Jordan's capital Amman originally was built on seven hills, but now it spreads over at least nineteen hills. It is a city of contrasts, a mixture of ancient and modern, where many civilizations left their mark.

The oldest records refer to Amman as Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonite kingdom. Later on it was called Philadelphia and around 30 BC it became part of the Roman Empire. At that time it was a member of the Decapolis, the famous league of ten cities that were bound by powerful commercial, political and cultural interests.

Nowadays you can still see many remains from ancient times. The Amman Citadel features a lovely view over the hills and valleys of the capital. You may visit the remains of the temple of Hercules, the Ummayyad palace, a Byzantine church and the archaeological museum. Down the hill you may visit the Roman theatre which seats 6,000 and the nearby Grand Husseini Mosque.

Modern Amman also has a lot of entertainment to offer. Varying from modern shopping centres in Sweifiyeh and Abdoun to traditional souqs downtown. Enjoy the taste of Arabic coffee and sweets. Taste the Arabic food in one of the nice restaurants, accompanied by traditional life music. And explore Amman's nightlife and go dancing in one of the many nightclubs

North of Amman lies the city of Jerash, sometimes referred to as the Pompei of the East. Jerash was part of the Graeco-Roman Decapolis, the league of ten cities bound by strong political, social and commercial interests. It's one of the best preserved Roman towns outside Italy. Because Jerash has been covered by sand for centuries its colonnaded streets, baths, theatres, plazas and arches remain in exceptional condition.

A walk through Jerash is a journey in time. Can you imagine yourself being a Roman commander entering the town while riding your chariot over the paved stone? Or perhaps an actor staging a play in the amphitheatre? Or a priest leading a procession up the stairs of the Artemis' temple?

You will enter Jerash through the monumental South Gate. You will walk in the Oval Plaza surrounded by colonnades, visit the Roman theatre and Byzantine churches with mosaic-covered floors. Enjoy a stroll along Jerash' main road the Cardo and pass by the Nymphaeum. You may experience the marvellous acoustics of the theatre, the stage of the Jerash music festival which takes place every year in July. And see for yourself how the Romans built the earthquake-proof columns of the colonnaded streets.

No visit of Jordan will be complete without having seen the capital of the ancient Nabatean kingdom. The long-lost city of Petra, carved entirely by man into the rose-red sandstone rocks, puts your imagination to the test. It's a mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization.

Petra was the central meeting point of the Nabatean spice routes which originated from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About two thousand years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean empire. The city was so renowned that one of its kings, Aretas IV, is even mentioned in the Bible (2 Corinthians 11:32).

The natural richness of the mountainous area combines in a superb way with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans, who carved their theatre, temples, façades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder Unesco placed Petra on its World Heritage List. Because of its beauty and the mysticism surrounding it, through the ages Petra has attracted many writers and painters. The great Scottish artist David Roberts dedicated a series of lithographs to Petra.

One enters Petra by passing the Siq, a small and deep narrow gorge, at the end of which all of a sudden dramatically appears the most famous monument of Petra: al-Khazneh or the Treasury. Maybe you will recognize it as the stage of the final sequence in the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.

But the Treasury is just the start. Walking and climbing in Petra hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-coloured walls will be revealed to you.

Local tradition says the spring of Wadi Mousa, the 'valley of Moses', at Petra is where Moses struck the rock with his rod twice and brought forth water (Numbers 20:10-12). Petra also hosts the shrine commemorating the death of Aaron (Haroun in Arabic), the brother of Moses.

From the Monastery, Ad-Deir, you will have a splendid view over Wadi Araba. And after a long and steep climb you may visit the High Place of Sacrifice and see the obelisks which are believed to represent the most important Nabatean gods, Dushara and Al 'Uzza.