"Aqaba!" - Peter O'Toole exclaimed in the epic film "Lawrence of Arabia". For some reason, this exclamation comes to mind when mentioning the only resort in Jordan on the Red Sea. The city is beautiful. A particularly impressive panorama opens from the Gulf of Aqaba: the expanse of water and the picturesque corner of the Hashemite Jordan Kingdoms against the backdrop of cinnamon-colored desert mountains. Aqaba offers its guests any type of holiday: beach, educational, active. All year round, wonderful weather, stunning coral reefs, and the opportunity to engage in various water sports attract fans of drive holidays to the Jordanian Red Sea coast. A cozy resort town Families with children and those who like to combine beach relaxation with sightseeing are increasingly choosing this place.

Video review of the Aqaba resort.

Popular beaches of Aqaba

The exotic beauty of Aqaba attracts people of all ages who crave bright sunshine, clear seas and beautiful views of the mountains stretching into the water. Depending on their preferences, vacationers choose one of three beaches: the northern (North Beach Area), where most hotels are located, the middle (Middle Beach Area) and the southern (South Beach Area). Active tourists have diving clubs, water skiing, windsurfing, parasailing and other “adrenaline” entertainment at their disposal. Coastal coral reefs are as good as those in Egyptian resorts, but there are fewer vacationers in Aqaba, so admiring the colorful world of marine flora and fauna is much more pleasant. During the day you can swim with turtles and dolphins, and during a night dive watch the hunting of underwater predators: crabs, lobsters and others. For those who prefer to “keep their feet dry”, but also want to see the inhabitants of the deep sea, there are boats with a glass bottom.

Attractions of Aqaba

You can break up your idleness on the beach with sightseeing in the ancient town. Five and a half thousand years ago, Aqaba played a significant role in the economy of the region. It was an important junction of land and sea trade routes, a kind of gateway between East and West: the Babylonians, Persians, Nabateans, Byzantines and Romans. Fort Aqaba even today proudly rises with fortress walls with round towers at the corners. It has witnessed many civilizations, served as a military installation and a caravanserai for pilgrims to Mecca. The arched entrance leads into the courtyard to the vaulted chambers. The inscription in Arabic confirms that the fortress was built during the reign of the Mamluks in the 14th century. Not far from the fort is the Archaeological Museum, which houses a large collection of Bronze Age artifacts.

The main attraction and symbol of Aqaba is a giant flagpole topped with the flag of the Arab Revolt, which is visible from neighboring states. It is interesting to explore the ruins of the ancient Islamic city of Ayla, where archaeological excavations are still ongoing.

Sights of Jordan within walking distance

Beachfront Aqaba is a convenient starting point for day trips to Jordan's iconic sites. The Wadi Rum desert is only 55 kilometers from the resort, but the trip can take two days. Enchanted by the stunning “cosmic” landscapes, which served as the location for the filming of a number of cult films, tourists stay overnight in Bedouin tribes to spend longer among the red sands and watch the sunrise.

A two-hour drive from any hotel in Aqaba is the main attraction of Jordan - Petra. Carved from red sandstone, the “Pink City” is mesmerizing. And although the hike between the towering cliffs along the famous Petra Canyon may seem tiring, the ancient architectural masterpieces that open to the eyes of travelers are worth it.

In the bay near Egyptian Taba there is Pharaoh's Island with a preserved medieval citadel. The fortress was visited by Lawrence of Arabia. It is interesting to go on a sea excursion and explore a small island. But returning to Aqaba also leaves an unforgettable impression: the view of the city from the bay is stunning.

Evening entertainment in Aqaba

Evening walks along the shore are pleasant. Traditionally, local residents gather on the embankment, socialize, smoke hookah, play backgammon, have dinner, drink coffee, watching the sun set over the Gulf of Aqaba and night follows day. Fishermen return with their catch, the smell of fried fish mixes with the aroma of freshly ground coffee... The cuisine in Jordan is tasty, satisfying and inexpensive. In the center of Aqaba they prepare good hummus, falafel, and shawarma. In restaurants on the shore you can taste fish with rice and tomatoes, fresh seafood, and traditional Afro-Arab dishes. Includes magnificent panoramic views of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Note to tourists: any cafe or restaurant has wi-fi - that’s understandable. Free wi-fi is available throughout the city - that’s nice.

