Jordanian Photo Album
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It was originally a Greek city called Philadelphia. It is a very interesting city. There are influences from many cultures to be seen. There are Roman ruins which can still be visited. The theatre was used to for events such as plays, pantomimes, choral events, and orations. It is still being used for events such as concerts.
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It was originally a Greek city called Philadelphia. It is a very interesting city. There are influences from many cultures to be seen. There are Roman ruins which can still be visited. The theatre was used to for events such as plays, pantomimes, choral events, and orations. It is still being used for events such as concerts.
The Nymphaeum was a public fountain which was decorated with columns and statues of nymphs. |
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The Citadel is another interesting place. This jebal has been occupied since the Neolithic period. However, most of the buildings that are still standing are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods.
There is a wonderful museum in Amman where you can learn about the history of Amman. Outside the museum are some dolmens which were moved from the Damiya field in the Jordan Valley.
Source: Jordan Museum
These statues were found during excavation. The archeologists discovered that they were made with a reed skeleton which was covered in plaster rather than carved out of stone. |
Source: Jordan Museum
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Source: The Jordan Museum & The Archaeological Museum
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Very interesting items have been found in digs. |
They also found some different types of writing. It is thought that the small clay tablets were people trying to form their own script. It is similar to Canaanite script but has not yet been deciphered so no one knows what they were trying to say. There are also rocks with Thamudic, Aramaic, Nabataean, Ammonite and Phoenician writing. The stone tablet, the Stele, is written in the Moabite language. It describes Mesha's achievements.
Source: The Jordan Museum
Nabataean, Greek and Roman artifacts have been found by archeologists. They can now be seen in the museums.
Source: The Jordan Museum & The Archaeological Museum
They even found an old lead pipe that the Romans had used to carry water into houses.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are religious texts that were discovered in the desert near the Dead Sea. Many of them were found in the Qumran Caves by a Bedouin boy who was looking for a lost goat. As they were written on paper and papyrus many of the scrolls were damaged but what has survived has been preserved in the Jordan Museum.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are religious texts that were discovered in the desert near the Dead Sea. Many of them were found in the Qumran Caves by a Bedouin boy who was looking for a lost goat. As they were written on paper and papyrus many of the scrolls were damaged but what has survived has been preserved in the Jordan Museum.
A copper scrolls was also discovered but unlike the other scrolls the text is not religious. It is in fact about a hidden treasure.
Source: The Jordan Museum & The Archaeological Museum
The Royal Automobile Museum
Another interesting museum is the Royal Automobile Museum, which houses the cars of the late King Hussein.
Another interesting museum is the Royal Automobile Museum, which houses the cars of the late King Hussein.
Petra
Sandstone is very interesting. You can see strange shapes and colours in the stone:
Djinn Blocks The "djinn blocks" are situated on the road to the Siq (Bab as-Siq). A djinn is an spirit. Originally it was thought that these blocks housed the djinn but in actual fact they were ancient tombs. |
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It was easy for the Nabateans to protect the city as it could only be accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq.
Click on the video to follow these people through Al Siq into Petra:
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Along the Siq there are alcoves carved out of the sandstone in which statues of deities would have been placed. |
The first building you see is what is known as the Treasury. It was not actually a Treasury but was in fact another tomb.
There were other tombs inside Petra. These were carved out of the rock face for the very wealthy and important people. Some had "stairs" carved into them. Some were obelisk tombs. Some had writing on them to show who owned them. When the Romans arrived in Petra they were so impressed with the tombs that they also built their own tombs there.
These are the homes in which the Nabateans lived:
The Great Temple
This is known as the great temple. However, it is thought that it wasn't actually a temple but was in fact a government building.
This is known as the great temple. However, it is thought that it wasn't actually a temple but was in fact a government building.
The Qasr al-Bint
This building was a temple. There is an alter in front of the temple.
This building was a temple. There is an alter in front of the temple.
The Monastery
They also made pipes which carried water from Ain Musa (Spring of Moses) into Petra. When the Romans arrived in Petra they added more water channels.
