aqaba Museum
The museum, part of the Aqaba Fort complex, was previously the home of the great-great-grandfather of the present king, Abdullah II. The collection of artefacts includes coins, ceramics and 8th-century Islamic stone tablets. Anyone who has travelled the King’s Highway may be intere
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Rhotorios Monastery
The hill behind the House of Mary the Egyptian holds the presumed cave of John the Baptist, a 5th-century monastery (built around the site) and the ruined Rhotorios Monastery, which has a mosaic floor with Greek inscriptions. In the 3rd to 4th century, the plaster-lined pools were
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Qasr ‘Ain Es
This is not really a castle or a fort, but rather a humble farmhouse built by the Umayyads, possibly over the existing fortifications of a Roman building. Rather small (17 sq metres) and built from simple basalt brick, there are ruins here of a courtyard (flanked by seven rooms), e
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Palaeontology & Geology Museum of Jordan
Behind Pella Rest House is the brand new Palaeontology & Geology Museum of Jordan , which is the brainchild of famous Jordanian architect Ammar Khammash. While archaeology has certainly brought Jordan’s ancient past to life, the concept behind the museum was to focus instead on
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Salt Handicraft Training Centre
Visitors can watch weaving, pottery, mosaics and other handicrafts being made at this women’s cooperative, 3km out of town. The centre specialises in both training and production and has a showroom for displaying the finished products. A taxi here costs JD1 to JD2 from the centre;
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Jordan River
The walking trail passes a golden-roofed Greek Orthodox church and leads, under the watchful eye of border guards, to the river – little more than a stagnant ditch. It’s not very inviting but you can be baptised in the Jordan if accompanied by a priest. Across the river (and the bo
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Folklore Museum
Immediately to the right as you enter the Roman Theatre, this small museum houses a modest collection of items illustrating traditional Jordanian life. It includes a Bedouin goat-hair tent complete with tools; musical instruments such as the rababa (a one-stringed Bedouin instrumen
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Hejaz Railway
Except for the occasional cargo train, only the breeze rolls through this historic old station at present. For years speculation has been that a functioning passenger service to Aqaba would return to the tracks of the Hejaz Railway, made famous in the West by the pursuits of TE Law
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Palace Tomb
The delightful three-storey imitation of a Roman or Hellenistic palace, known as the Palace Tomb, is distinctive among the Royal Tombs for its rock-hewn façade, the largest in Petra. The doors lead into typically simple funerary chambers while the 18 columns on the upper level are
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Kharazeh Canyon
Kharazeh Canyon, one of the mighty incisions in Jebel Umm al-Ishrin, is a popular hiking destination. Guides and agencies offer a day hike (around seven hours) from the Guest House in Rum Village combining Rakhabat Canyon with Kharazeh Canyon. A head for heights and an ability (or
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Roman Mausoleum
The decumanus maximus continues west of the main site for 1km or so, leading to some ruins of limited interest, including baths , mausoleums and gates . Japanese and Iraqi archaeologists are currently excavating here. Most interesting is the basilica built above one of the Roman ma
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Ayla (Ancient Church)
To the untrained eye, these ruins look unprepossessing to say the least but archaeologists maintain that the remains of this ancient, mud-brick complex represent the oldest, purpose-built church in the world. The foundations date back to the late third or early fourth century and t
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Shaumari Wildlife Reserve
Established in 1975 by the RSCN, this 22 sq km reserve was created with the aim of reintroducing wildlife that has disappeared from the region, most notably the highly endangered Arabian oryx, Persian onagers (wild ass), goitered and Dorcas gazelles, and blue-necked ostriches. At t
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Ajloun Forest Reserve
Located in the Ajloun Highlands, this small (just 13 sq km) but vitally important nature reserve was established by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) in 1988 to protect oak, carob, pistachio and strawberry forests. The reserve also acts a wildlife sanctuary f
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Military Museum
The simple and solemn Martyr’s Memorial houses a small but interesting collection of documents, chronicling Jordan’s recent military history, from the Arab Revolt in 1916 (in which 10,000 Arab fighters were killed) through to the Arab-Israeli Wars. The intention, however, is a focu
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Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art & Restoration (MIMAR)
Originally set up as a school in 1992 by the Jordanian Government, this institute trains Jordanian artists in the production and restoration of mosaics, spreads awareness of mosaics in Jordan and actively preserves mosaics throughout the country. The restoration work of the school’
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Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
This recommended museum features exhibits from all eras of Jordanian history. The collection opens with 9000-year-old Neolithic statuettes found near present-day Amman, covers the Bronze and Iron Ages, continues through the Mamluk and Ottoman occupations, and closes with modern dis
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Tell Elias
Tell Elias is where Elijah is said to have ascended to heaven, although there is little to see here. The rebuilt arch marks the 5th- to 6th-century pilgrim chapel, where Pope John Paul II authenticated the site in March 2000. The nearby 3rd-century rectangular prayer hall is one of
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Dar As Saraya Museum
Located in a stunning old villa of basaltic rock, just behind the town hall, this museum is a real gem. Built in 1886 by the Ottomans, the building is typical of the caravanserai established along the Syrian pilgrimage route with rooms arranged around a paved internal courtyard. It
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