There is no nightlife as such in Aqaba. The only disco is open on the territory of the Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resort 5* hotel.

Shopping, souvenirs

Jordan maintains a rich heritage of crafts. You can bring unique souvenirs from the country: kilims (handmade carpets), miniature mosaics, painted ostrich eggs, bottles with intricate patterns made of colored sand, beads and Bedouin silver jewelry. The market street, where spices, sweets and other “joys of the east” are sold, is located behind the main mosque. Aqaba is a duty-free zone, which is also nice.

Holidays in Aqaba

Framed by magnificent sandy beaches, amber mountains and shimmering desert, Aqaba is like a golden glow. The resort impresses with its relaxed atmosphere, pleasant climate and convenient location not far from the main attractions of Jordan. It's no surprise that the place is becoming increasingly popular. Here you can spend a fantastic holiday, and at any time of the year with guaranteed beautiful weather. Aqaba is a worthy alternative to Egyptian resorts. Come and see!

There are crystal clear waters and good conditions for recreation. Thanks to the mountains, Aqaba has a special microclimate: you can swim all year round; in the winter months the water temperature does not drop below +22 °C, but in the summer the real heat comes only in the afternoon.

For temperature-sensitive tourists, it is better to come to Aqaba in autumn, winter or spring: summer can be too hot.

• Do you need a Jordan visa to travel around the country when entering through Aqaba?
• Do I need to get a visa to Jordan when flying to Aqaba via Amman?

Search for air tickets to Amman (the nearest airport to Aqaba)

Transport

Hundreds of yellow private taxis ply the streets picking up tourists and locals; they are all practically the same, except that some cars are equipped with air conditioning. It is better to agree on the fare in advance, before boarding.

Minibuses connect residential areas of Aqaba with the city center. Passengers can board and disembark anywhere along the route, with stops in Aqaba available upon request. The central station is located opposite the police office on King Talal st, less than 10 minutes walk from the center (Ayla square, Al-Hussein Bin Ali Mosque).

Maps of Aqaba

Weather forecast

Average monthly temperature, °C day and night, water

January

February

March

April

• June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  november

  December

Cuisine and restaurants

The Italian restaurant Casalingo at the Movenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay (South Beach Road - Tala Bay Area; opening hours: 18:30 to 23:30) has a modern Mediterranean design and features a wood-fired pizza oven. Casalingo offers traditional Italian dishes, seasonal dishes, excellent pizza and a fine selection of wines. The dishes are prepared by an Italian chef. Visitors can eat on the terrace or in the air-conditioned room.

The Red Sea Grill at Movenpick Resort & Residence Aqaba (not to be confused with the first one, located on King Hussein St, P; opening hours: 19:00 to midnight) is open only during the summer and serves fresh seafood. For example, grilled fish and shellfish combined with Afro-Arab cuisine. Add to this a wonderful view of the Gulf of Aqaba from the restaurant terrace.

In the city center you can find take-out food - hummus, falafel, shawarma.

Alerzal or Al-Erzal (Aqaba Gate complex) is a Lebanese restaurant where you can taste national cuisine and Mezza combined with seafood and grilled meat. This is the best Lebanese restaurant in Aqaba, which has two rooms - on the water and on land. The specially equipped Harmattan Boat offers a sophisticated lunch or dinner cruise around the bay, where you can see the beautiful coral of the Red Sea (with a dive instructor on board).

One of the city's most famous restaurants is located at The Royal Yacht Club. Here you can find seafood cuisine at prices comparable to Western ones. Service is fast. Open - for dinner only.

Not far from the Yacht Club, behind McDonald's, there is an excellent 35 Degrees East (longitude of Aqaba), which opens only after noon. European food is prepared very well here, including steaks and seafood. Prices are European, higher than in other restaurants in Jordan. Also notable is the Syrian Palace restaurant (Raghadan Street, Hayl al madina, on the right side of the Al Shuala Hotel).

Aqaba is a duty-free zone and is partially isolated from the rest of Muslim Jordan. Many shops offer a wide selection of inexpensive alcohol and cigars.

Beaches of Aqaba

Most of the beaches belong to hotels, the rest are publicly accessible, and mostly locals relax on them. In the northern part of the city the beaches are sandy, closer to the south they are rocky, with coral reefs close to the shore.

