The trend of travel since the pandemic is fulfilling a yearning for culture and peace while discovering some place new. Imagine mixing the old and the new and being at the crossroads of civilizations and commerce – B.C. and A.D.
Where History Meets the Rose Red Rocks
In Petra, visitors may enjoy a full day exploring once bustling Nabatean stronghold carved entirely from red rock. In the centuries just before and after Christ, the city of Petra was a strategically located center of commerce, attracting caravans traveling the roads from Egypt, Arabia, and the Levant. Influences of many civilizations can be found here, yet so much of this “rose-red city half as old as time” has yet to be excavated.
Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut capital city of the Nabateans, became during Hellenistic and Roman times a major caravan center for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China, and the spices of India – a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt, and Syria-Phoenicia.
Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges.
An ingenious water management system allowed extensive settlement of an essentially arid area during the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine periods. It is one of the world’s richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape.
Before the Nabateans, the Edomites ruled this region. The area is part of the route that Moses and his people took on their long Exodus journey. The Edomite king denied passage, so Moses had to bypass the land of Edom. It is near Mount Hor, the final resting place of the prophet Aaron.
A Mosaic of Biblical History
Jordan is an elaborate mosaic of biblical history that dates back to the times of Genesis. A well-traveled bridge between east and west, sea and desert, Old and New Testaments, this land east of the Jordan River that in ancient times was a designated place of refuge is the only area in the Holy Land that links the lives of Abraham, Lot, Moses, Job, David, Ruth, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Reminders of their stories are everywhere in Jordan.
Jordan is the home for Mount Nebo, where Moses gazed upon the Land he could not enter; Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John at the east of the Jordan River; Madaba, home of the oldest mosaic map of the Holy Land; Lot’s Cave, where Lot and his daughters sought refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and many more.
The events and lessons of the Holy Scriptures flow through the landscape much like the river that bears the country’s name. If you want to walk in the footsteps of the Prophets and truly immerse yourself in the stories of the Bible, Jordan is the destination.
While in Jordan
Travelers will still need to sign up on the gateway2jordan.gov.jo platform to receive a QR code for border entry and entry to hotels, restaurants, and public areas. A declaration via the platform must also be signed which states in case of having any COVID-19 symptoms during their stay, a rapid test or a PCR test must be conducted. In the case of a positive test result, the traveler must self-quarantine for 5 days.
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