JORDAN
Jordan: Kingdoms of the Desert March 29 – April 8, 2021 from £3285 per person | with Andrew Wilson
Petra
• Delve into the rich layers of Jordan’s history, from the grand colonnades of Rome to the castles of the crusaders • Marvel at the awe-inspiring stronghold of Petra, carved from rock by the Nabataeans more than 2000 years ago • Journey through the desert landscape of western Arabia, discovering the prehistoric rock engravings of Wadi Rum From the remains of the Stone Age to the magnificence of the Ottomans, Jordan has long felt the tide of history. Today, the country is home to a spectacular array of archaeological sites offering tantalizing glimpses into some of the world’s most iconic cultures: Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Parthia, the Byzantines, the Umayyads, Abbasids, Crusaders and Ayyubids have all left their mark. We begin our journey on the seven hills of Amman with the biblical city of Madaba, the centre of a Byzantine mosaic school in the 6th century, and home to the famous floor map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Meanwhile, at nearby Mount Nebo, site of the mosaic museum and Sanctuary of Moses, we will 26
Tour Director Andrew Wilson, BA, BD, FSAScot, studied archaeology then theology before working overseas as an archaeologist. He has led many tours for ACE in the Greco-Roman world, and also several in Britain, with a particular emphasis on the archaeology of his native Scotland. Andrew is a member of the Society for Libyan Studies and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Society for Promotion of Byzantine Studies. He has led several ACE tours to Jordan and is thrilled to be returning with a group in 2021.
enjoy unrivalled panoramas of the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. The superb Hellenistic and Roman city of Jerash was created at the end of the 4th century BC by the Greco-Roman confederation as one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis. Built to integrate Hellenic and local populations, it is one of Rome’s grandest imperial outposts and boasts a colonnaded oval forum, magnificent theatres, colonnaded Roman streets and the beautifully restored Precinct of Artemis.
Petra, the imposing stronghold carved out of rock by the Nabataeans more than 2000 years ago, is a true marvel. On our visit to the rose-red city we will journey through the towering Siq ravine and admire the stunning vista of soaring temples, dramatic halls and lofty altars hand-chiselled into the sandstone cliffs. Highlights include Al Khazneh (the Treasury), the rock-cut theatre, the Great Temple and the Nabataean temple of Qasr al-Bint. Petra’s northern suburb of Siq al-Barid, often referred to as ‘Little Petra’, holds a further gathering of wellpreserved Nabataean tombs, and nearby the prehistoric site of Al-Beidha holds great significance for understanding the beginnings of the Neolithic period in Western Asia and the birth of European civilization. Our journey south takes us into the Valley of the Moon (Wadi Rum Protected Area), a remarkable example of desert scenery, and part of the Hizma basin of western Arabia. Here we will take a ‘safari’ through the magnificent desert landscapes to see the wealth of prehistoric rock engravings and the 1st century Nabataean temple in Wadi Rum village.
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