All About World Heritage Sites
Make traveling more meaningful
Traverse the other-worldly scenery of Jordan’s Wadi Rum. The unparalleled desert, which has provided the backdrop to movies like The Martian and Star Wars, offers travelers the opportunity to hike, camp, and take in a landscape not unlike Mars. For a true outer space experience, visitors can stay overnight for a guide-led star-gazing adventure.
Source: Exploring Mars Without Ever Leaving Earth’s Orbit in Wadi Rum, Jordan
You haven’t really seen Jordan if you haven’t hiked (at least part of) this trail.
Source: The Jordan Trail: Hiker’s guide to crossing the country in 40 days and 40 nights
Travel to a galaxy far, far away without ever needing light speed.
Source: 7 Star Wars Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit
A project to safeguard ancient inscriptions and drawings in a desert valley is helping local Bedouins to draw connections to the past.
Source: In Jordan’s desert, ancient rock art finds modern defenders
The number marks a new record for the Unesco world heritage site in Jordan…
Source: One millionth tourist this year arrives in Petra – and she is on her honeymoon
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the European Union’s presence in Jordan. On that occasion, the European Commission published on 25 October a report on the EU-Jordan partnership. The report notes the excellent cooperation and highlights progress in key areas defined in the EU-Jordan Partnership…
Melinda Healy was left in awe after a guide surprised tourists with a unique spiritual experience…
Source: How the sound of one man’s call to prayer in Petra is educating tourists from around the world
The desert castle Qasr Amra (or Qusayr Amra), located 25 kilometres west of Azraq, is one of the most important monuments in Jordan and in the whole world, said an Italian architect.“It bears the only preserved large wall-painting cycle dating back to the Umayyad period [first half of the 8th century AD],” noted Giorgio Sobrà who is in charge of the restoration of the castle.
Source: Italian architect seeks to unravel ‘mystery’ of Qasr Amra
International agreements to protect and promote intangible cultural heritage (ICH) have only recently become an incentive for Jordan, according to a Jordanian expert In the past there was still inadequate awareness on the safeguarding of ICH among parts of the leadership at central and local levels, as well as among stakeholders themselves, said Professor Hani Hayajneh, the dean of Yarmouk University.
Source: Scholar calls for systematic awareness programmes to preserve heritage
Some people might think Jordan is something of an out-of-bounds travel destination. The jewel of Middle-East does not get the coverage it deserves in mainstream…
Source: 7 top reasons why you should explore Jordan this year
Umm Al Rassas is a UNESCO World Heritage site, located about 75 kilometres south of Amman, famous for its 16 Byzantine churches. In the late third century AD, the place was known under the name Kastron Mefaa, being the military camp of a cavalry unit, which protected the neighbouring villages from bedouin raids. Due to population growth in the fifth and sixth centuries, the place became the civilian, double-walled town of Mefaa.
Source: Project digs into ancient agricultural practices in Umm Al Rassas
It was a metropolis in ancient Mesopotamia that became one of the most important sites in the ancient world. Now Babylon, in Iraq, is officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Source: Babylon added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites
Long before the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD, an Arab power arose in the 4th century BC. Known as the Nabataean Kingdom, is formed from an Arab, Bedouin tribal base, much as the Islamic empire did almost a millennium later. In time, the Kingdom became a client state of the Roman Empire and thereafter declined in importance to the point where it almost disappeared from the map. It became so hidden in its geographic and economic isolation that it was virtually forgotten, becoming home to just…
Source: The Nabataeans–An Early, Pre-Islamic Arab Kingdom Once Lost in Time
The Al-Hijr site in Saudi Arabia As an ancient city carved out of sandstone, Al-Hijr extends over an area of 15 km² in northwest Saudi Arabia. This is a magnificent site, left as a legacy by the Nabataean civilization, with a multitude of tombs, wells and monuments richly decorated. As you walk through them, you …
Source: Middle East: an overview of UNESCO World Heritage Sites – KAWA
The Ultimate first-timer’s travel guide to Petra, Jordan
Source: A Guide to Petra: One of New Seven Wonders of the World – Out of Town Blog
Glimpsing the Treasury building at the end of mile-long hike down a narrow slot canyon — bright in the sun against the shadow of the cliff walls — has something of the quality of a mirage.
Jordan’s petroglyphs are riddled with bullet holes from historic target practice and battles. A multidisciplinary forensics team went to Wadi Rum to assess the damage.
Source: In the Crosshairs: Ancient Rock Art Under Fire – Eos
Petra, also known as the “Red Rose City,” is undoubtedly Jordan’s most popular tourist site. A stunning historical marvel built into the face of red rocks more than 2000 years…