Like other cities Petra eventually came under the influences of other cultures. A theatre was built. However, unlike other theatres this one was carved out of rock rather than built!
There are also mosaics in Petra.
Here are some more pictures of Petra: |
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Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon)
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The local Bedu (Bedouin) now live in the village of Wadi Rum. Some live in goat-hair tents but others live in concrete houses. There is a school for girls and a school for boys, some shops and the visitor's centre. |
There are camps in the desert where visitors can spend the night. |
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There are amazing rock formations in Wadi Rum.
There are inscriptions on some of the rocks in Wadi Rum. There are also drawings of humans and animals. Some pictures show humans holding bows and arrows. There are also pictures of camels, ibexes and horses. As well as these pictures there are symbols like lines and circles. They are thought to be instructions telling others where to find hidden springs.
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The Bedu(Bedouin) knew that where there were plants there was water. There is a hidden spring where this tree is growing. |
More photos of the desert:
Shobak Castle
Shobak was built by the Crusader king Baldwin I in 1115. He built it so that he could control the area. Pilgrims and merchants needed permission to travel past it. Saladin's armies attacked the castle numerous times. There were wells in the castle and so the Crusaders were able to withstand a long siege. Saladin eventually captured the castle in 1189. In the 14th century the Mamluks took over the castle.
The wells in the castle provided water for the inhabitants. The land in the area was fertile to it provided plenty of food for those in the castle. There were also two cisterns which were carved into the hill which collected rainwater. |
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This is the chapel. |
At a later stage Arabic writing and decorations were added to the castle. |
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Saladin's Castle
This is Saladin's castle.
This is Saladin's castle.
Jerash
The city of Jerash is north of Amman. It has been inhabited since the Bronze Age but is most famous for the ruins which remain of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gerasa.
The city of Jerash is north of Amman. It has been inhabited since the Bronze Age but is most famous for the ruins which remain of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gerasa.
The Hippodrome
The Oval Plaza
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The colonnaded plaza was built during the reign of Hadrian. He visited the city in 129 AD. |
Cardo
The main street of any Roman city is called the Cardo. The street is lined with Corinthian columns. Shops and temples lined the street on either side. The Macellum, the marketplace was at the side of the Cardo.
The main street of any Roman city is called the Cardo. The street is lined with Corinthian columns. Shops and temples lined the street on either side. The Macellum, the marketplace was at the side of the Cardo.
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The Macellum was indoor market building that sold fruit and vegetables and other provisions. |
The Temple of Artemis
There were quite a few temples in Jerash. Here are photo of the Temple of Artemis. |
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The Amphitheatre
Here are some bagpipers who were playing music for us in the amphitheater. |
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Qasr Iraq el-Amir
There is a very sad legend told about this palace. It is said that the owner of this palace was a commoner who fell in love with the daughter of a nobleman. When he asked for her hand in marriage, the nobleman said that he could only marry her if he built her a palace. After the castle was finished the nobleman had him killed as he did not want his daughter marrying a commoner.
There is a very sad legend told about this palace. It is said that the owner of this palace was a commoner who fell in love with the daughter of a nobleman. When he asked for her hand in marriage, the nobleman said that he could only marry her if he built her a palace. After the castle was finished the nobleman had him killed as he did not want his daughter marrying a commoner.
The Caves in Iraq el-Amir
There are very unusual caves in Iraq el-Amir. They were dug out of the mountains. Some of them have the names of the owners carved into the mountain. |
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Aqaba
Aqaba is on the Red Sea. You can see Egypt and Israel from Aqaba.
Aqaba is on the Red Sea. You can see Egypt and Israel from Aqaba.
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Here are some pictures of modern shops in Jordan. |
Lots of shops in Jordan sell herbs and spices.
Coffee is used by heating the coffee in sand. |
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Long ago shops sold specific items.
Source: The Jordanian Museum of Popular Traditions & Jordan Folklore Museum