Luxury Jordan Tours

Far more peaceful than you might think, luxury Jordan tours take you through a very young nation--established only in 1923 (Transjordan) and 1949 (Jordan)--in an ancient and hospitable land. Its capital of Amman is friendly, chaotic, and about 5,000 years old. Sprinkled with Roman and Byzantine ruins, the city is a gateway to the ancient wonders of the Middle East. Whether Bible stories or Lawrence of Arabia come mind, Jordan is full of historic associations.

Things to See on Luxury Jordan Tours

Two spectacular sights you'll encounter on luxury Jordan tours are Petra and Wadi Rum. Carved from a cliff face, the city of Petra is as compelling as anything you'll see in the Middle East. Rediscovered in 1812 after being forgotten for a thousand years, Petra was the capital of the ancient Arab Nabateaeans dynasty. Most recently the site of filming for the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Petra is truly breathtaking.

The site of some of the world's most spectacular desert scenery, Wadi Rum is forbidding and majestic, a landscape of rock formations (jebels) and flat sand, but no dunes. T.E. Lawrence--more familiarly known as Lawrence of Arabia--spent a lot of time here during the Arab revolts of the first decades of the 20th century. Much of the filming of the movie was set here as well.

Among the attractions of luxury Jordan tours near Amman are the string of 7th-century Umayyad castles, some of which were built on Roman ruins, some on 3rd-century Nabateaean ruins. Um al-Jimal, Asraq, and Madaba are small towns nearby each distinctive in its own way--Madaba for its 6th-century mosaic map of Palestine, the oasis town of Asraq for its black basalt castle.