In the morning we will explore the capital of Jordan,  the bustling modern city of Amman. Amidst grey and  brown concrete and grey buildings it is hard to imagine  life in the Hellenistic Philadelphia, even as some  vestiges of it are preserved here and there. It is much  more difficult to read the history of Uriah the Hittite,  who so valiantly fought the enemies of Hebrews, the  Ammonites, under the walls of their capital Rabat Amoun. And yet, it all happened exactly in the vicinity  of Amman. Fascinating collections in the Archeological  Museum of Jordan and some ruins scattered through the city will help us to reconstruct that thousand-year history.  Time permitting, we will visit Qasr Al-Abd, a very fascinating monument built by Hyrcanus of Jerusalem, and  attested to by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.  

Today we will explore some very interesting and, in  many ways, unique monuments in the desert, east of  the capital. The seemingly lifeless desert is dotted  with castles from the early Islamic Umayyad period.  Little fortresses of hunting lodges are scattered  through the vast territory. Some of them were built  under new Islamic rulers in the seventh century, while  others are reconstructed from early Roman and  Byzantine military border outposts. We will visit  several of them, but perhaps the most fascinating among them all is Qasr Amra. From the castle  complex just the bath house remains, but what you’ll  see inside is something truly incredible. The entire  surface of the walls is covered with most intriguing frescoes from the seventh century, rendered on a variety of  subjects, from the Hellenistic feasts to everyday life scenes. To the lovers of Early Christian art, it may be very  interesting, as the style of some of the frescoes  resembles those few examples that we have from the  nearby contemporary Christian monuments. But here  you could see such art in full color, well-preserved and  up-close. The last stop for today will be at the black  basalt city of Um Al Jimal, the somewhat eerie ruins  where Roman buildings, civil structures and Christian  basilicas remain standing to the height of a second or  third floor, with window frames and extremely heavy  basalt doors still in place. Are you strong enough to  open such doors? Well, you’ll be given a chance to  try. 

Today we will explore two cities from among historical Decapolis, mentioned in the Gospel on several occasions.  The first stop will be in Um Qais, or Gadara, as it was known to the people two thousand years ago, the ancient  city at the foothill of the Golan Heights with its sweeping views of the Lake of Galilee, Mt. Tabor, and the  surrounding area. This large ancient city has not been excavated fully, as it  is on the very border between Israel and Jordan. Still, the main streets with  many shops, the theater, the agora and remains of a very interesting round-shaped basilica have been excavated and are very fascinating. The tiny  museum on the site contains some of the finds from the excavations. After  transfer and lunch we will visit the site that is nicknamed the Pompeii of the  East, modern day Jerash or ancient Gerasa. This is one of the best-preserved Roman cities worldwide, with colonnaded streets, oval shaped  city square, remains of the massive pagan temples, two theaters and multiple  Christian basilicas. Since it never makes the news, few people aware of it,  but the sheer magnitude of it is hard to comprehend. 

Today we will start our day by the Jordan River. At the turn of the century,  shortly after the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan had been signed,  archaeological digs started near the river on the site where the mosaic  tesserae and clay pot shards were surfacing after the rains. Shortly,  archeologists found the remains of the basilicas well attested in multiple  early pilgrim sources as the place where Jesus’s baptism was  commemorated. Nearby, a hill of Elijah the Prophet,  connected to his fiery ascension, was found as well. The  second stop of our day will be the desert stronghold  of Herod the Great, the fortress palace of Mukawer.  Here it is believed that John the Baptist was held in  captivity by Herod Antipas, here is the courtyard of  the palace where Salome danced, and also here the  Baptizer of the Lord became a martyr. The last stop  on today’s journey will be at the crusader fortress of  Shobak. Located on a hill amidst the most fascinating  geological landscape, it certainly preserves the  memory of the knights of Outremer and Crusader-era  wars very well. For overnight we will arrive to Petra. 

The capital of an ancient Nabatean kingdom, the Rose  City of Petra, is known to some people as one of the  New Seven Wonders of the World, and to some as the  background for some fantasy or historical movies. As a  rule it is portrayed by way of depicting just one of the  monuments, the funerary façade at the end of a long  canyon that leads to the entrance of the city. At the same  time, it is an astonishing site that covers hectares upon  hectares of the mountainous landscape, with hundreds of  monuments carved out of rose sandstone mountains.  Besides being an architectural and cultural wonder,  Petra is mentioned in various historical sources, and  certainly in the Bible as well. To Christian pilgrims it was  important destination as a burial place of Aaron, and to  some Orthodox hierarchs it became a place of exile when they stood against the authorities in defense of the  Orthodox Faith. 

Leaving Petra early in the morning, we will travel along the King’s highway north, back toward Amman. From the  main road we will deviate west in order to see a Roman fortress and adjacent Byzantine village. Amidst the huts,  wine and oil presses, many churches from the 6th century are still preserved with the most intricate and fascinating  mosaics. Close to the village, there is a tower of a  Christian stylite. History did not preserve the name  of a monk who spent his days atop the 50-foot  column, but today it is the only preserved monument  of that kind from this once widely spread Middle-Eastern ascetic practice. After lunch we will explore  the churches of Madaba, known as the mosaic  capital of Jordan. In one of the churches you could  see the map of the Holy Land from the time of  Emperor Justinian. It is the only map of the Middle  East from that ancient period, and also one of the  most ancient maps worldwide. The last stop in our  exploration of Jordan will be the monastic complex  atop of Mt. Nebo. From here, the prophet and law-giver Moses saw the Judean Hills, Dead Sea, and  even parts of Samaria, the land that God promised  to the people that he took out of Egypt, and the land into which he would not enter himself. Dinner and overnight in  Madaba 

 Transfer to the airport, departure back home