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Country profile · Stop III
Petra, Wadi Rum, and the road to the Dead Sea.

Jordan

23 Apr — 5 May 200112 days39 photos
Capital
Amman
Population
5M '01
Currency
JOD
Languages
Arabic
Daily budget
$30 / person
Tap water
No
Field notes

Petra, Wadi Rum, and the road to the Dead Sea.

Jordan was where the trip got biblical — Petra carved into the rose-coloured cliffs, the Dead Sea, the desert of Wadi Rum where Lawrence of Arabia rode through dunes that look like Mars.

We did Jordan in two pieces, around our week in Israel: Amman and Petra first, then back from Tel Aviv to Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and across the King's Highway south.

"Thirty minutes through the canyon, then the Treasury appears between the rocks."
— Petra · 26 April 2001
Jordan
Jordan
Stops in country

Places we stopped.

Petra

10/10

The Nabataean city carved into rose-red sandstone. The Siq leads you in, the Treasury reveals itself, and you have a whole afternoon of cliff temples ahead.

Must seeUNESCORuins

Wadi Rum

9/10

Mars on Earth. Sleep in a Bedouin camp, ride 4×4s through the dunes, watch the rocks change colour at sunset.

Must seeDesert

Dead Sea

8/10

The lowest point on Earth. Float on the surface, smear yourself in mineral mud, and watch the sun set behind the West Bank.

Nature

Amman

6/10

The capital. Roman amphitheatre, the citadel, decent food. A practical base, not a destination on its own.

City

Jerash

7/10

Roman ruins north of Amman — colonnaded streets, an oval forum, two theatres. Quieter than Petra and underrated.

Ruins
Photo album · Jordan 2001

From the road.

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Daily diary

Written from
the road.

23 Apr 2001
Border crossing into Jordan
→
25 Apr 2001
The road south to Petra
→
26 Apr 2001
Walking the Siq at first light
→
30 Apr 2001
Back from Israel: Wadi Rum
→
3 May 2001
The Dead Sea
→
5 May 2001
Crossing into Egypt at Taba
→
Next stop

→ Israel

Continue the journey →