Jordan is a
sovereignArab state in the
Middle East. The capital,
Amman, is Jordan's most populous city as well as the country's economic, political and cultural centre.
In 2017, Jordan recorded more than 3.8 million tourists.[1]
Main tourist destinations
Ancient sites
Petra in
Wadi Musa, home of the
Nabataeans, is a complete city carved in a mountain. The huge rocks are colorful, mostly pink, and the entrance to the ancient city is through a 1.25 km narrow gorge in the mountain—called the
Siq. In the city are various structures, all (except 2) are carved into rock, including Al-Khazneh – known as the
Treasury – which has been designated as one of the "
New 7 Wonders of the World" by the for-profit New Open World Corporation. Other major sites of interest in Petra include the Monastery, the Roman theater, the Royal Tombs, the High Place of Sacrifice. The ruins of Petra were rediscovered by
Swiss explorer
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. It was inscribed as a
UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1985.
Al-Karak contains an important castle from the times of Salah al-Din, known as
Al-Karak Castle.
Umm el-Jimal, the so-called "Black Gem of the Desert", was once a town on the margins of the Decapolis. Rural and well to do, it was a fitting contrast to the surrounding busy cities. Its black basalt mansions and towers, some still standing three stories high, have long inspired poets.
Qusayr 'Amra, one of the best preserved
Umayyad Islamic period monuments. Its interior walls and ceilings are covered with unique frescoes, and two of the rooms are paved with colourful mosaics. It, too, is a World Heritage Site.
Umm ar-Rasas, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, these ruins show a mix of Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim architecture. Among its treasures is
the largest church mosaic floor in the country; newer discoveries are possible as the site has not been completely excavated.
Madaba is well known for its mosaics, as well as important religious sites such as The
Madaba Map, the oldest surviving original
cartographic depiction of the
Holy Land and especially
Jerusalem. It dates to the 6th century AD.
Mount Nebo, where
Moses was said to have gone to get a view of the Promised Land before he died, according to the
Bible.
Seaside sites
Aqaba is a town on the shore of the
Gulf of Aqaba with numerous shopping centers,
hotels and access to various water sports and protected
coral reefs and
marine life. It has the ruins of the mediaeval town of
Ayla and other
Edomite ruins. Aqaba also has a vibrant nightlife scene especially on holiday weekends when thousands of wealthy Jordanians visit the coastal city. Numerous raves and concerts are held by international DJ's and artists at the major resorts and beach clubs.[2] Aqaba is seeing nearly $20 billion worth of developments centered on tourism and real estate projects transforming the city into a "new
Dubai".
The
Dead Sea – It is the lowest point on earth, 402 metres (1,319 ft) below
sea level,[3] and becomes 1 meter lower each year. It is the only depository of
River Jordan and was part of the
biblical kingdoms of
Midianites and later the
Moabites. The Dead Sea area is home to numerous world-class resorts such as the
Kempinski,
Mövenpick and
Marriott. In addition, there are water parks, a public beach and international restaurants. The ultra-chic destination in the area, however, is the O-Beach which is home to cabanas, bars, international restaurants, and a beach club.
Wadi Rum is a desert full of mountains and hills located south of Jordan. It is popular for its sights in addition to a variety of sports that are practiced there, such as rock-climbing. It is also known for its connection to
T.E. Lawrence; some scenes in Lawrence of Arabia were filmed here. In the late 2000s it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and cultural heritage.
Irbid, Jordan's second largest city, is home to several museums and malls as well. However, the main reason for foreigners visiting the city is the plethora of universities that the cities host with
Jordan University of Science and Technology and
Yarmouk University being the two most prominent. The city hosts a large student population from all across Jordan, the Middle East and further afield. Irbid's University Street is home to the most internet cafes per mile in the world.[4]
Fuheis, a town about 20 minutes north-west of Amman known for its traditional 18th and 19th century churches and turn of the century provincial Jordanian architecture.
The number of available activities and
things to do in Jordan is increasing all the time, even though the COVID-19 pandemic did slow the pace of development of new attractions.
