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DAY 1: ARRIVE AMMAN Upon arrival, you will be met by our representative and transferred by private car to Amman for an overnight stay. Spend the remainder of the day at leisure. DAY 2: AMMAN - JERASH - UMQAIS - DEAD SEA This morning depart for one of the world's best-preserved Graeco-Roman cities. Jerash was an important trading center and one of the ancient world's ten-city league known as the Decapolis. You can still see the marks of the chariot wheels that clattered down the stone-paved streets. While in Jerash, also visit the agora, nymphaeum, and numerous temples. Later travel to another Decapolis city, Um Qais, known in Biblical times as Gadara. This city, founded just after the death of Alexander the Great, developed into a flourishing and culturally rich center, referred to by one local poet as the “new Athens.” During the period of Roman rule, Gadara greatly expanded and evidence of this expansion is visible in the ruins perched on a hill overlooking the Transjordanian Plateau. After touring Um Qais, travel to the Dead Sea where you will spend two nights. (B,L) DAY 3: EXCURSION TO MT. NEBO & MADABA This morning travel to Mt. Nebo, overlooking the Dead Sea and (on a clear day) the spires of Jerusalem. Mt. Nebo is credited as the site where Moses bade farewell to the tribes of Israel before they crossed the Jordan River. The 4 th-century church and monastic foundation established by St. Helena have been excavated alongside the present 6 th-century church, which houses an array of decorative mosaics and carved stone worship elements. Nearby, visit some of the most stunning remains of mosaic work at Madaba. Much of the mosaic work has been restored and is on display in the Madaba Archaeological Park, which also houses the recently established Madaba School for Mosaic, a 3-year program that has begun to revive this unique craft. In the afternoon, travel to the Dead Sea for an overnight. (B,L) DAY 4: DEAD SEA - KERAK - PETRA Travel today from the Dead Sea through the breathtaking mountain scenery of the King’s Highway to the crusader castle of Kerak, a well preserved 12 th-century fortress. Upon arrival in Petra, you will be transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are at leisure. (B,L) DAY 5: PETRA At its peak, the Nabatean Empire stretched from modern-day Yemen to Damascus and from western Iraq into the Sinai Desert. With few surviving documents, the wealthy and strategically important Nabatean trading empire remains, in many respects, a mystery. The monuments of the empire, though, form some of the most remarkable sites remaining from the ancient world, radiating outward from Petra. This easily defended site, supplied with plentiful fresh water, is a microcosm of ancient civilization in Jordan. From Natufian and pre-pottery Neolithic settlements through the Edomite, Nabatean, Roman, and Byzantine eras, successive traders left behind an array of artifacts from when they inhabited Petra. A garrison erected to control the local Bedouin tribes during the Ottoman era is still used as the modern police station. Spend a full day absorbing the natural beauty and learning about the fascinating history of Petra, one of the world’s greatest treasures. (B,L) DAY 6: PETRA - WADI RUM - AMMAN Depart this morning for the desert landscapes of Wadi Rum, made famous by T.E. Lawrence, who described it in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom as “…vast, echoing and God-like.” Explore the area in a 4x4 vehicle. In the late afternoon, drive north to Amman, where you will spend your final night. (B,L) DAY 7: DEPART AMMAN Transfer today for your international departure. (B) |