An Archaeological Study Tour

Jordan: The Nabateans
October 17– 30, 2006
Led by Dr. Joseph Greene


Jordan offers the traveler ancient wonders far exceeding its small size. Its position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia accounts for its history of waves of migration and conquest from the earliest nomadic peoples to the Greek, Roman, Muslim and Christian Crusaders. Archaeologists working in the Jordan Valley have found evidence for the world’s earliest agriculture and in Wadi Feinan traces of the first experiments in copper smelting. At ‘Ain Ghazal, an enormous Neolithic town, excavations unearthed some of the world’s earliest sculpture, near life-size human statues of clay. Three thousand years ago, Amman was biblical Rabboth-Ammon, capital of the Ammonites, while at the time of the Roman Caesars it was Philadelphia, and together with Gerasa (Jerash), a member of the Decapolis league of ten wealthy, powerful cities. High in the Gilead hills is Ajlun Castle, a medieval fortress built by Muslim defenders to ward off Crusader incursions across the Jordan River, and out in the eastern desert are the much later, much better preserved remains of the so-called “desert castles,” the country estates of Jordan’s Umayyad rulers. Farther south, overlooking the Wadi Arabah separating Edom from the Negev, is rose-red Petra, the northern terminus of the Arabian incense trade, trade that made the Nabataeans rightly famous and fabulously wealthy before the Romans seized it in A.D. 106. The country’s natural setting is as diverse as its cultural past, stretching from the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, to the desert oases at Azrak at the head of the Wadi Sirhan and from the Ajlun hills overlooking the Jordan River to the shores of the Red Sea and the granite mountains of Aqaba. This combination of cultural and historical richness with a constantly changing landscape will make a visit to Jordan an unforgettable experience.

Tuesday, Wednesday, October 17 & 18: AMMAN: Depart New York on Turkish Airlines traveling via Istanbul. Our arrival into Amman is in the afternoon. This evening we will meet for dinner at the hotel. Marriott Amman Hotel.
Meals: Dinner

Thursday, October 19: AMMAN: Our touring begins at the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR), where we will have an opportunity to tour the facility and learn about their current activities, and continues at the National Archaeological Museum, which houses artifacts recovered from recent excavations. The hilltop ruins of the Temple of Hercules, a 6th-century Byzantine Church and Omayyad Palace complete the touring on the city’s citadel. Our last stop of this full day will be the Roman Theater and the Jordan Folklore Museum, housed in the parascenia of the theater.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, October 20: AMMAN: Just one hour north of Amman are the glorious ruins of ancient Gerasa. We will see remains of this great ancient city, including its Triumphal Arch of Hadrian, immense colonnade, three theaters, temples as well as some of 15 churches built during the rule of Justinian. After lunch we continue to Ajlun Castle, one of Jordan’s rare examples of Islamic fortification. Returning to Amman, we drive via the charming town of Salt, which still preserves its narrow Ottoman streets of 19th-century merchant houses, and Iraq el Amir, where we will visit Qasr al-Abd, the unfinished palace built by the Tobiad Prince Hyrcan. Dinner this evening will be in one of the city’s fine restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, October 21: AMMAN: We journey into the eastern desert, where the plains are dotted with a string of atmospheric early Umayyad inns and hunting lodges, known as the “Desert Castles.” Our first stop will be Qasr el Karana (Hraneh), built in a traditional Umayyad style with many ornate decorations. We continue to Qasr Amra, a small bathhouse built to take advantage of the waters of Wadi Butm. The walls of this small building are completely covered with wonderful frescoes celebrating earthly pleasures. We then continue practically to the Syrian border to visit Umm al-Jimal, a typical Roman frontier town and military station. Unlike Jerash, this town had no temples or monumental buildings. Our visit will be to the residences and facilities of the ordinary people.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, October 22: PETRA: Leaving Amman behind, we drive south on the Kings Highway, stopping at Madaba to view a unique 6th-century mosaic map depicting Byzantine Jerusalem before the advent of Islam. Continuing south, we make several stops, beginning at Umm el Rasas, a fortified Roman encampment where we will see the beautifully preserved mosaic of the Church of St. Stephen and the older mosaic floor of the Church of Bishop Sergius. We will stop to view the impressive moat and ramparts of Kerak Castle and to visit the remains of a Nabataean temple, el-Qasr, and drive through Rabba, ancient Rabbath-Moab mentioned by Josephus, to Khirbet Tannur, an important Nabataean cult center. We will spend the next seven nights at the Movenpick Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, Tuesday, October 23 & 24: PETRA: Our first day will be devoted to the exploration of this breathtakingly beautiful city, carved into rose-colored sandstone. Few sights in the world rival one’s first glimpse of the Treasury viewed from the Siq. During our seven-day stay here, we will visit all of the accessible monuments of the ancient city with some free time for those who wish to climb to some of the city’s less accessible places. Tuesday morning we will reenter Petra to climb to the High Place of Sacrifice. Here we will see altars and sacrificial pits cut into the rock as well as the remains of buildings that probably housed the priests. The views out over the city are spectacular. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to explore on our own.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner daily & 1 lunch

Wednesday, Thursday, October 25 & 26: PETRA: Wednesday and Thursday’s visits will take us to sites rarely visited by tourists, including Siq el-Barid, a few miles north of Petra. Often called “Little Petra,” it was probably the commercial hub of the caravan trade that passed through here en route to the sea. Rock-cut steps made for camels lead into the Arabah Valley, the route to the Negev. In the northern corner of the valley we will find Nabataean tomb facades predating those we have seen in Petra, and el-Beidha, a Neolithic settlement architecturally similar to Jericho. Located on the eastern edge of the Wadi Arabah halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, is the ancient smelting site Feinan, mined extensively for 5,000 years. Today it is an ancient industrial landscape dotted with traces of some 250 ancient copper mines spread over 500 sq. km (310 sq. mi.).
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily

Friday, October 27: PETRA: We drive south, stopping at Ras en Naqb for a spectacular view of Wadi Rum, today’s destination. Our touring will include the Allat temple, the remains of what may have been a palace or sacred bath and some of the numerous petroglyphs and Nabataean, Thamudic and Old South Arabic inscriptions, which may have been written by traders coming from as far as present-day Yemen.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, October 28: PETRA: The Neolithic village of Basta offers an astonishing glimpse into village life almost 9,000 years ago. Clusters of well-preserved stone houses, some with their windows still intact, are laid out along narrow alleyways. Our last visit in the region will be to the Dana Nature Reserve. Created in 1987 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the reserve is home to rare birds, such as the Sinai rose finch (Jordan’s national bird) and threatened desert species, such as Nubian ibex. The Movenpick chef has prepared a wonderful farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, Monday, October 29 & 30: AMMAN: We return to Amman, stopping en route to visit the recently excavated Edomite capital, Buseira, which possessed at least one large temple or palace. We will arrive at the Marriott Amman Hotel with time to relax before our Turkish Airlines flight to New York, departing early Monday morning.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch