In the footsteps of the prophets

After arriving at Queen Alia International Airport, passing through border control and collecting their luggage, guests will be greeted by our guide. From Amman we will go to the hotel on the Dead Sea.

After breakfast, guests will visit the site of one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the Jordan - Bethany beyond the Jordan, where, according to tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. There are two archaeological sites here: Elijah's Hill and the complex of churches of John the Baptist on the river. In 2015, Bethany was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Guests will head to Mount Nebo, located between the Dead Sea and Madaba. It is one of the most revered holy places in Jordan. According to local tradition, confirmed, among others, testimonies of ancient pilgrims, it was from this mountain that the biblical Moses was to see the Promised Land, which, however, he was not allowed to enter together with the Israelite tribes. He died here and was buried in an unknown place in the land of Moab. On the top of the mountain in the 4th century AD, early Christians built a small Byzantine temple.

Then, the travelers will go to Madaba - a city known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, among which the most famous is the oldest known map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the 6th century, made on the floor of the Orthodox Basilica of St. George. The original size of the map is estimated at 25 m wide and XNUMX m long. The preserved fragment of the map covers the area from Lebanon in the north to the Nile Delta in the south.

In the evening, guests will return to the hotel on the Dead Sea.

After breakfast, guests will set off on a full-day tour of the pink city of rocks - Petra, which is Jordan's most valuable treasure. This vast, unique in the world city was carved into the steep cliffs of the valley by the Nabataeans, who made it the capital of their country around the 4th century BC

The Nabataean tribe took advantage of the excellent location to control the trade routes running through the Arabian Peninsula, which made them incredibly wealthy. The first written mention of Petra dates back to 312 BC. In addition to trade, the inhabitants were well versed in managing water, which is valuable in the desert, in agriculture and rock carving. Petra prospered until the 1985st century AD, when the last of the Nabataean kings died and the kingdom was annexed to the Roman Empire and lost its importance. The city is located in a rocky valley, accessed by one narrow road among the rocks - the As-Sik gorge, which our guests can travel on horseback. In the city we will visit, among others: The Pharaonic Treasury (probably the tomb of one of the rulers of Petra), the Roman Theater, a large complex of Royal Tombs in the so-called The Royal Wall, Kasr Bint Firaun (the so-called Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter, or actually the temple of Dushara - the local Nabataean deity - from the XNUMXst century BC) and Ad-Dajr, i.e. the Monastery. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since XNUMX.

After visiting Petra, guests will go to Wadi Rum - an extraordinary ued, the largest in Jordan - a desert valley carved among granite and sandstone massifs, seeming to lie outside of time, and certainly far from humanity and its destructive forces. Wadi Rum was made famous around the world by Thomas Edward Lawrence, who operated in this area during the anti-Turkish Arab uprising of 1917–1918. In 2011, the Wadi Rum protected area was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Guests will have the opportunity to admire an amazing sunset in the desert. They will stay at the Bedouin camp for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, we will invite guests on a 2-hour expedition in Bedouin jeeps deep into Wadi Rum, where they will be able to visit the most interesting places in the valley, which, not by accident, resemble an expedition to Mars, as many films about the Red Planet were shot in this area.

Return to the hotel on the Dead Sea for the night.

For those interested, an hour-long camel trip is available in Wadi Rum for U$ 25 per person.

After breakfast, guests have a free day to rest and enjoy the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea or take a health mud bath.

After breakfast, guests will travel to Queen Alia Airport in Amman, from where they will fly to Beirut. There, after passing the border check, our guide will greet them and take them to the hotel.

After breakfast, we invite guests to explore the capital of Lebanon, whose walls contain 3500 years of history. The name Bêrūt (source) was given to the city by the Phoenicians. Excavations carried out in the city center revealed layers of Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Arab and Ottoman settlements. The first written mention in cuneiform comes from the collection of "Letters from Amarna" from the XNUMXth century BC. Under Roman rule, among others, were built. forum, hippodrome and amphitheater. Then, guests will go along the coast to the Pigeon Rocks, then to the National Museum and Martyrs' Square.

Then, along the coastal road, our guests will go to the Jeita Grotto, which can only be reached by boat on an underground river (which is a source of water for over 1 million inhabitants of Lebanon). Although the cave was inhabited in prehistoric times, it was only rediscovered in 1836 by William Thomson. The grotto is considered one of the natural wonders of the world.

Later, guests will go to Harissa, from where they will take a cable car to reach the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon. From here they will go to Byblos, the city with the oldest port in the world. From the 3rd millennium BC, Byblos was known as a Phoenician trading center where cedar, limestone and papyrus were traded with ancient Egypt. Before returning to the hotel in Beirut, guests will visit Byblos, among others: old shopping souks, defensive walls and a Roman amphitheater.

After breakfast, the guests will go through the mountains of Lebanon to the Beka Valley to visit Anjar, a fortified city dating back to the Umayyad dynasty in the 60th century AD. From here they will go to Baalbek - in ancient times known as the place of worship of the Phoenician sun god Baal, then called Heliopolis as one of the most beautiful cities Hellenistic. As a Roman colony, it became the center of the cult of the triad of gods: Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus. Here, among others: there is the Temple of Jupiter, from around 13 AD, which consists of the Propylaea, a hexagonal courtyard, a great courtyard and the temple proper. The temple was built on a base located 3 m above the level of the surrounding terrain. This foundation was made of the largest stone blocks ever machined - among them there are 800 huge blocks weighing approximately XNUMX tons each.

From Baalbek, guests will return to their hotel in Beirut for the night.

After breakfast, we will take the guests to Beirut airport. This exclusive expedition ends here.