Jordan is trying to attract tourists with unique attractions
Half of the events of the Old Testament (as well as some important ones from the New, for example the baptism of Christ) took place on the territory of present-day Jordan. Many monuments remaining after them are equally revered by both main confessions of the country - Muslims and Christians.
Tolerance, which traditionally determines the relationship between the two world religions in Jordan, favorably distinguishes this country from some others located in this part of the world. And it also contributes a lot to the material well-being of its inhabitants, the tranquility and comfort of its guests. And despite all this, Jordan is very poorly known to the modern domestic tourist. Only since last year has the country begun to actively correct this wrong state of affairs.
The Hermit City
If there is a monument in the entire Middle East that, in terms of its historical and architectural significance, can compete on equal terms with the Egyptian pyramids, it is the lost rock city of Petra. And it is located in Jordan, daily attracting crowds of tourists from all over the world.
The city was carved out almost in the center of modern Jordan, about 300 km from where Amman now stands. The Nabateans (a tribe of Semitic origin) who inhabited this city called it Rekem. The name Petra was given to it by the ancient Greeks. In their language it means 'stone' - the city was entirely carved into rocks of local pink limestone. Under the Greek name, this eighth wonder of the world became known in Europe.
Petra is perhaps the only Jordanian attraction that hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions, of our compatriots have seen with their own eyes, though without realizing what they were looking at. The unique local landscapes served as the set for filming one of the movies about the adventures of Indiana Jones. However, in reality these landscapes are much more majestic and unusual than one can imagine from the American action film.
These natural features of the Petra area apparently left their mark on the character of the city's inhabitants. The first historical information about the local Nabateans dates back to 312 BC, when two commanders of Alexander the Great - Antigonus and Demetrius - several times (and quite unsuccessfully) tried to subjugate the city.
The Nabatean kingdom subsequently managed to defend its independence from the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty and even from the Romans until 106 AD. It was during this period that the most spacious and artistically perfect structures were carved into the rocks. Alas, for most of the next two thousand years, these halls served as inns and cattle yards for nomadic Bedouins. (By the way, local guides continue this good tradition today, sheltering their donkeys in the rock palaces.) And the townspeople left these places after a devastating earthquake that in 363 began the decline of Petra's power and prosperity. The city was rediscovered by Europeans only in 1812, when a fearless Swiss named Burckhardt entered it disguised as a Muslim pilgrim.
The Good Sea – The Dead Sea
Nothing like this huge reservoir of saturated brine exists in any other country in the world, except for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which own the western shore of the Dead Sea. Jordan offers tourists its own, eastern half of such a coast, generally deserted and barren, but adorned with a couple of five-star hotels. It takes only about an hour by car from Amman.
Living creatures cannot survive in the oversalted water of the Dead Sea. However, people become healthier and younger from immersion in this substance. Accordingly, the sea not only receives guests, but also itself disperses to shops and pharmacies of Jordan in the form of cosmetic masks, healing ointments and extracts. Every self-respecting cosmetics store has such products from the Dead Sea.
It is well known that it is impossible to drown in this sea. The water carefully keeps even a dozing person on the surface. The only thing not recommended is that this water gets into the eyes. Unlike other parts of the human body, contact with the brine brings not a healing effect to the eyes, but a wild stinging.
All Roads Lead to Rome
While the Romans were not yet able to cope with the Nabateans, they also were not idle, but built their own cities on the territory of Jordan, the remains of which still serve the country as excellent tourist attractions. Modern Jordanians inherited a great many Roman columns, foundations and roads (in the laying of which this people was especially skilled). But the pearl of that period is considered the city of Jerash, 40 km north of Amman. Interestingly, like Petra, it was ultimately destroyed by an earthquake. But before that, the city flourished for several centuries and attracted eminent foreign guests, among whom was Alexander the Great, who subjugated this area in the 4th century BC. Then it was under the control of the Egyptian Ptolemies.
However, the true flourishing of Jerash began in the 60s BC, when the Romans came here. By their habit, they tried to give the new settlement the maximum resemblance to the distant imperial capital, building a square, several amphitheaters and lining the main streets with slender columns. Excavations show that the city existed until the 7th-8th centuries AD, when many buildings were abandoned. This coincides in time with the earthquake that occurred in these places in 746 or 747. After that, the existence of the city was forgotten so thoroughly that archaeologists currently do not have access to about half of its former territory. Modern neighborhoods have been built on this land, whose residents do not want to move out even out of respect for the historical past.
Open Sesame!
Since last year, visas for foreign citizens in Amman have been issued directly upon arrival for a modest sum of ten Jordanian dinars ($13). On the way back, a fee of five dinars is charged to those leaving. A visa can also be obtained at the Jordanian embassy in Moscow. There this procedure takes one working day.
Unlike some other Arab countries, Jordan does not hinder women traveling independently and does not "turn away" foreigners who have previously been to Israel. And the cost of an average week-long tour to Jordan starts from $800.