Day 13 (Saturday) Sharm El Sheikh – Aqaba – Petra

After breakfast this morning, you drive up the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba to the town of Nuwayba. There you board a hydrofoil for the two-hour trip to Aqaba, Jordan’s only seaport.

From here, you drive northward to one of the great natural landscapes of the world – Wadi Rum. The area takes its name from the largest of a whole network of wadis (valleys) which provided a route for trading caravans and the nomadic Bedouins going to, or from, the Arabian peninsula. The word rum is thought to come from the ancient Semitic word irum (high); reference was probably made to the enormous crags in the area.

Immortalized as the desert of Lawrence of Arabia, Wadi Rum is without doubt one of the most spectacularly beautiful stretches of desert in the world. Dozens of bird species live here as well as the elegant and rare ibex (a wild goat) and the dainty Arabian sand cat. Numerous plants and herbs grow here which the Bedouins use in their medicines.

Driving further north through the desert, you come to Petra – not only Jordan’s most spectacular tourist site, but equal to anything else in the Middle East.

Your hotel tonight is the Petra Movenpick, just a two-minute walk from the entrance gate to Petra, which offers a clever combination of regional flair and fine service. The marble and stone lobby leads to a grand atrium where varied sitting areas cluster under a domed skylight and grand chandelier. Your private guestrooms are as elegant as the public rooms. Your dinner this evening is served in the Al Iwan restaurant at the hotel, which puts most sultans’ palaces to shame. (B,L,D)

Today, you see the striking combination of Nabataean antiquities and stunning natural scenery. Unlike the other sites you have visited on this journey, most of these buildings have not been erected, they have been carved out of the soft sandstone. At the peak of its existence in the 1^st centuries BC and AD, Petra was famous for its sophisticated framework of justice, humane monarchy, and technological and commercial expertise. The Petra basin covers nearly 38 square miles of windswept limestone mounds and high sandstone formations interwoven with narrow valleys and broad plains. There are Nabataean tombs, temples, theaters, water works, and other monuments.

The city is hidden in a canyon with only one entrance. You walk on foot or go by horse carriage up to the Bab as-siq (a siq is a natural fissure in a mountain); as you walk down the narrow corridor of the siq, this dramatic entrance opens up on Petra’s most recognized monument – the al-Khazneh ("the Treasury"). The façade reveals both classical and Nabataean architecture; there are statues of gods, animals, and mythological figures. Famous as the setting for the final scene of the movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", this is not the only fascinating sight in the "Rose Red City". From here, you walk past the 7,000-seat Theater and the Royal Tombs toward the city center. You see the remains of the ancient colonnaded street, built about AD 106, which was lined with buildings – probably shops. This street leads you to the arched gate that was the formal entrance to the temple district. Nearby are wall lines and mounds that indicate the existence of many unexcavated structures – very possibly public buildings of the city center. There are thousands of caves in the canyon rocks that provided housing to the city’s inhabitants.

At the end of your sightseeing today, relax at your hotel in the top-floor tearoom or on the rooftop terrace. Dine this evening by candlelight, beside the fountains, on delicious Mediterranean specialties. (B,L,D)

This morning, you leave Petra, heading northward, to Jordan’s capital city of Amman. Starting out on the King’s Highway, the road winds through valleys to Shawbak. You stop to see the ruins of Shawbak Castle; the first sight of it is on its isolated hill. The majority of the visible defenses date to post-Crusader times; it was the first outpost of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, constructed in 1115. There is evidence the building was enlarged at the end of the 12^th century. The original entrance to the castle was through a triple gate; the Crusader church, just above the entrance, has a bird’s-eye view of the old village.

Afterward, you cross over to the Desert Highway – called Tariq al-Bint in Arabic, or "Maiden’s Way"; it was laid out by the Ottomans in the 16^th century. (It has been said the name of the road refers to an Ottoman Princess’s preference for this route over the parallel King’s Highway (possibly because the travel time is shorter). Muslim pilgrims have used this route from Damascus enroute to Medina, and then later to Mecca.

Arriving in Amman, you check into the Inter-Continental, which is just minutes from the city center. At one end of the spacious marble lobby a staff member in a crimson fez (traditional hat) tends a brazier upon which a pot of delicious Arabic coffee is kept warm for you upon arrival. Join your companions tonight for an à la carte dinner featuring regional fare. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, you begin your tour of the city that is a crossroads of civilizations; this is reflected in the diversity of art, music, dance, cuisine, and dress. Mule carts share the city’s smooth, broad streets with shiny new Mercedes sedans. Contemporary European and American outfits are worn with the traditional hejab (head scarf); and although many books are still censored by the government, the unrestricted Internet is rapidly gaining an audience.

Archaeologists have found evidence that the Amman area has been settled for almost 9,000 years. One of the largest Neolithic (about 6500 BC) communities in the Middle East was on the outskirts of the city. When the Roman Empire extended as far as Petra, the city flourished as a trade center; and impressive monuments were constructed. But by the early 19^th century, travelers in the area recorded it was a very ancient uninhabited town with great ruins; some of the ancient buildings were being used for storage by local farmers. It was the completion of the Hejaz railway (linking Damascus with Medina) that altered the agricultural character of the town; once more Amman became a center on the route from Damascus to the Holy City.

You visit the Citadel; from the summit of the hill, you have an excellent view of the city. Archaeologists continue to uncover remains of earlier settlements; there are interesting excavated Roman, Byzantine and Islamic sites here. During your tour of the Archaeological Museum, you see the statue of "Amman Daedalus" – Daedalus was the mythical figure who build the Minoan Labyrinth in Crete and subsequently made wax wings for himself and his son Icarus to escape from the island. You also see ancient sarcophagi, rare examples of burials practiced between the 13^th and 7^th centuries BC. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Neolithic wax-like figures dating from 8000-6000 BC are also on display.

Later today, you visit the restored Roman Amphitheater on the hillside; this impressive enclosure has a seating capacity for 6,000 and is still used for performances today. You also see the Ashrafia mosque.

Tonight attend a festive farewell dinner with your travel companions.

Your journey at an end, you are escorted to the airport to board your flight back to the States. (B)