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Day 1:
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Ajloun – Anjara – Tel Mar Alias,
You will start your day by visiting Ajloun – Overlooking the windswept olive groves of Ajloun are the remnants of the humble beginnings of a man revered in the three Abrahamic faiths – Elijah.
Next is a visit to Anjara which is mentioned in the Bible as a place where Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples, passed through and rested in a nearby cave.
The cave, which has long been a Holy place for pilgrims, has now been commemorated with a modern shrine / church of Our Lady of the Mountain.
Up the winding roads leading from the village of Wahadneh lies Tel Mar Elias, one of the largest Byzantine churches in Jordan and an ancient site of pilgrimage, worship and interfaith coexistence.
Inscriptions on the Byzantine church and its mosaics led many to believe that the structure was built in honor of Elias (Elijah), the site is not to be confused with Tel Elias near the Baptism Site, which is where some believe Elijah ascended to heaven. |
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Day 2:
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Amman – Umm Qais – Pella,
In the morning you will be visiting Amman Citadel, Archeological and the Jordanian Museum.
Then visit old Decapolis city of Gadara (modern-day Umm Qais), this is the place where Jesus taught the people about the Kingdom of God and performed his miracles.
It has been built directly over a Roman-Byzantine tomb and has a view into the tomb from the interior of the church, it is also located alongside the old Roman city gate on the road from the Sea of Galilee.
Then visit the sites of Penuel (modern-day Pella) and Mahanaim, have long been identied with two sites in north-central Jordan – Telul ed-Dahab al-Gharbi and Telul ed-Dahab al-Sharqi (the eastern and western hills of gold), Pella then known as Tabaqet Fahl, witnessed a determining battle between Muslims and Christian Romans. |
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Day 3:
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Madaba – Nebo – Kerak (King’s Way) Petra,
The Kings’ Highway is the world’s oldest continuously used communication route. It used to link ancient Bashan, Giliad, and Ammon in the north with Moab, Edom, Paran, and Midian in the south.
Next drive to Madaba and its hinterlands were repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament as Madaba, it was featured in narratives related to Moses and the Exodus, David’s war against the Moabites, Isaiah’s oracle against Moab, and King Mesha of Moab’s rebellion against Israel, some of the finest art of the early Christian centuries can still be seen in Madaba city and its surrounding regions in central Jordan, visit Church of Saint George, mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
Next visit Mount Nebo, Mount Nebo’s windswept promontory, overlooking the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho, and the distant hills of Jerusalem, Moses viewed the Holy Land of Canaan that he would never enter. He died and was buried in Moab, “in the valley opposite Beth-peor” but his tomb remains unknown.
Drive up to Kerak castle you will visit the huge castle where Saladin and Richard Lionheart fought during the crusade, then drive to Petra for dinner and over night. |
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Day 4:
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Petra – sightseeing,
In the morning, you will start your visit to Petra; the city carved into the rose-red Mountains by the Nabateans and lost to Civilization until re-discovered by the Swiss Burkhardt. Walk through the Siq, a narrow and winding fissure between the cliffs, to reach the Treasury, the Nabatean Theater, the royal tombs, the Roman Road, the great temple, the temple of the Winged Lion and the basin.
During the time of Jesus and the Apostles, one of the East Mediterranean’s greatest trading centers was located in the southern Jordan city of Petra, the extensive rock-cut capital of the Nabataean Kingdom.
During the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites passed through the Petra area in Edom, local tradition says that the spring at Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses), just outside Petra, is the place where Moses struck the rock and brought forth water.
The Bible says that Moses was not allowed to enter the Holy Land but could only glimpse it from Mount Nebo because he struck the rock with his rod to bring forth water, instead of speaking to it, as God had commanded.
Aaron, the brother of Moses and Miriam, who was called by God to be Moses’ prophet, died in Jordan and was buried in Petra at Mount Hor, now called Jabal Harun in Arabic (Mount Aaron).
A Byzantine church and later an Islamic shrine/tomb of Aaron were built on the summit of the mountain, which today attracts pilgrims from all over the world. Aaron was the first High Priest of the Bible and is remembered for the beautiful blessing that God commanded him to give people. |
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Day 5:
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Petra – Wadi Rum,
In the morning, transfer to Wadi Rum, you shall pass the famous Seven Pillars of Wisdom, described by Lawrence of Arabia and explore Wadi Rum by jeep for four hours, escorted by your guide. You shall see lawrance spring, and the inscriptions made by the Thamudic and Nabatean people centuries ago, Khazzall Canyon, climb one of the little rock bridges.
Then to Umm fruth Bridge – lawrence house, climb sand dunes – then drive south to Aqaba, check in, dinner and overnight. |
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Day 6:
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Aqaba – St. Catherine – Mount Sinai – Aqaba,
Early morning, you will be sailing to Sinai to visit St. Catherine’s Monastery; Located at Mount Moses was constructed by order of the Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565.
It has been called the oldest working Christian monastery and the smallest diocese in the world. Relics are stored in a marble reliquary in the Basilica, we have additional pictures of this church, and of its interior.
Then back to Aqaba to your hotel for overnight. |
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Day 7:
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Aqaba – Lot’s cave – Lot’s wife Pillar – Dead Sea – Amman,
On a hillside above the town of Zoar (modern-day Safi), Byzantine Christians built a church and monastery dedicated to Saint Lot.
The infamous Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities of the Dead Sea plain were the subjects of some of the most dramatic and enduring Old Testament stories.
As they were leaving the burning city of Sodom, Lot’s wife disobeyed God’s order not to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt, and his two daughters survived and fled to a cave (Lot’s cave), near the small town of Zoar (modern-day Safi), the Bible says Lot’s daughters gave birth to sons whose descendents would become the Ammonite and Moabite people, whose kingdoms were in what is now central Jordan.
Next will arrive at Dead Sea the lowest point on earth, and will have free time for swimming float, mud bath, a day of leisure. and then transfer to Amman for your hotel. |
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Day 8:
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Baptism site – Mekawer – Umm Al Rasas,
You will start the day by visiting Baptism site which is your next stop, Bethany beyond the Jordan River, (The Baptism site), for Christians, the most significant event associated with the River Jordan is undoubtedly the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, the site, known in Arabic as al-Maghtas, is located at the head of a lush valley just east of the Jordan River.
Then visit Mukawir, a fortress set on a high hill near the Dead Sea, it is the site of one of Herod’s palaces, and has the tradition of being where Salome danced and John the Baptist was beheaded. From the top of this mountain it is possible to see Herod’s two other mountain-top palaces, Herodium near Bethlehem and Alexandrium near Jericho.
Next visit Umm Ar-Rasas was mentioned on both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, most of the city now lies in ruins, but there are several buildings in its eastern part, including churches, a courtyard with a well, staircases and stone arches that have all been excavated and restored, visit the recently unearthed Church of Saint Stephen with its perfectly preserved outstanding mosaic, which depicts the images of 27 Old and New Testament cities of the Holy Land, east and west of the River Jordan.
Then see the highest standing ancient tower in Jordan, Just two kilometers north of Umm Ar-Rasas which is believed to have been used as a place of solitude by early Christian monks. The tower is 15 meters high and has no door or inner staircase. |
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