Jordan » Top Things To See

Azraq
Catch up with more recent history at the fortress at Azraq, Lawrence of Arabia's headquarters during the Great Arab Revolt of 1917, then head east towards Mafraq and explore the deserted black basalt city of Um al Jimal.

Castles
Imagine the striking of ancient hooves on cobbles at the Crusader castles of Karak and Ash Shawbak. If you listen extra hard, you may catch the whisper of the wind penetrating the underground passageways. Tour the eastern desert castles (www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism5.html), built as hunting lodges and trading posts by the Umayyad, such as Al-Kharanah and Amra.

Dead Sea Panorama museum
Drop in at the Dead Sea Panorama museum to put the lowest point on earth in a more elevated context; the sea is living up to its name and shrinking at an alarming rate.

Kings Highway
Drive along the historic King's Highway, a road of Biblical significance. Call in at Madaba, famed for its mosaic map of Palestine, and nearby Mount Nebo, where Moses surveyed the 'Promised Land' before he died.

Mosaics
Even if you've seen enough mosaics to last a lifetime, spare time for one more: the magnificent mosaic floors of the excavated church of St Stephen in Um er Rasas are not a UNESCO World Heritage site for nothing.

Mukawir
Visit the village of Mukawir and watch the women of the Bani Hamida workshop (www.jordanriver.jo) weave wool into colourful traditional designs. Nearby is Machaerus, the fortress of Herod Antipas, where John the Baptist was imprisoned before being beheaded.

Museums
Visit The Citadel and Archaeological Museum in Amman. With a selection of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the remains of an Umayyad city and fine views of the Roman amphitheatre, it is a wonder that so many tourists bypass the capital.

Wadi Rum
Step into the magnificent wind-blown desert of Wadi Rum. The wind and occasional flooding has shaped the landscape into a cyclorama of pillars and rock arches - a fit arena for the spectacles of history played out here.

Wildlife reserves
Visit one of Jordan's wildlife reserves, such as the Azraq Wetlands (www.rscn.org.jo). The residents - including hyena, wolf, gazelle, ostrich and oryx - are notoriously elusive but the infectious beauty of each location is easily caught.