Early in 2023, Donna, my wife, came across a holiday that she knew would interest me; it was a combined trip to both Jordan and Egypt. Donna is something of a bargain hound; she finds amazing deals all the time. Although there was a discount on this holiday it was still what we considered to be expensive, however, but it also counted as fulfilling two journeys of a lifetime. As I had recently took early retirement and we had some funds available we decided to go ahead and book it; we are both so glad that we did.
Although I am the one with the declared interest in history, especially ancient history, Donna has a love of travelling to places that are not usually included in your normal run of the mill two week package holiday trips. Neither of us are interested in spending two weeks on a beach or sat beside a swimming pools and going out every night for a drink and something to eat. Perhaps it is our age, but we want something more stimulating than that now. Donna wanted to see the city of Petra and the Pyramids of Giza as much as me and this trip would deliver both.
On March 8th we travelled to Manchester Airport and caught a flight to Istanbul, where we transferred to another flight to Amman, Jordan. This was a long journey, and I have to say that Istanbul has to be one of the largest airports that I have ever been to, but Turkish airlines were excellent. There was a guide waiting for us at Amman Airport, Mr Ashraf, who saw us through immigration and border control, before taking us to our hotel. We arrived very early in the morning and spent most of the next day, referred to as a 'free day' on the itinerary, catching up on our sleep.
The holiday really started the next day when we met our tour guide, Michael, and headed out into the country side. Our first stop was in the Jordanian Desert. I have always wanted to visit a desert area and I was not disappointed; it was quiet and almost serene. We visited a Caliph's hunting lodge and a 'desert palace', a place where caravans stopped to rest. Michael told us that rich travellers could hire a room inside the building where it was cool, but most of the people in the caravan would spend the night camped outside, but close enough to enjoy the safety that it offered.
Palace Gateway
Caravan Palace; a safe haven
Interior courtyard of the palace
Michael, our guide, describing some of the history of the Caravan Palace
The beautiful desert
The hunting lodge was not too far away and it was most notable for the frescos that adorned the interior as they depicted people; something that is not usually allowed in Islamic culture. The building was quite small, but as Michael explained, only the Caliph and his friends would have stayed inside it; their retainers would have camped outside in tents.
From here we travelled south to Aqaba to visit the fort where Laurence of Arabia and his Arab allies set up their headquarters after capturing the port city. T. E. Laurence still has a presence in modern-day Jordan and the local people are keen to share any connection that they have with visitors.
Just a couple of tourists
Before travelling back to Amman, we had to stop for this photoshoot opportunity:
The journey back to the hotel took us through the beautiful scenery of Jordan.
The desert of Jordan
The Valley of Jordan in the distance
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