BIBLICAL JORDAN
Amman - As-Salt - Anjara - Tel Mar Elias - Pella - Um Qais - Kerak - Mukawir - Bethany - Petra
8 DAYS – 7 NIGHTS
Day 01: Arrival – Amman
Upon arrival to Queen Alia International airport, meet our office representative who will assist you in the immigration and customs formalities. Head to your hotel in Amman. Overnight in Amman.
Day 02: Amman – As-Salt – Amman Panoramic Tour – Amman
Breakfast, we head to visit the ancient town of As-Salt were you see will visit the downtown area, the museum. As-Salt was once the most important city in the area between the Jordan Valley and the eastern desert due to its historical importance as the trading link between the eastern desert and the west. Head just outside of As-Salt where lies the tomb of Ayyub (Job), a wealthy and powerful man who endured hardships to prove his loyalty to God. Then head back to Amman for a panoramic tour of the capital city (no stops at sites). Overnight in Amman.
Day 03: Amman – Jerash – Anjara – Tel Mar Elias – Amman
Breakfast, head to visit the ancient Roman city of Jerash, including the paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, theaters, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls. Now proceeding to Anjara, the town where Jesus Christ, his mother Mary and his disciples passed through and rested in a nearby cave now commemorated with the church of Our Lady of the Mountain. To the west is Tall Mar Elias, the site where the prophet Elijah is believed to have ascended to Heaven in a whirlwind on a chariot of fire. Both Tall Mar Elias and Anjara are Millennium 2000 Pilgrimage sites designated by the Vatican. Overnight in Amman.
Day 04: Amman – Pella – Um Qais – Amman
Breakfast, transfer to visit Pella where you can see the remains of a Chalcolithic settlement the 4th millennium BC, Byzantine churches and houses and a small medieval mosque. Proceed to Um Qais, previously known as Gadara, a city renowned as the site of the famous miracle of the Gadarene swine, a cultural center in its time and the home to several classical poets and philosophers. Promenade through Um Qais and see its colonnaded street, vaulted terrace and the ruins of two theaters. Overnight in Amman.
Day 05: Amman – Madaba – Mt. Nebo – Kerak – Petra
Breakfast, visit Madaba, a city best known for the famous 6th century Mosaic map of Jerusalem & Holy Land and for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics. Proceed to Mt. Nebo (site only as the church is closed down for renovation) a city mentioned in the bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the promised land that he would never enter. Head south of Jordan to visit Kerak Castle. Kerak Castle is a Crusaders’ Castle built on a triangular plateau dating back to the 12th century. Continue to your hotel in Petra for the night. Overnight in Petra.
Day 06: Petra
Breakfast, visit the Nabatean Red Rose city of Petra, one of the 7 world wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enter the city through 1KM long narrow gorge which is flanked either side by 80m high cliffs! Notice the dazzling colors and formations of the rocks. The site is massive, and contains hundreds of elaborated rock-cut tombs, a treasury, Roman-style theaters, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets. The site flourished during Nabatean rule from the 3rd century BC to the early 2nd century AD, when it was occupied by the Roman Emperor Trajan. Petra seems to have been mentioned in the Old Testament under several possible names, including Sela and Joktheel (2 Kings 14:7). Overnight in Petra.
Day 07: Petra – Mukawir – Dead Sea – Bethany – Dead Sea
Breakfast, transfer to the north west of Jordan to visit two significant biblical sites: Mukawir and Bethany. Mukawir is the site of Machaerus, mentioned in the New Testament as the palace in which Salome danced in exchange for the head of Johan the Baptist on a platter (Mark 6:21-29). Spend tour hours at the Dead sea (lunch is included) before setting off to Bethany for a quick visit and spending the night at the pilgrimage house there. Overnight in the Dead Sea.
Day 08: Dead Sea – Departure
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home. End of our services, we hoped you enjoyed yourselves and to see you again someday in Jordan.
This is a sample itinerary and a tailor-made program can be offered upon request. For individual or group travelers, tour services may include the following:
• Meet and greet, assistance with visa formalities.
• Accommodation as per your chosen hotels category (3, 4 & 5 stars).
• Transportation in a modern A/C vehicles with English speaking drivers.
• Meal Plan, Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, at hotels or in local restaurants.
• Entrance fees to all archeological sites.
• Multi-lingual guides.