Introduction
Jordan the most peaceful country of Middle East invites tourists with its legendary hospitality. The country offers archeological ruins, palaces, forts and museums ranging over many centuries and spread over many Empires. Jordan also offers many other activities for the tourists. It has one of the best diving spots in the world on the coast south of Aqaba down to the Saudi border. The Gulf of Aqaba here throngs with tropical fish and coral. If you are into hiking, try the areas around Petra and Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is also good for climbing, with basic gear available on-site. You can also go camel trekking around Wadi Rum.

Amman
The seven hills of Amman are an enchanting mixture of ancient and modern. Gleaming white houses, kabab stalls and cafés are interspersed with bustling markets-known in Arabic as souqs-and the remains of civilizations and ages long past. Sunset is perhaps the best time to enjoy Amman, as the white buildings of the city seem to glow in the fading warmth of the day. The greatest charm of Amman, however, is found in the hospitality of its residents. The genuine warmth with which they are greeted continually surprises visitors to Amman. Amman is built on seven hills, or jabals, each of which more or less defines a neighborhood. Amman offers many noteworthy historical sites located in the downtown area, at the bottom of four of Amman's seven hills, or jabals. The ancient Citadel, towering above the city from Jabal al-Qala'a, is a good place to begin a tour of the city. It is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, and excavations here have revealed numerous Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. The Al-Qasr ("the Palace") is the most impressive building of the Citadel dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period. It includes a monumental gateway, an audience hall and four vaulted chambers. A colonnaded street also runs through the complex. To the north and northeast are the ruins of Umayyad palace grounds. The Corinthian columns of a small Byzantine basilica lie close to al-Qasr. About 100 meters south of the church is what is thought to have been a temple of Hercules, today also known as the Great Temple of Amman. The Jordan Archeological Museum is also located on Citadel Hill, just northwest of the Temple of Hercules. This small museum houses an excellent collection of antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th century. There is an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a copy of the Mesha Stele and four rare Iron Age sarcophagi. Downhill from the Citadel and five minutes walk east from downtown, the Roman Theater is the most obvious and impressive relic of ancient Philadelphia. The theater can accommodate 6000 spectators and is still used periodically for sporting and cultural events. Two small museums are built into the foundations of the Roman theater. The Jordan Folklore Museum is in the right wing of the theater and displays a collection of items showing the traditional life of local people. At the other end of the theater stage, the Museum of Popular Traditions displays traditional Jordanian costumes, including fine embroidery and beautiful antique jewelry. It also houses several sixth-century mosaics from Madaba and Jerash. To the northeast stands the small theater, or Odeon, which is still being restored. Built at about the same time as the Roman theater, this intimate 500-seat theater is used now as it was in Roman times, for musical concerts. Heading southwest from the theater complex, Philadelphia's chief fountain, or Nymphaeum, stands with its back to Quraysh Street structure. From the Nymphaeum, the short stroll to the King Hussein Mosque bustles with pedestrians, juice stands and vendors. The area around the King Hussein Mosque, also known as al-Husseini Mosque, is the heart of modern downtown Amman. The Ottoman-style mosque was rebuilt in 1924 on the site of an ancient mosque. Between the al-Husseini Mosque and the Citadel is Amman's famous gold souq featuring row after row of glittering gold treasures.

Salt
Salt is located about thirty kilometers northwest of Amman. Due to its history as an Ottoman center of government, Salt is filled with wonderful Ottoman architecture in the classical style. Immediately recognizable are the Ottoman houses with their long-arched windows. An array of tall Ottoman minarets towers over the village, along with church steeples. Take a morning or evening stroll through the picturesque streets of this charming hill village. Salt is also the final resting place of the Prophet Ayyoub (Job), whose legendary patience and faith gave him strength to endure tremendous hardships and ultimately be rewarded with blessings. Another prophet Shu'ayb (Jethro), the Midianite father-in-law of Prophet Musa (Moses) is said to be buried in a tomb near Salt in Wadi Shu'ayb. Just before you enter the main part of the city (from Amman), you will see the Department of Antiquities Museum with an assortment of pottery and coins dating from the Chalcolithic period (4500 BCE) through the Mamluk period (1516 CE), as well as Byzantine mosaic panels and early photographs of Salt.

