Archaeology vacations in Jordan

Nothing quite prepares you for just how magnificent Petra is, extending for at least 60km² through canyons, along river beds and up into mountains with two storey buildings carved into the rock. The first time you visit Petra you should approach via the Siq, a very narrow, winding canyon cut by thousands of years of seasonal rain through sandstone rocks of every shade of red. After years of being hidden, Petra likes to make an entrance.

There is a lot of walking to be done here to take it all in, so do make sure you are feeling fit and able and that you have plenty of water with you. Rules are rightly very strict here in order to preserve the rock, so you are to keep your walking poles tucked into your backpack. There is also a concern about the erosion caused by donkey hooves taking tourists up the ancient path to the monastery; read more in our Responsible tourism in Petra guide.

Not so little at all, the proper name for this canyon is Siq Al Barid, or Cold Canyon. It is thought to have been like a suburb to the main site at Petra, built by the Nabataeans. Today it is part of Petra’s UNESCO World Heritage Site umbrella although it attracts far fewer visitors. You have plenty of room to take it all in, as there are wide open areas spread out around the sandstone canyon with many buildings carved into the walls in the same fashion as the main site. It was excavated much later, led by British archaeologist Diana Kirkbride in 1956. One of Little Petra’s highlights is a room, presumed to have been a dining room, which is covered in frescoes of grapes and wine related feasts; these are the only examples of Nabataean art known to exist.

There are two other historical highlights near Madaba. Mount Nebo is just ten minutes’ drive from here and, as well as having superb panoramic views of the Dead Sea and across to Palestine, is said to be the spot where Moses climbed after 40 days in the desert before dying with the ‘Promised Land’ in full view. Another promising place for archaeologists is Wadi Jadid, 10km south of Madaba. Here you will find 40 dolmens or ancient burial chambers. These date back to the Bronze Age and with 12 of them still in great condition, this makes for one impressive field of ghosts, or Bit Al Ghula, as local people call it.

Qasr al-Azraq does have a military history, including Lawrence of Arabia using it as headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Turks. This is quite an imposing sight in the middle of the desert, a large black basalt castle on the edge of the oasis town of Azraq which is thought to date back to around 300 CE during the Roman occupation. It was reconstructed in 1237 by the Ayyubids to defend themselves against the Crusaders. You can visit Lawrence’s room which was located above the southern entrance to the castle and imagine how tough it must have been to have stayed here through the winter of 1917-18, creating military strategies with his men. Interestingly, there is a small mosque in the middle of the courtyard, where fires would have been lit to keep warm in the treacherous desert winter. There is also an ancient well and prison off this courtyard.

Jordan’s capital is a must for anyone interested in archaeology, history and architecture as it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. We know it dates back to the Stone Age thanks to excavations that took place in 1994 when artefacts were discovered from this time. It was the capital of the Ammonites in 12 BCE and was known then as Rabbath Ammon, with a fascinating change of name to Philadelphia when it was ruled by Ptolemy Philadelphus in 2 BCE. He was the Roman who built the extraordinary 6,000 capacity theatre into the side of Jebel al-Qala’a. On top of this hill is a whole citadel, which is a collection of ancient Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad ruins, one of the most impressive being the Temple of Hercules, with its massive stone columns and vaulted chambers.