Raphael Kessler

Jordan is a lovely country with some beautiful desert, nice old towns, incredibly friendly people and a range of archeological sites.

Wadi Rum is a bit of the desert that is particularly enchanting and is where T.E. Lawrence used to like to wander. There are nice rocky outcrops (jebels), some with interesting formations (photo 1) and also camels (photo 2).

There are some excellent Roman ruins in Jordan. In Aman (the capital) city centre there is a Roman theatre with a McDonalds right next door which is a bit odd. A more typically classical appearance to an archeological site is that at Jerash (photo).

The Nabatean city of Petra, described as "A rose red city, half as old as time" has been used in a number of films, possibly most famously in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. It is very impressive with ornate facades carved directly from the cliff faces. The only shame is that the interiors are just boring rectangular chambers, now daubed with graffiti. The Khazneh (treasury) is probably the best known (photo 1), however there are many excellent examples of the artisans skills. One of my favourites was the cathedral (photo 2), despite the long climb to see it. There are a few spots though where a whole row of facades can be seen at once (photo 3).