April 13, 2021

Amman City Tour, Jerash and Ajloun

Written By Sanaa Kassem

Pick up from Hotel in Amman. We will head out to visit the capital of Jordan, Amman. We will start of by visiting the Citadel of Amman which is the highest hill in Amman and is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon. Occupied since the Bronze Age, it’s surrounded by a 1700m-long wall, which was rebuilt many times during the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods. There’s plenty to see, but the Citadel’s most striking sights are the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace. We then descend to visit the roman theater which is is the most obvious and impressive remnant of Roman Philadelphia, and is the highlight of Amman for most visitors. Then we are heading north to the beautiful and greener part of Jordan to visit Jerash, approximately one hour from Amman. Jerash is a close second to Petra on the list of favorite destinations in Jordan and one of the best places to explore roman civilization outside of Italy.  Inhabited since the Bronze Age, Jerash is known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa, just outside the modern city. These include the 2nd-century Hadrian’s Arch, the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis and the huge Forum’s oval colonnade. Later we go on a 30 minutes’ drive to visit Ajloun, a town that is known for its beautiful green mountains and the Ajloun castle, standing 1250 meters above sea level, the castle was constructed between 1184 and 1188 by the nephew of the Muslim military leader Saladin. Saladin fought against the Christian military during the Crusades in the 12th Century. The strategic location of the castle enabled Saladin’s army to look out across the Jordan Valley for invaders. The castle is set on top of Mount ‘Auf and provides visitors with astonishing views of the Jordan Valley and surrounding desert. We later drive back to your Hotel in Amman.