Wadi Seer
Around 24 kilometers southwest of Amman, the high desert plateau suddenly gives way to the lush, tree-covered valley of Wadi Seer. About 10 kilometers past the village of Wadi Seer the road leads to the ruins of Qasr al-Abd (Castle of the Slave) and the ancient caves of 'Iraq al-Amir (Caves of the Prince). The castle itself is unique, in that it was built from some of the largest blocks of any building in the Middle East.The caves, eleven in total, are arranged in two tiers and are thought to be man-made. They were once used as cavalry stables. At the front of one of the caves, easily recognizable by its carved doorway, the word "Tobiad" is engraved in Aramaic. This gives credence to the theory that Qasr al-Abd was built by the Tobiad family.

Jerash
Jerash 50km north is a beautifully preserved Roman city. The area has probably been inhabited since Neolithic times, and at one time was part of Emperor Pompey's Decapolis, a commercial league of ten cities throughout the Middle East. The entrance to Jerash was once a Triumphal Arch, but the main entrance now is the South Gate. Inside the city wall, you will see a Temple of Zeus and an unusually oval-shaped Forum. Behind the Temple is the South Theatre, built in the 1st century, once held 5000 spectators and running up to the north, a 600m/1968ft-long colonnaded street. The biggest building on the site is the Temple of Artemis, right in the centre.

Madaba
This easy-going little town 30km located south of Amman.It is best known for its beautiful Byzantine-era mosaics, including the 'Madaba map', a 6th-century mosaic map of Palestine. Made of two million pieces, the Madaba map shows the Nile, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. You can see this mosaic, possibly Madaba's most interesting, in the Greek Orthodox St George's Church. Most of Madaba is now a carefully restored Archaeological Park, including the 7th-century churches of the Virgin and the Prophet Elias, and the older Hippolytus Hall. The hall includes a spectacular mosaic depicting scenes from the tragedy of Phaedre and Hippolytus.

Petra
There is no other sight in Jordan or perhaps the whole Middle East, as compelling as Petra. Once the capital of the Nabateaeans, a 3rd century BC Arab dynasty, Petra is a stunning city carved from a cliff face. Spend a couple of days here to get the feel of the place. Set in a deep canyon and only accessible through a narrow winding cleft or Siq in the rock, Petra is carved from sandstone that takes on deep rusty hues interlaced with bands of gray and yellow. The most famous ruin is the Khazneh, or treasury, whose beautifully carved facade is the first thing you will see when you enter from the Siq. The monastery is equally imposing; you will get stunning views from the top. Other ruins include an 8000-seat amphitheatre and the Temple of the Winged Lions.

Qasr al-Hallabat
Originally, a Roman fort Qasr al-Hallabat was converted into a pleasure palace by the Umayyads. Visit a few km down the road to see Hammam as-Sarakh, a bathhouse and hunting lodge. You can see the channels that were used for hot water and steam. One hundred km east of Amman, the oasis town of Azraq has a large castle built from black basalt. Heading back towards Amman, the Qusayr 'Amra is the best preserved of the desert castles, with walls covered in frescoes.

The Desert Castle Loop
East of Amman lies a string of castles, the work of the 7th-century Umayyad dynasty. Some were originally Roman buildings, and others date back to the Nabataeans. See many relics of the early and medieval Islamic periods in Jordan dotted throughout the steppe-like terrain of eastern Jordan and on the central hills are numerous historic ruins, including castles, forts, towers, baths, caravan inns and fortified palaces. Known collectively as the desert castles or desert palaces, they were originally part of a chain stretching from north of Damascus down to Khirbet al-Mafjar, near Ariha (or Jericho). The best way to get around the loop is by hire car or taxi.

Umm Al-Jimal
This town is located 10km from the Syrian border and about 20km east of Mafraq. The strange black basalt settlement is in the south of the city of Hauran. Among the few larger buildings still standing are a combined barracks/church building, and a ruin known as the Western Church. You can visit Umm Al-Jimal in a day trip from Amman.

Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum has some of the most spectacular desert scenery anywhere in the world. Wadi Rum is a landscape of bizarre, soaring rock formations, known as jebels. Around the village of Rum, there are a few things to see. Lawrence's Well is a spring 2km southwest of the village with stunning views. There is a much prettier spring at the base of Jebel Rum. The Nabatean Empire also left a ruined temple in Rum, and the area is covered in Thamudic and Kufic rock art. Nevertheless, the real attraction of the area is the desert itself.