Introducing a series of articles on some of the most fascinating sites of ancient Egypt, by Jean Smith (right),  the President of the Egyptian Society of South Africa in Cape Town. To access previous articles in the series, please see the index at the bottom of the page.

A Visit to Jordan

Eastern oval forum at Jerash.

A visit to Jordan is amongst the many tours that can be arranged by Cecelia Amory of Egypt & beyond. 

Jordan has a fascinating ancient history and was part of the ancient 'fertile crescent' which stretched from Egypt and as far as Mesopotamia. Its geographical position meant that it was also a 'crossroads' in the ancient world and the armies of many ancient civilisations passed through here over the centuries. 

Nymphaeum - Jerash,

By good fortune, the eastern part of ancient Jordan avoided being involved in the long conflict between the Ancient Egyptians and the Anatolian Hittites in the 13th and 14th C BCE, and so it was that a number of great city states developed; the names of some may be familiar to us from the Bible - evocative names like Gilead and Edom and Moab and Ammon - the capital city of Ammon was Rabath Ammon and the capital city of modern Jordan, Amman, is built over this last site. 

Jerash - Temple of Hercules.

Modern Jordan however only dates to May 1946 when the Emir Abdullah was proclaimed king of an independent state which is formally known as the 'Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.' The term 'Hashemite' refers to the ancestry of the ruling family; they are descended from Hashem, an ancestor of the prophet Mohamed. Jordan is a monarchy and the current ruler is King Abdullah II. 

The theatre at Jerash.

The first site of interest I visited was Mount Nebo - in the Old Testament book of Numbers, we are told that Moses left the Plains of Moab and ascended this mountain where God showed him the Promised Land; it is believed that he died and was buried in the vicinity although his tomb has never been discovered. 

Southern theatre at Jerash.

A small sanctuary in his honour was built on this site as early as the 4th C CE (AD) by a nun called Egeria. The whole site was added to at various times during the next ca.400 years and eventually it was large enough to house a monastery; this place acted as a refuge for pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem. The site was abandoned in the 1500s and remained derelict until it was bought by Franciscan monks in 1993 - since then it has been extensively excavated and a modern church built over the ancient ruins - the building is basic and actually not much more than a shelter for the excavations and helps preserve the remains of the ancient walls and columns; it also protects some very lovely mosaics which mostly are in remarkably good condition. 

Jerash - Temple of Zeus.

The shelter incorporates some charming modern stained glass windows, one of which features Moses. Some other interesting features include a small modern altar topped with a mosaic cross that was found here during excavations and which dates to the very earliest part of the building. 

The dome of the forum, Temple  of Hercules, Jerash.

Overlooking the desert is a most unusual cross designed by an Italian artist; it's known as the 'Serpentine cross' and is symbolic of the serpent stick used by Moses; it is also symbolic of the crucifixion. 

The view from of the desert from Mt Nebo is quite spectacular and it must look very much the same as when Moses himself looked down upon it. 

Eastern oval forum - Jerash.

A short distance from Mt Nebo is the little town of Madaba - little of the ancient city remains however, as most of the modern town has been built over it. Madaba incidentally is also mentioned in the book of Numbers - here the writer laments the conquest of Madaba, a city of Moab, by the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon (also a Moabite city). Eventually, the region was incorporated into the Roman province of Arabia in about 160 CE (AD) by the Emperor Trajan. The major attraction in this small town is the famous mosaic map of the Holy Land which is part of the floor of the restored Byzantine church of St George. 

The mosaics were discovered in 1896 purely by chance and fortunately local leaders realised their importance and it's due to their foresight that they have been preserved for posterity. There are other excellent examples of mosaic floors in the remains of other Byzantine churches in the town but the best known of all are those in the church of St George. 

This mosaic map which dates to the 6th C CE (AD) is a sort of 'route map' for pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem. An interesting fact is that this is also the earliest known description of Jerusalem as being the 'Holy City.'

From Madaba one drives to Amman, a bustling modern city with its own unique atmosphere, Although also an Arabic city, it is quite different to Cairo. My guide, Nabil, was very proud of the Royal family and at every opportunity pointed out the Royal Palace - he also told me (and I write this under correction) that all Jordanians, including members of the army, wear the red/white headdress (kaffiyeh) only as opposed to the other colour combinations one sees in other Middle Eastern places. 

In Amman, I started my tour with a visit to the Citadel, located on one of Amman's seven hills - the ruins you see here are called 'the Palace,' (in Arabic, Al-Qaser) although its exact function is unknown; it's not the oldest structure here, as it dates back only to about 720 CE (AD) and is one of the early Islamic monuments in the area. 

The vaulted ceilings of four chambers are still in good condition and worth looking for. There is a monumental gateway which is also most impressive. 

Of interest is a massive water cistern which supplied the water for the 'palace.' A stump at the bottom of the cistern is what remains of a pillar which was calibrated to measure the water level. 

The ruins of a small Byzantine church are to be seen as well although not much more than a few columns remain. 

On the opposite side of the hill from the 'palace' are the ruins of what's believed to have been a temple dedicated to Hercules (Heracles) by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius - all that remains today are the floor and a number of very tall columns, probably about 10m high - I was told that the temple was never completed although for what reason I couldn't say. 

Also on this hill is a small museum unfortunately closed at the time of my visit - outside is a massive marble fist from what must have been a colossal statue of Hercules. 