Aqaba Hotels

The most luxurious hotels in Aqaba, with an international audience and cuisine, are Movenpick Resort and Intercontinental. But the resort also has a lot of budget hotels - without much luxury and glitz, but a clean room and a hearty breakfast are guaranteed.

A little advice that applies to all hotels in Aqaba: rooms overlooking the sea, of course, look more prestigious than those overlooking the streets, but since the sea is located in the south, the constant sun in a “sea” room can be very hot.

The Tala Bay luxury complex has opened 9 km from Aqaba with its own 2 km long beach, private estates, infrastructure and hotels. One of them is already operating - Radisson SAS Tala Bay.

Diving in Aqaba

There are 6 scuba diving centers in Aqaba offering training according to the standards of the PADI, SSI or BS-AC associations. Underwater visibility averages 35-40 m. During plankton blooms (April-May), visibility can decrease to 10-15 m, but at the height of summer it reaches 50 m or even more.

The most popular diving center, The Royal Diving Center, located 15 km south of the city, has its own sandy beach with one of the most interesting dive sites. The Al Kazar Hotel's Sea Star Dive Center offers beginner training and night dives upon request. Al Morjan Club has showers, a snack bar, equipment rental and a swimming pool; You can get there by taxi or free bus from the diving center at the Al Kazar Hotel.

In total, the resort has about 30 noteworthy dive sites, which are easily reached by boat. Many reefs are very close to the shore, so you can enjoy the underwater world there lightly, armed with just a mask and snorkel. Even beginners can find an interesting and easy dive there.

Guides in Aqaba

Entertainment and attractions of Aqaba

The fortress near the embankment in the city center, the archaeological excavations on the Tell al-Khalifa hill, the Aqaba Research Station Aquarium, the Museum of Antiquities adjacent to the fort, as well as the museum in the house of Hussein Ben Ali, the great-grandfather of King Hussein.

Posted By website on 02/24/2017

Trip to Aqaba Jordan – our reviews.

The largest resort port city of Jordan on the Red Sea.

According to the schedule: those who go at 13-00 get a lunch break, and many of their establishments are not open at this time. And those who go at 17, are already going in complete darkness. , it is better to take a warm windbreaker with you. Getting around Aqaba is quite easy; from the bus station we go down the pedestrian crossing to the embankment. Attention! In Jordan, cars are not inferior to pedestrians, even if the pedestrian has already started moving and reached the middle of the road. You have to cross the roadway, dodging cars. No one will let you pass or slow down. During the entire evening, only one driver let us through, most likely it was a tourist who had rented a car.

The second feature of Aqaba, and, in general, Jordanian cities, is that when you walk along the sidewalk, green cars constantly honk at you - these are taxis. At first, especially girls, they fall into a stupor from such attention. Every 5-7 meters beep, beep, because... taxis in the city make up 50 percent of the total traffic flow. Then, over time, you realize that they honk at everyone you meet, especially with bags in their hands, and you stop paying attention to it. Aqaba - Aqaba has been a tourist city for quite a long time and, although there is plenty of garbage everywhere, the town is quite interesting, a typical urban seaside Arab town. It feels especially colorful when you are standing near one of the largest national flags, on the highest flagpole, and then the call to prayer is heard from a nearby mosque.

Gulf of Aqaba

In the bay there are a lot of ocean liners, cargo ships and pleasure boats, it becomes impossible to get rid of the impression that you are on the set of the famous movie about James Bond. In general, if you have never been to an Arab city before, you will have a lot of impressions, especially at sunset.

Regarding harassment

There were several girls on the bus with us who were walking alone in the city. Yes, they were wearing appropriate clothing in the form of a long dress, but still, a lonely blonde in an Arab city looks unreasonable. But everything turned out to be not so scary, everyone returned safely to the hotel.
One of the disadvantages of Arabic stores is that the prices of goods are written in Arabic script rather than in numbers. It is not clear why they were not pleased with their own Arabic numerals. After all, their writing is 2-3 times shorter. Because The city, one might say, is a tourist one, but there are no problems with shopping and spending time. About 40 percent of the sellers know the basic Russian words quite well: buy, price, tea, coffee. If you know the basic nouns in English, then there will be no problems at all.

