Jordan

What Jordan lacks in size, it makes up for with dazzling scenery and gracious hospitality. The country can be crisscrossed in just a few hours by car but has enough history to keep a visitor busy for weeks.

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Amman, Jordan's capital city, as seen from the top of the ancient Citadel

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A reminder that Jordan is an oasis of peace and prosperity in one of the more volatile regions of the world.
"We have really great neighbors," a guide remarked to us while rolling his eyes.

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Though definitely a Moslem country, Jordan also contains many Christian pilgrimage sites like this church and Moses Memorial on top of Mt Nebo.

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The city of Madaba is known for its elaborate Christian mosaics.
Here an artisan attempts to show how these were created in times of antiquity.

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Floating on top of the Dead Sea, whose waters are 27% salt.

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Entering the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, Jordan's most famous site.
Left, a view through the vertical walls of the Siq to the Treasury.
On the right, the Treasury in all its rose-colored glory.

On the left, the traditional garb of the Jordanian guards.
Right, overview of the old Roman collonaded street.

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One can spend all day marvelling at the amazing craftsmanship and effort that must have been necessary to carve an entire city out of rock a few thousand years ago.

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Wadi Village, the gateway to Wadi Rum and the spectacular desert landscape that was the backdrop of the film, Lawrence of Arabia.

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A few shots from inside Wadi Rum National Park.

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Beautiful mosques can be seen everywhere in the country,
even in the deserted south in the seeming middle of nowhere.

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A lone worshipper enters the massive King Abdullah Mosque complex in Amman.