Traders Path| Magical Desert Castles
Stretching east of Amman, the parched desert plain rolls on to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. This is a place where endless sand and barren basalt landscapes give proof to man’s ability to thrive under harsh conditions. The discovery of flint hand-axes in this desert indicates that Palaeolithic settlers inhabited the region around half a million years ago. But the most remarkable remains of human habitation are the palaces built by the Damascus-based Umayyad caliphs during the early days of Islam (seventh-eighth centuries CE). During the height of the Umayyad dynasty, architecture flourished with the cultural exchange that accompanied growing trade routes. Today it is possible to see many relics of the early and medieval Islamic periods in Jordan. Dotted throughout the steppe-like terrain of eastern Jordan and the central hills are numerous historic ruins, including castles, forts, towers, baths, caravan inns and fortified palaces. Known collectively as the desert castles or desert palaces.
The desert day out is not complete without reaching out to Um Al Jimal, now If Petra is the “rose-red” city, Um Al Jimal is a city of “all black”, constructed exclusively with dark, volcanic basalt rock. Located 70km northeast of the capital, the site was established by the Nabataeans and continued under the Romans, later being revived by thriving Byzantine and Umayyad communities.
After destruction by an earthquake, it was sporadically inhabited until it was resettled by Druze and Masaeid in the 20th Century.
Um Al Jimal was a frontier town on the edge of the badia, likely first inhabited by Nabataean traders caravanning between Petra and Damascus ; With the arrival of Rome in the second century AD, the village eventually became part of the Limes Arabicus — the line of garrisoned forts that protected the Roman province of Arabia.
Transportation in A/C Vehicle
English Speaking Driver
Entrance Fees to mentioned sites
Lunch
Tips to Driver , restaurant staff ..etc.
Drinks/beverages with lunch
Any personal expenses such as telephones, souvenirs..etc.