Upon arrival at the bus stop, on the right in the tourist center, in the form of a pavilion, you can pick up free tourist brochures in Russian about famous places and objects of Jordan and Aqaba, in particular. Including a map of Aqaba. The layout of Aqaba is simple, it is difficult to get lost. As a last resort, you can always ask any taxi driver to take you to McDonald's, located across the street opposite the place where the hotel bus drops off and picks up. And getting to the hotel by taxi is relatively inexpensive, 5 dinars.
The main tourist streets are located like this: a two-lane road along the bay, past the beach, will lead you to the famous Jordanian flag, on the way to it you can exchange dollars for dinars, having previously assessed your expenses, because It is not profitable to buy in dollars.

Attractions of Aqaba - Jordan

The largest flag in the world is the 40-meter flag of Jordan at Uprising Square (also a small pier for pleasure boats).
From the pier of the Great Arab Revolt Plaza, where the famous 40-meter flag is located, there is an excellent view of the coastal part of Aqaba. One of the mosques is located nearby. All the colorful colors of the Arab city in one place. A huge banner of 20x40 meters with a height of 137 meters looks very interesting, at least you are unlikely to see something similar anywhere else. The 137 meter flagpole, not including the height of the supporting structure, is the tallest in the world.
The flag banner commemorates the great Arab revolt for independence of 1916, led by Sherif Hussein Bin Ali against the Ottoman Empire (Great Arab Revolt).

Salodin Aqaba Fortress

At the entrance to the pier to the flag, there is the Salodin fortress, when we were there it was under repair and they were not allowed inside.
Near the flag just above are the ruins of a Mamluk fortress. On the tablets (see photo) it is written in Arabic that the fortress was built by Sultan Kansur Al-Ghauri (1510-1517).
The Aqaba Mamluk fortress was used for a long time, including by pilgrims heading to Mecca. This Arab fortress was badly damaged during shelling in the First World War. Its restoration is now underway.

Nearby here, higher up, there should be a museum of Aqaba somewhere, but... We were late, he was no longer working. Near the flag, everyone takes pictures with views of the bay from the pier; I repeat, the place is picturesque.

Shopping in Aqaba - what to bring from Jordan

After the flag we go back, but we are already walking on the opposite side of the street. We cross the street at the pedestrian crossing, very carefully. 100-200 m from the flag, Arab trading shops begin, despite the fact that a lot of smaller streets branch off from the main embankment of the street, it is difficult to get lost in them, especially if you keep in mind where the sea is. And the famous flag located in the bay is visible, perhaps, from anywhere in Aqaba. It is better to buy coffee and tea in stores where there are many local buyers, especially if you are not well versed in Arabic varieties. It is easiest to take those varieties that are in greatest demand among Arabs, i.e. those which, in glass cases, have the least grains left. The most popular varieties are usually the most predictable. Of course, you can smell it, but aroma and taste are not the same thing.
In general, Aqaba is a small port city, yes, there are drawbacks, the same cigarette butts are almost everywhere, there is also garbage, but there is not so much of it.
And those who come to plunge into the atmosphere of an Arab city will be pleased. Even those who don't know English. No returns without purchases. For a small According to our statistics, in Aqaba, people mainly buy the following:

1. Arabic coffee in a branded package 6-8 dinars per kg,
2. Arabic tea 2-4 dinars per 100 g,
3. magnets – 1 dinar per piece,
4. Arabic halva and other sweets,
5. nuts,
6. mango 2 dinars per kg, one mango has 500 grams,
7. pomegranate 2.5 dinars per kg.

Real natural pomegranate and mango, much tastier than those sold in Russian supermarkets.

You also need to understand that life in Jordan is on average 2 times more expensive than in the Russian Federation, it’s not the Arabs who are wrong, it’s something wrong with our national currency - the ruble. The dinar exchange rate since 1984 has been fixed at $1 = 0.67 dinars. More
Regarding the behavior of the Arabs, I can say the following, mostly they pester with their services, only taxi drivers, but everything is quite civilized. Go wherever you want, no one cares about you. Yes, girls are constantly being looked at, but no problems with harassment have been noticed. Although, in my opinion, walks of lonely blond girls still look somewhat stupid, since even according to the guide, out of 300,000 thousand inhabitants there will still be a couple of fanatics or simply sick people, so it is more prudent to stay in groups, and it is better to walk with your other half.

At the southern outskirts of Jordan, stretching along the coast of the northern Red Sea, is located one of the most picturesque cities in this country - Aqaba. It stands on the bay of the same name and is surrounded by beautiful mountains.

