Fri Sep 24    

Depart USA

Sat Sep 25   

Arrival to Amman transfer to the International Hotel. The balance of the day is free.

Sun Sep 26     Amman

Morning visit to Amman’s Citadel; site of ancient RabbathAmmon with Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains, the Roman Theater, which dates back to AD138-161, the Jordan Archaeological Museum and the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Jordan Museum. After lunch travel to Qasr Al-Abed, a second-century BC Hellenistic palace. 

Mon Sep 27    Jerash – Ajloun – Tel Mar Elias

Travel north to Jerash; one of the best-preserved Hellenistic and Roman sites in the eastern Mediterranean, and the Decapolis city of Biblical Gerasa (Mark 5:1) is a vast treasure trove of remains of temples, theatres, colonnaded streets, and a magnificent cardo maximus, transporting you back to the glory of Rome. Continue to Ajloun—a 12th-century Muslim castle built by the Ayyubids that guarded three wadis that led to the Jordan Valley below, and *Tel Mar Elias, an archaeological site recognized by some as the possible Biblical site of Tishbe mentioned in 1 Kings 17:1, the residence and/ or birthplace of the Prophet Elijah.

Tue Sep 28     Gadara – Pella – Bethany – Dead Sea

Traveling north of Amman explore Um Quis, the former Decapolis city of Gadara (Matt. 8:28) was leveled during the Jewish Revolt against Rome. Explore the ruins with magnificent views of the Golan Heights and Lake Tiberias. After a local lunch visit the Decapolis city of Pella, which grew powerful during the Greek and Roman periods, and became a center for Christianity with its monasteries and basilicas built during the Byzantine Period. We will finish the day at Bethany Beyond the Jordan (John 1:28-29, aka Bethabara) mentioned in New Testament as the place where John the Baptist performed baptisms, including that of Jesus. From here drive to the Dead Sea and check in to the Mövenpick Hotel. 

Wed Sep 29    Mt Nebo – Madaba – Machaerus

Drive up from the Dead Sea to Mt. Nebo, the traditional mountain that Moses ascended to gaze into the Promised Land (Deut. 34:1). Nearby, is Madaba famous for the Madaba Mosaic Map in the floor of the Church of St. George, showing where ancient cities were in the 6th century CE when the map was created. After lunch we will hike to Machaerus (Mukawir), the hilltop fortress where John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed by Herod Antipas (Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.2; Mark 6:24). Overnight Petra. 

Thu Sep 30     Petra

Over 2,000 years ago the Nabataean Arabs created a city by carving houses, temples, tombs, theaters and a water system out of rock. This morning meet an expert Archaeologist for a full day tour of Petra: the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, it is the crown jewel of Jordan and one of the archaeological wonders of the ancient world. A city carved from stone, Petra is a must-see site that cannot be adequately captured in words or on film. Overnight Petra. 

Fri Oct 1          Lots’s Cave – Callirrhoe Bath

We will visit Lot’s Cave, the traditional site where Lot hid and lived with his two daughters (Gen. 19:30), and the Sugar Mill recent archaeological discovery and its museum. Our final stop is the Callirrhoe Bath with its palace at the harbor that Herod built. A road 8 kilometers long connected the harbor to Machaeus. Overnight in Amman. 

Sat Oct 2         Amman Airport – Fly back

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