Jordan and Jerusalem combined

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  France-Amman

  

  Welcome and assistance at Queen Alia International Airport, then transfer to the hotel in Amman. Dinner and overnight stay.

• day 2

  Amman, Gerasa, Ajloun, Amman

  

  Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Jerash. In the morning, departure towards the ancient city of Jerash (Gerasa), about 45 km from Amman. It is the second largest site in Jordan after Petra. Today, it is considered one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the Near East. Hidden under the sand for several centuries, it was discovered and restored over 70 years. The city was entirely built in pinkish-orange limestone, which is enhanced at dawn and dusk by the rays of the sun. The peak of Gerasa dates from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Jerash is the very example of Roman municipal planning, vast and formal, throughout the Middle East. It is adorned with colonnaded paved streets, immense temples on the crest of the hills, delightful theaters, spacious public squares, baths, fountains, and walls pierced by towers and gates. After lunch, we will head to Ajloun. This city has a very impressive fortress (Qalaat al Rabad), nestled on top of a mountain, built in the 12th century, at the time of Saladin, to defend the region, control the local iron mines, and prevent the Crusaders from crossing towards Jerusalem. From the summit, you can admire a magnificent view of the Jordan Valley. Return to Amman. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Amman, Iraq al-Amir, Dead Sea, Amman

  

  Breakfast at the hotel and departure towards the west of Amman, heading to Iraq al Amir and its Hellenistic-era castle, Qasr El Abed (2nd century BC). An astonishing construction where various inspirations can be found: Greek, Oriental, with the appearance of a Roman palace. Next, head to the Dead Sea for lunch, a swim, and an unforgettable experience. Its unique climate makes it an exceptional resort destination. The Greeks called it the "Asphaltite Lake," the Muslims the "Stinking Lake," the Hebrews the "Salt Sea" or even "the Sea of Lot." The Dead Sea is 75 km long and 15 km wide, covering an area of 920 km², nearly twice that of Lake Geneva. The maximum depth of the Dead Sea is 399 m. The lower level of the Jordan depression is 410 m below sea level and, as such, it represents the lowest point on the globe. Return to Amman. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  Amman, the King's Highway, Madaba, Mount Nebo, Kerak, Petra

  

  Breakfast at the hotel and departure towards the King's Highway, visit of Madaba. The city of mosaics, both in churches and in houses, bears witness to their high technical skill and artistic value. This proves that this Byzantine bishopric, which had 14 churches, was home to an extraordinary school of mosaicists. Their art reached its peak in the 5th and 6th centuries. You will visit at the Church of Saint George of Madaba the "map of Palestine," unearthed in 1898 during the construction of the church. This mosaic from the mid-6th century, barely altered, traces the geography of the Byzantine Near East. It originally measured 25 m by 5 m and was made up of two million tesserae. Then you will visit Mount Nebo, 10 km northwest of Madaba. "And Moses, departing from the plains of Moab, went up to the top of Mount Nebo, to Pisgah, which faces Jericho... Then the Lord said to him: 'This is the land that I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and that I will give to your descendants. I have allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will go no further.' And so Moses, the servant of God, died in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. (Deuteronomy, 34:1, 4-5)." Presumed site of the tomb of Moses, Mount Nebo rises to 840 m in altitude. It became a universal place of pilgrimage from the beginning of the Christian era. Then discover the fortress of Kerak. The Wadi Kerak, the valley below the city, was one of the great routes into Palestine. It was in the year 1115 that Baldwin I founded the lordship of Montreal. Fulk the Younger of Anjou, baron of France and third Frankish ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1131-1144), entrusted this fief to his cupbearer Payen le Bouteiller, who built the fortress of Kerak in 1142 and made it his residence. In 1176, Renaud de Châtillon, former lord of Antioch, received it following his second marriage. It took the disastrous Crusader defeat at Hattin (1187), after which Jerusalem was conquered by the Muslims and Renaud executed, for Kerak to fall in 1189. But Saladin had to besiege the fortress for more than a year, defended by Renaud's widow, before it finally surrendered. Lunch in Kerak. Then you will go to Petra via the desert road. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  Petra the Rose

  

  Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a full day of sightseeing in Petra / Lunch. The pink city of "Petra", "the stone" in Greek, comes from the Aramaic toponym "RQM", pronounced "Rekem" or "Rakmou", which means "two-colored". The geology is indeed the origin of the red city, entirely carved into soft sandstone. Humans, present here for about ten thousand years, finished giving the site its appearance between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD: in total, there are nearly 800 monuments, mostly tombs, scattered across Petra over 100 km². Eighth wonder of the world and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the most famous site in Jordan and even in the Middle East. You will cross the Siq, a narrow and long fissure caused by a prehistoric earthquake. At the end of the Siq, the most majestic monument of Petra suddenly appears, "Al Khazneh" or the "Treasury", with Greco-Roman decor. What a dazzling spectacle of beauty... Beyond the Treasury, there are hundreds of carved buildings, temples, royal tombs, houses, funerary chambers, banquet halls, baths, monumental staircases, arched gates, paved streets, and above all the Roman Theater with about 3,000 seats. You will cross the Roman Cardo and visit the Qasr El Bint, the only temple still standing and in good condition. Lunch at the site's restaurant. In the afternoon, ascent to Mount El Deir or the Monastery (optional), and free time. Return to the hotel. Dinner & overnight stay.

• day 6

  Petra, Little Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman

  

  Breakfast at the hotel and departure towards Little Petra, then drive to Wadi Rum. The Wadi Rum desert: if Petra is the result of the work of man combined with that of nature, the cliffs, peaks, and valleys of Wadi Rum owe their "serene beauty" and their "overwhelming grandeur" only to themselves, according to the words of T. E. Lawrence. Wadi Rum, "vast, echoing, and marked by the presence of the divine," is such that "[only] landscapes in children's dreams have this grandeur and this silence." This desolate site was indeed one of the main locations of the Great Arab Revolt, magnified by director David Lean in one of the most impressive scenes of his Lawrence of Arabia. Tour in a "local" 4x4 pick-up in the desert for about an hour and a half. Lunch in a Bedouin camp. Transfer to Amman, along the Wadi Araba. Dinner & overnight.

• day 7

  Amman, Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, old city of Jerusalem

  

  Breakfast at the hotel, transfers for crossing the border into Israel via the Allenby or Sheikh Hussein bridge. Heading to Jerusalem: the visit begins at the Mount of Olives, then continues to a viewpoint overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. Next, you will go to Dominus Flevit, then take a short walk along the Palm Sunday Road and descend to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent his last night before being arrested. Visit the famous Church of All Nations. Pass by the wall of Jerusalem and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Transfer and overnight at the hotel. Lunch en route. Dinner at the hotel.

• day 8

  Jerusalem, Mount Zion, Bethlehem, Amman

  

  After breakfast, head to Mount Zion. Visit the Church of the Dormition, the place where the Virgin Mary fell asleep. Then, visit the Cenacle, also known as the "Upper Room", the site of the Last Supper. Next, visit the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. Continue the visit with the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (closed on Sundays), which symbolizes Peter's denial of Jesus. Head to Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity, marking the birthplace of Christ. Visit the Church of Saint Catherine and the cave of Saint Jerome where the Bible was translated. Finally, visit the Shepherds' Field. Head to the border for departure to Amman. Transfer and overnight at the hotel in Amman Lunch en route Dinner at the hotel.

• day 9

  Departure from Amman

  

  Breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport and assistance with departure formalities.