Outside of Amman, there are a number of museums focusing on art, archaeology, ethnography and natural history. Overlooking the Baqa'a Valley just north of Amman is the
Sami Hindiyeh Art Gallery (opened 2017) with its extensive modern art collection from across the Arab world. In the historic city of as-Salt, there is the Abu Jaber Museum, which focuses on late Ottoman and early 20th century history and traditions, as well as an historic house containing the as-Salt Archaeological Museum. There are numerous agritourism developments in the verdant north of Jordan near Salt, such as the ones in and around the archaeologically rich village of Gilead, namely the
Mountain Breeze Resort and those affiliated with BookAgri, which aims to encourage the local farmers to showcase their traditional way of life to visitors. In Madaba, south of Amman, there is the Madaba Archaeological Museum, an Interpretive Center at St. George's Church, home of the
Madaba Map, as well as a small museum at nearby
Mount Nebo. The
Dead Sea Panorama Complex contains an informative museum focusing on the natural history and geology of the Dead Sea. Nearby in
Ghor es-Safi is the Lowest Point on Earth Museum, which displays important archaeological discoveries from this region of the South Jordan Valley. The Petra Museum (opened 2019), is located at the entrance of the World Heritage Site of Petra and presents around 300 objects from the Petra region, ranging from prehistory to the present day.[6]
Jordan, most specifically
Amman and to a lesser extent
Aqaba, has emerged as one of the region's hotspots for nightlife. Alongside
Ramallah,
Haifa,
Dubai,
Beirut,
Sharm el Sheikh, and
Manama,
Amman is a premier clubbing destination in the Arab World and the Middle East.[7] The country has seen an explosion in nightlife options ranging from high end nightclubs and bars in the capital city to world-class raves at the
Dead Sea and
Wadi Rum. Aqaba too has seen a proliferation in nightclubs and beach clubs as a result of the massive of foreign investment and influx of foreign labor and tourists due to the establishment of the special economic zone,
ASEZA. Distant Heat held annually in
Wadi Rum is considered one of the world's top raves.
Natural reserves
Jordan has a number of natural reserves.
Azraq Wetland Reserve – Azraq is a unique wetland oasis located in the heart of the semi-arid Jordanian eastern desert, managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). Its attractions include several natural and ancient built pools, a seasonally flooded marshland, and a large mudflat known as Qa'a Al-Azraq. A wide variety of birds stop at the reserve each year for a rest during their arduous migration routes between Asia and Africa. Some stay for the winter or breed within the protected areas of the wetland.
Dana Biosphere Reserve – covers 308 square kilometres, composed of a chain of valleys and mountains which extend from the top of the Jordan Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of
Wadi Araba. Dana is home to about 600 species of plants, 37 species of mammals and 190 species of birds.
Mujib Nature Reserve – the lowest nature reserve in the world, with a spectacular array of scenery near the east coast of the
Dead Sea. The reserve is located within the deep Wadi Mujib gorge, which enters the Dead Sea at 410 metres below sea level. The Reserve extends to the
Kerak and
Madaba mountains to the north and south, reaching 899 metres above sea level in some places. Wadi Mujib enjoys a magnificent bio-diversity that is still being explored and documented today. Over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores and numerous species of permanent and migratory birds have been recorded.
Shaumari Wildlife Reserve – The Shaumari Reserve was created in 1975 by the RSCN as a breeding centre for endangered or locally extinct wildlife. Today, following breeding programmes with some of the world's leading wildlife parks and zoos, this small, 22-square-kilometre reserve is a thriving protected environment for some of the most rare species in the Middle East, as
Arabian oryx, ostriches, gazelles and
onagers, which are depicted on many 6th century
Byzantinemosaics.
Jordan is investing heavily in its tourist infrastructure in the form of luxury hotels, spas, resorts, and massive real estate projects, as The "Abdali Urban Regeneration" Project and the "Marsa Zayed" in
Aqaba. Luxury residential housing like Sanaya Amman and the Living Wall are attracting affluent Persian Gulf vacationers to buy property in Jordan.
Queen Alia International Airport is being expanded to handle 9 million passengers annually in the first phase; 12 million in the second phase.
Tourism Development
Currently
USAID is an active partner in the development of the tourism industry in Jordan with the continued support of the
Jordan Tourism Development Project (Siyaha), currently in its second project lifecycle.
With the establishment of the
Aqaba Special Economic Zone, nearly twenty billion dollars have been invested in Jordan's sole coastal city. Luxurious resorts such as
Saraya Aqaba and Tala Bay are being constructed with more in the pipeline like the $1 billion Ayla Oasis.[12] With Jordan becoming increasing popular as a cruising destination, a new and modern cruise ship terminal is being constructed in the
Marsa Zayed project.