Looking down from the Citadel the Roman theatre is visible and that was my next stop. It's big and certainly bigger than those I'd seen in Israel - three tiered and with very steep steps. Nabil pointed out a slightly more secluded area just a few metres above the floor of the arena which he said was reserved for the local governor and other dignitaries; it certainly was a very good seat - just a few metres from whatever 'action' was going on in the arena. Close by, so I was told, used to be the gates behind which were kept the caged wild animals and from where emerged the gladiators ready to fight the animals or each other. 

The place is still used today to host various events; while I was there the local people appeared to use it as a thoroughfare while others sprawled across the theatre's lower steps - it seemed to me odd that so ancient a structure should be used in such a cavalier manner! It certainly did appear to be in a very good condition though. 

Another fabulous site is Jerash - this Greco-Roman city is about 50km from Amman and close to the modern town of the same name and so worth a visit! It's an archaeological site and most of the ruins are well preserved. 

One enters the site via a fabulous archway called 'Hadrian's Arch' - of course named in honour of that emperor. One of the first structures one sees is yet another Roman theatre; this one was used for chariot races, amongst other 'sporting events'! Not as big, I don't think, as that at Amman but the 'stage area' has a backdrop of some very fine structures. 

The earliest buildings to be identified here are Hellenic, but there are also Roman, Byzantine and even a few buildings from the early Islamic period. 

In the interests of brevity I'll just mention a few of the attractions at Jerash. 

There are temples to three of the Greek gods, Zeus, Artemis and Dionysus - the temple of Zeus is quite ruined but has some most attractive Ionic columns. The temple of Artemis on the other hand has some very fine Corinthian columns, while the temple of Dionysus retains only its superbly carved gate, as it was rebuilt as a Christian church in the 4th C CE (AD). 

From the Christian era are the ruins of three churches - all of which have the remains of exquisite mosaic floors - the best preserved can be seen in the church of the martyred twin brothers St Cosmos and St Damian - this church is dated to 553 CE (AD) and amongst the images depicted are those of the priest Theodore and his wife Georgia at prayer. The others are dedicated to St George and St John the Baptist. Of interest is the fact that the damaged mosaic floor of the latter has amongst images of plants and animals, also depictions of the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Memphis (Egyptian Ineb-hedj). 

Something that is quite fascinating is the main road through ancient Jerash - called the 'Cardo Maximus' - it still has the original paving stones - the road is quite wide, has a good sized pavement and is lined with the remains of what I presume were shops - there are even the remains of an underground sewage system that runs the full length of the street - but totally fascinating are the chariot wheel ruts that can be seen in parts of this road - amazing! 

Also of tremendous interest is the small Archaeological Museum which houses a fascinating collection of artefacts found on this site - this is in fact an operating archaeological site. 

View of the Dead Sea.

If an opportunity arises to visit the Dead Sea, take it! This small inland sea is fed by the Jordan River and has no outlet; it's the lowest point on earth lying an extraordinary 400m below sea level! The heat and the fact that there is no flowing water leads to a very fast rate of evaporation which in turn leads to a high concentration of salt and other minerals; the water is said to be about ten times more saline than ordinary sea water which means that no aquatic plants or fish can survive in the water, hence its name the 'Dead Sea.' However, since ancient times the waters have been famous for their restorative and curative powers and indeed even today there are spas near to the sea where sufferers from especially skin conditions can go for treatment. 

Although my visit to the Dead Sea occurred on the opposite shore - that is at Ein Gedi in Israel - I'm sure the experience of swimming on the Jordanian side of the sea is quite the same! 

Visitors to any one of the spas or resorts will experience something quite unique - the high density of the water causes you to float - you can't even swim in it - as one is too high out of the water to be able to 'stroke' properly. However first time visitors to the sea should be warned by their guide not to get the water in eyes or mouth. 

After the 'swim' I joined some newly made friends and went to an area close by to have a full body 'mud pack' - the mud coming from the edge of the sea - what a strange feeling it is being covered in dried mud! Later the mud was rinsed off but a visit to the showers was still necessary! Later I went to the small restaurant on the site for a sandwich which I shared with some friendly sparrows! 

As I was on my own I don't have a photograph except of the sparrows but it was an experience to be remembered and not to be missed if you get the chance.

All photographs and depictions of Jordanian sites are my own.

Previous Articles in this series...

The Great Pyramids at Giza
Some Pyramids of Egypt
The Lake Cruise - the Monuments on Lake Nasser
Some Small Museums of Egypt
The Cairo Museum Part 1
The Cairo Museum Part 2
The Corniche at Luxor
Queens of Ancient Egypt
A Visit to the Newly Discovered Pyramid at Saqqara
The Temple of Horus at Edfu
The Graeco-Roman Temple at Kom Ombo
The Temple of Isis at Philae
The 5th Dynasty Pyramid of King Unas
The Temples at Abu Simbel
The Tomb of Niakh-khnum and Khnum-hotep
Sekhmet - The Powerful One
The Step Pyramid at Saqqara
Hatshepsut –The Queen Who Would Be King
The Tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings
The Mortuary Temple of Rameses II – The Rameseum
The Temples
The Tombs of the Nobles
The Worker's Village at Deir el Medina
The Ptolemaic Temple at Deir el Medina
The Valley of the Kings

To find out about visiting these sites, please contact Cecelia or Lindy on +27 11 678 4777 or +27 11 478 2884 or email us on: info@egyptandbeyond.co.za.

 
[ Back to top ]