Sights of Jordan
ATTRACTION
Among the most visited are: the perfectly preserved city of columns – Jerash (there are 2 amphitheaters in the city (North and South), 17 churches, several well-preserved ancient cobbled streets framed by columns, which are made in various styles), as well as other cities of the Roman Decapolis (Decapolis); Crusader and Mamluk fortresses; palaces of the Umayyad caliphs; a huge number of places, one way or another connected with the Old and New Testaments (tourists are usually shown only the memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo, standing on which, according to legend, the prophet saw the land for the first and last time, to which God led him for 40 long years and on where, according to the same legend, he found his last home). Jordan is the true place of the baptism of Jesus on the Jordan River and Makavir is the place where the head of John the Baptist was cut off; sulfur and mineral springs, in which the king of Judea, Herod the Great, once lived his body and the cave in which Lot hid with his daughters after the fall of Sodom and Gamorrah; these are olive groves, pines and palms; these are mountains similar to the Sinai and unlike anything Wadi Rum, in which the film about Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. Jordan is an opportunity to visit Petra, carved in the body of a Nubian sandstone, a creation of the Nabataeans, which the Russian press invariably calls the “ninth wonder of the world.”
According to INTERSHIPPINGRATES, Petra is the most visited and interesting historical attraction in Jordan and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located 260 km south of Amman, and the entrance ticket here costs $30. The city, or rather, what is left of it (palaces, residential buildings, steep stairs, public buildings, cobbled streets), makes an indelible impression. “This extraordinary miracle is truly unique, the red-pink city is only younger than time itself,” the English poet and traveler Dean Burgon described Petra. The ancient capital was also mentioned by Strabo in his most famous “Geography” and by Pliny in “Natural History”. There are more than 800 different objects, the vast majority of which are entirely carved into the rock. The first settlements arose here 4,000 years ago. Today, it is to Petra that the vast majority of tourists strive. Some transiting to the Persian Gulf states make a special plan to stop in Jordan to see this mysterious and enchanting place. Biblical places. Five of them are recognized by the Vatican as great shrines. Madaba (biblical Medeba) is located 30 km south of Amman. In the city center, the remains of the road and city buildings are still preserved. The Greek Christian Church of St. George in Madaba is famous for its floor-mounted map of the Middle East, created during the reign of Emperor Justinian. The map shows cities, rivers, the Dead and Mediterranean seas. The city is often called the “city of mosaics” – there are really a lot of them here… You can see the famous archaeological park of Madaba with its ruins of churches, villas and streets. One of the most visited is the memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo – it is here, according to legend, that the prophet Moses was buried. From here, from the top of a high hill overlooking the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley and Jericho, he saw the lands to which he had led his people for 40 years. One of the important sights of the country is the Dead Sea. Some tourists come here specifically for the sake of restorative rest and treatment of various diseases, while others stop here while traveling around the country for one swim in the healing oily waters. “Castles of the desert” – the so-called remains of castles, fortresses, watchtowers, caravanserais and fortified palaces. The main place among them is occupied by the castles of the Crusaders and the Umayyad palaces. They can be visited following in Aqaba or in the eastern regions of the country. In Karak and Shobak there are 2 medieval castles built by the Crusaders in the 12th century. Two other castles – Habisa and Voueira – are located in Petra. By the XII century. the Ajlun fortress, which served as a stronghold for Salah Eddin (Saladdin) during the campaign to expel the crusaders from Jordan and Palestine, also applies. Qasr (“palace” in Arabic) of Amr with its frescoes.
Jordan: Money and currency of Jordan
Money, CURRENCY EXCHANGE Jordanian dinar (JOD), equal to 100 piastres and 1000 fils. In circulation are banknotes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 dinars and coins of 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 25 and 100 dinars. Fils are almost out of use, but 5, 10, 25, 100, 250 and 500 fils coins still have limited circulation.Banks are open from 08:30 to 12:30 and from 15:30 to 17:30 from Saturday to Thursday (the ticket office usually closes at 12:30). During Ramadan, most banks are open only from 08:30 to 10:00, although some large banks are open in the afternoon. Payment for goods and services usually takes place in dinars, foreign currency is almost never accepted for payment. Money can be exchanged at the airport, hotels, banks and specialized exchange offices. Credit cards and traveler’s checks are accepted only in major tourist centers, hotels, ticket offices and large stores (American Express and Visa are the most common – they are accepted almost everywhere, Dinners Club is less widespread, cashing MasterCard cards is also often difficult, so they are better do not use). In the interior of the country, it is almost impossible to pay with credit cards. British Bank of the Middle East accepts Eurocheques. The commission for cashing travelers checks is usually 5 dinars, regardless of the amount.