This place has a long history, it was conquered by various conquerors, which led to a change of cultures (the culture of Roman times, pre-biblical and biblical times, the Crusades, the Egyptian Mamluk sultans, the Arabs). The area was originally used as a trading port, intended to transport goods from the Red Sea to the Far East. It occupied a favorable location and played an important role for sea and land trade routes.

Nowadays Aqaba is a resort city and the only seaport of Jordan, which attracts many tourists all year round. For them, this picturesque city, reminiscent of an oasis in the surrounding desert, offers advantages including: magnificent natural sites, sunny weather, a wealth of historical and cultural sites that are ideal for walking in the fresh air.

List of attractions and interesting places:

It is better to start your journey around the city from the embankment stretching along the Gulf of Aqaba. Here you can see a fantastic panorama of the bay and the entire city, as well as the other side, where Israel is located.

Not far from the amazing beauty of the embankment, in the central part of the city, a majestic mosque will certainly catch the eye of travelers, its name is Al-Sharif Al-Hussein bin Ali Mosque. The building is snow-white, built according to Muslim canons. Everything here is hospitable and friendly, you must visit the mosque after taking off your shoes, covering your head and shoulders with clothes, you cannot interrupt a person praying, photography is allowed, excursions are conducted in Russian.

Location: Al Malik Husayn.

Flagpole, flag of the Arab Revolution – Arab Revolt Flagpole

One of the main attractions of the city is the flagpole, This is the Flag of the Arab Revolution, in memory of the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916. The huge flag is visible not only from any part of the city, but even from the neighboring country - Israel, and even Egypt.

Mamluk fort (Mamluk fortress)

Not far from here is the Mamluk Fort, or Mamluk Fortress, rising on the shores of the Red Sea and surrounded by palm trees, one of the main historical monuments. It was built to protect the port and ships from the raids of nomads who encroached on the port during the heyday of the Roman Empire. Quite often altered by the Mamluks in the 16th century.

Its appearance is mesmerizing - semicircular towers on the sides of the square fortress, whose area is approximately 250 km²; unique inscriptions made in the Middle Ages and reminiscent of the times of the last Islamic dynasty are still visible on the walls. The fortress is currently being restored, but it is always open to visitors. The Mamluk fort is a most picturesque place; it is very suitable for creating wonderful photographs as a souvenir of your holiday in this wonderful country.

In ancient times, on the site of the modern city of Aqaba, stood the Islamic city of Ayla, which once belonged to the Roman Empire. In ancient times, there was a road leading to the north of the country here, it passed between the rocks. That is why the city received the name Aqaba - from the ancient “Akabat Ayla”, meaning “Passage of Ayla”.

In biblical times, during the reign of King Solomon, there are references to it as a crossroads of trade routes from Europe, Africa and Asia. Now right in the center of the modern city, any traveler can see the archaeological excavations. The gates and city walls, various towers, structures and a mosque are already open to view.

The museum contains exhibits that are several thousand years old, these are exhibits from the 7-12th century BC, as well as the oldest example from 4000 BC and a collection of coins. The museum is located near the Mamluk fort and flagpole.

The city beach of Aqaba attracts with its accessibility, proximity to the center, and you can meet many local residents there. The only negative is that the roadway is very close, which interferes with a quiet rest.

South Beach of Aqaba consists of several beaches. These places are better suited for a relaxing holiday, unlike the Central Beach, since it is almost never crowded here, because the recreation areas are quite wide. Some of the best diving spots can be found among these beaches.

Aqaba Marine Park is attractive to divers and all tourists who are fans of water sports. The park is a closed area, has a complex of coral reefs, diving is very interesting, there are both daytime and nighttime, and new diving sites continue to be explored.

Equipment can be purchased directly on the spot - in the park's shops, and you can also hire a diving instructor. There is a local restaurant and shops for purchasing souvenirs. You can just swim and enjoy the sun.

For family tourists coming with children, it will be interesting to visit the Aquarium of the Marine Science Center, which is a nature reserve (admission is paid). It is located next to the port and the Flag of Aqaba. It contains all the flora and fauna of the Red Sea.

There is a large swimming pool on site, which represents the bottom of the bay. In the museum, located on the territory of the scientific center, tourists admire exhibits of sea inhabitants. Guests will also enjoy amazing entertainment, including feeding marine inhabitants. There are restaurants, shops with souvenirs and pearl jewelry.

