Desert riches: exploring the treasures of Jordan’s antiquities

Jordan has delighted visitors for centuries with its World Heritage Sites, friendly towns and inspiring desert expanses.

Here, every step forward, takes you back, as the Hashemite Arab kingdom holds within its borders sites of antiquity that rank among the most exceptional in the world.

Sites such as the unique rose red city of Petra; the outstanding remains of Jerash, one of the most magnificent of Roman provincial cities; the remarkable vestiges of Umayyad palaces built deep in the desert; the incredibly scenic Wadi rum, which is permanently associated with Lawrence of Arabia.

As for its natural landscape, Jordan is about 85 per cent desert… encompassing dramatic red sands and towering cliffs to its far south, to vast stony plains of volcanic basalt to its east.

The country’s northern hills, rich with olive trees, teeter over the rift of the Jordan Valley, which in turn runs down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The centre of the country is carpeted with wheat fields, cut through by expansive canyons and bordered by arid, craggy mountains. And at its southernmost tip, beaches fringe the warm waters of the Red Sea, which harbours some of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world.

Thus, with its mountains, beaches, castles and ancient churches, its welcoming people and rich culture, Jordan’s riches are rightfully and perennially treasured by lovers of travel.

View the original video here.

Good Living is the Cyprus Mail’s portal of curated content from across the internet, showcasing local and global ideas, cultural highlights, and scientific and technological developments to inspire a sustainable life.