Wadi Rum, one of Jordan’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, spreads over 740 square kilometers in the southern part of the country. We stayed several nights in a spacious tent at Crown Camp, a traditional Bedouin camp resting on the red sand. And one afternoon we went by jeep to explore some of the many sandstone valleys, natural arches, narrow gorges, tall cliffs, and sand dunes in the wadi. 

Tourist visits to this area rapidly increased after the 1962 release of the movie Lawrence of Arabia. It is now a popular filming location for scenes set in Mars or fictional foreign planets. Three examples: The Martian (2015), scenes on Jedha in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the desert planet Pasaana in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.  The Valley of the Moon, as Wadi Rum is sometimes called, is the second most popular tourist site in Jordan and visitors especially enjoy the incredible night skies. 

The 12th century Karak Castle (alternate spelling Kerak), one of the most famous Crusader castles in the region, stands 900 meters above sea level and near Jordan’s western border. It occupied an important military and financial location along the ancient King’s Highway, a major trade route connecting Africa (especially Jordan, Syria, and Egypt) with Asia and Europe. Karak government officials collected taxes from the many trade caravans heading to Jerusalem. Builders spent 20 years constructing the original portion of the seven-level, mountain-top castle. The design features multiple fortified, square towers along the exterior walls. The sizeable, wedge-shaped complex extends 220 meters in length and the north end is 125 meters in width. 

The Dead Sea sits at 431 meters below sea level and covers 1,020 square kilometers shared by Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. Our restful few days in the northeast corner of the Dead Sea included floating in the water, spreading blackish mud on arms and legs followed by rinsing in the sea, and a whole body mud treatment for Susan at the hotel spa. The treatment involved: mud smeared all over the body, layer of plastic wrap, towel covering, and outer heated blanket. Plus a mud facial. The Russian spa therapist laughed when Susan asked if the mud treatment would make her look like she was 29 years old. 🙂 

During our afternoon in the city of Madaba, about 30 kilometers south of Amman, we focused on ancient floor mosaics at the Greek Orthodox Basilica of St. George and The Church of the Apostles.  

The Greek Orthodox church houses the oldest known geographic floor mosaic, created in the 6th century AD. The map depicts the Holy Land – the area from Lebanon to the Nile Delta and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Eastern Desert. Jerusalem, labeled the Holy City, is the largest and most detailed part in the center of the mosaic. The city of Karak, home of the Karak Castle described above, is also identified. The map locations align with actual compass directions. 

In 1884 builders began constructing a new Greek Orthodox Church and during their excavation work uncovered an old Byzantine Church with a large floor mosaic map.  The old church had been abandoned after an 8th century earthquake. The new church, built on the same site, features the ancient masterpiece at the front of the nave. The Volkswagen Foundation restored the map in the 1960s. 

The large mosaic includes 157 Greek captions plus images of hills, valleys, villages, and towns. The map’s original 2+ million pieces extended up to 25 meters in length with a width of 6 meters. Unfortunately much of the historical mosaic was lost between the 8th and 19th centuries. However, we were quite impressed with the color and detail of the remaining portion. 

Many buildings in Madaba feature floor mosaics and the 6th century, colorful piece at the Church of the Apostles is the largest in the city. It is also one of just a few mosaics that includes the name of the craftsman. Salamianos (Suliman) dedicated his beautiful masterpiece to the twelve apostles. Italian priest Giuseppe (Joseph) Manfredi, pastor of the Latin Church, discovered the impressive mosaic in 1902. The “old” church structure, completely restored in 1992, stands 23 x 15 meters. 

While we were in the Madaba area we went up to Mount Nebo, the highest point in the Abarim range and the place where Moses viewed the Promised Land before dying on the 700-meter-tall mountain. He was buried in Moab. 

The Moses Memorial Church, one of just a few structures at the top of Mount Nebo, features sections of a 4th century Byzantine Church and its subsequent mosaics created in the 6th century.  The Franciscan Church purchased the site in 1932 and coordinated much of the excavation and restoration projects, plus built the Moses Memorial Church to surround and protect the ancient works. In 2016 they refurbished the church, which now includes better lighting and elevated ramps so visitors like us can get a better look at the large, colorful mosaics.