Diving Center - Deep Blue Dive Center

Since 2008, a company has been operating in Aqaba, providing high quality services to hundreds of divers, its name is Deep Blue Dive Center. Training is provided here at all levels, from beginners to experienced divers.

Tourists easily make their first test dives with the center's qualified staff. A high standard of safety, quality service, maximum attention to clients, the beauty of the Gulf of Aqaba, the unique and captivating Red Sea - tourists will encounter all this at the Deep Blue Dive Center.

Location: Al Nahda St. P.O.Box - 208.

There are many diving spots in the Gulf of Aqaba; the most popular among tourists is the place called “Japanese Gardens”. This name comes from the fascinating appearance of black coral bushes; such formations appear already at a depth of five meters. Divers dive to a maximum depth of 20 meters and observe a unique view of the underwater world of the Red Sea with its rich flora and fauna. All divers' dives are carried out under the supervision of an experienced instructor.

To attract diving tourists, 32 years ago they decided to sink a Lebanese cargo ship off the coast of Aqaba. Its wreckage is located at a depth of 25 meters, approximately 130 meters from the coastline, on the Rainbow Reef and Japanese Garden coral reefs.

The sunken ship is truly a fantastic sight. Divers with good experience have the opportunity to examine the surface of the ship, study the remains of a sunken ship, as well as the flora and fauna of the Red Sea.

Location: street.

Right in the center of Aqaba you can find: a vegetable market, a meat market, a fish market, restaurants and numerous shops with an excellent selection of handmade clothes, carpets, glassware, ceramics, wall decorations.

The Aqaba Gold Market is widely known; those interested can purchase gold and silver jewelry. And book lovers are advised to go to bookstores, with a huge selection of books. You cannot ignore the famous handmade carpets, which can be purchased in the shops starting from the very embankment of this beautiful seaside city. It is important to note that Aqaba has received duty-free status; accordingly, goods are much cheaper than in other Jordanian cities.

Jordan(Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) is an Arab state located in the Middle East. The main part of the country's area is occupied by deserts, hills and mountains, where there is practically no vegetation.

At the same time, the food, textile, oil refining and tobacco industries are developing well in it, phosphates are mined, and cement is made.

Jordan also represents scientific and cultural center of the entire Middle East, it has more than forty large educational institutions, including those with a military profile. And unique ancient monuments and resorts attract a huge number of tourists here. This country is considered very friendly towards visiting guests of any nationality and religion.

Geographical position

The location is western part of Asia, in the south it is washed by the Red Sea. Its boundaries are defined as follows:

• In the northern part - Syria;
• In the northeastern part - Iraq;
• In the eastern and southern parts - Saudi Arabia;
• In the western part - Israel And Palestinian Authority.

Due to the peculiarities of the geographical location in Jordan, mainly warm and dry weather.

At any time of the year, the water temperature in the Red and Dead Seas ranges from twenty to twenty-two degrees.

Sights of Jordan on the map

Jordan can be called unique country, which has about twenty thousand ancient monuments, many of which were built in the Neolithic era. At the same time, they are surprisingly combined with modern buildings.

Petra

Petra is very unusual rock city, a mention of which is still in the Bible, and its construction still holds many mysteries. Due to the reddish-pink color of the rocks, it is often called the “pink city”. It is believed that this is where Moses extracted water from the rocks.

The river that flows in Petra is called Wadi Musa (River of Moses). According to the research, we can say that the construction of the city began more than two thousand years ago, and initially it was miraculously carved out of the rocks.

Its history is rich in various events and well-preserved ancient buildings made it possible to include Petra in UNESCO World Heritage List. Also at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was recognized as one of new seven wonders of the world.

The beginning of the journey through the rock city is entrance to a narrow gorge, surrounded by very high cliffs.

There is no sunlight entering the gorge, and without additional lighting, movement proceeds in complete darkness.

Then the path becomes a little brighter, and you can already see the niches that were carved into the rocks to house the statues.

The exit from the tunnel usually occurs in the bright light of the sun, and a large building with two names catches the eye - Al Khazneh And Pharaoh's Treasury.

It is believed that the construction of Al-Khazneh was the second century AD. It is unknown what it was intended for at that time, but it is assumed that it was temple or mausoleum.

