After our city tour of Amman , the second day of our Jordanian adventure will focus on northern Jordan. We'll depart from Amman, travel to Jerash , then Ajlum , and return to Amman at the end of the day. Everything was perfect except for the rain, which proved remarkably faithful, following us everywhere. Even when it let up, it only returned with renewed vigor!
Road trip in the North of Jordan - Map of our itinerary
It took us the whole day to visit the two biggest tourist sites in northern Jordan: Jerash and Ajloum. Here is the itinerary of our route:
Northern Jordan - Visit Jerash
While a simple guidebook from Routard or Lonely Planet is usually sufficient for visiting certain tourist sites, for Jerash (the city of 1000 pillars), I strongly advise you to take a local guide.
Indeed, Jerash is one of the most beautifully preserved Roman cities in the Near East , geographically vast and boasting a wealth of remains. The ruins are numerous and impressive. It's impossible to see everything in half a day. The sites that I found most interesting (in my opinion) were:
- Hadrian's Arch,
- the Hippodrome,
- the long colonnaded street,
- theater.
Without a guide, it's difficult to know where to go first, which monuments to focus on and to understand the history of the place ... You can book a local guide at the entrance to the site in front of the ticket office, it will really give meaning and meaning. interest in your visit!
The ancient city of Jerash, inhabited without discontinuity for 6 years, experienced its golden age during the time of the Roman Empire. Hidden under the sand before being discovered and restored for 500 years, Jerash is adorned with cobbled streets, colonnades, immense temples on the crests of hills, theaters, public squares, thermal baths, walls ...
Its architecture, religion and history are the result of the mixing and coexistence of two powerful cultures, that of the Grecoromans of the Mediterranean and that of the Arabs of the East. What gives a tasty mixture of West and East!
Eat inexpensively in Jérash - Bon plan local restaurant
With the fatigue, the rain, the very very cool temperatures… at 13 pm we were obsessed with the idea of eating hot and plentiful. It was in a small restaurant across the street opposite the entrance to the Visitor Center that we could eat local and inexpensive (3 JOD a meal).
We tried a Mensaf (or Mansaf), the national dish of Jordan. It's a Bedouin specialty normally made with lamb cooked in curdled milk and served on a large platter with plenty of rice mixed with almonds. Ours was made with chicken and was more than enough to satisfy our hunger!
Northern Jordan - Ajloun and its fortified castle Qala'at ar-Rabad
After lunch, we take the road to Ajlum. The landscapes are superb with fields of olive trees and large wild spaces.
We arrive at the restored fortified castle of Qala'at ar-Rabad, located on a hill from which the view over Tiberias and Judea is impressive. A superb example of Islamic architecture, the fortress overlooks much of the Jordan Valley to the north.
Historically, it dominated the three main access routes to the Jordan Valley and protected the trade routes connecting Jordan and Syria. It became an important link in the chain of defense against the Crusaders who, for decades, tried in vain to seize the castle and the nearby village.
See the continuation of our tour in Jordan with day 3 on the King's Highway …