The mystery is and how the ancient masters managed to build such a magnificent building. According to modern experts, this requires the use of scaffolding. But it was almost impossible to find building material in those places.

It is assumed that the builders moved up the ruins in the rocks, but it is not clear how they managed to work on weight. Also remains a mystery how the calculations for the buildings were carried out.



• Beyond Al-Khazneh, the tunnel gradually expands, and it becomes visible old rock city. Here you can see a large number of stone houses, markets, entertainment venues and other buildings.
• Here you can also find Ed-Deir temple, located at the very top of the rock, and is also a valuable architectural monument. In front of it is a large square, which was apparently used for various religious ceremonies.

• Nearby there is a three-story building Roman Palace (Palace Tomb).

  The lower part of the Roman palace was carved into the rocks, and blocks of cut stones were already used to build the upper part.

  The lower tier is a large room in which sacred holidays were held and the dead were venerated. Tourists can not only examine the exterior of the building, but also go inside.

  In addition to the above historical monuments, Petra also has a huge number of interesting buildings, starting from the very first ones, which were roughly executed by ancient craftsmen, and those that were erected by ancient masters. Apparently, this is why the rock city attracts a huge number of tourists every year who want to see great works of art.

  Aqaba

  

  Aqaba- This is the only seaside resort and port of Jordan, since the country has the only small access to the Red Sea. According to scientific data, the first settlements appeared here six thousand years ago.

  Tourists love it very much Red sea, which is distinguished by clean and very salty water, which allows swimming even for those who are just starting to learn it. The diversity of the underwater world is also attractive.

  Through the crystal water you can admire various types of fish, corals and other marine life.

  • Of the architectural attractions of Aqaba, the main one is considered Mamluk fortress, built in the sixteenth century. Its location is the seashore, and it is surrounded on all sides by beautiful, tall palm trees. Not far from the fortress there is a museum where you can learn about the history of the city.
  • The next most important historical monument of Aqaba can be called Lot's cave, which is a monastery complex. It also houses a Byzantine church and a small number of tombs.

  Amman

  

  Amman is the capital of Jordan and its largest city. Initially, seven hills were chosen for its construction, symbolized by a seven-pointed star on the country’s flag.

  Today the city is located already on ten hills, whose slopes are decorated with white houses and villas, which is why Amman is also called "White City". White stones (limestone) are used for the construction of buildings. Houses are built very quickly and have a wide variety of shapes.

  Amman is one of the country's most important industrial centers with an international airport.

  The main attraction of the city can be called Jebel Al-Qalaa (Fortress Mountain). It is famous for monuments from various times, the most valuable of which are the colonnade of the Temple of Hercules, the Al-Qasr Palace, the Byzantine church and the ancient amphitheater, designed for more than six thousand people.

  1. Jordanian archaeological museum;
  2. Jordanian Museum of Folk Traditions;
  3. Folklore Museum;
  4. Archaeological Museum University of Jordan;
  5. Anthropological Museum University of Jordan;
  6. Museum of Numismatics;
  7. Royal Motor Museum.

  Nature lovers can admire it at the nearby Mujib Nature Reserve. It was founded in 1987 in the Wadi Mujib gorge. On its western side there is the Dead Sea, and on the eastern side there are mountain ranges.

  Here you can see more than four hundred species of plants, some of which are very rare. Also lives here ten species of animals And about one hundred and fifty species of birds, many of which need protection.

  When going to distant countries, find out about the symptoms of acclimatization, because this trouble can overtake you completely unexpectedly.

  Dead Sea

  

  The Dead Sea, located between Israel and Jordan, is actually considered salty closed lake, whose age is about fifteen thousand years. This is a unique place, being the lowest point on Earth.

  Thanks to the specific composition of its water, it has become a unique healing place, which a huge number of people from all over the world want to visit.

  Also from its bottom special healing mud, which have a special therapeutic effect, no analogues have been found. For the convenience of vacationers, in addition to resorts, there are hotels and other tourist facilities on the shores of the Dead Sea.

  Due to too high concentration of salts in the Dead Sea there is no vegetation, no fish, no other inhabitants, except for archaeobacteria, thanks to which therapeutic mud is formed.

  You won't find it on the lake shore either. no trees, no grass, since the soil is covered with a salt crust. But in such salty water you simply cannot drown, but you can rest peacefully, simply lying on your back or stomach, and at the same time recover your health.