2007 EPA/ACP Tour

From BlogJordan

On November 2, 2007 through November 11, 2007, the Associated Church Press (ACP) and the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) are sponsoring a press tour of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية). The land east of the Jordan River, a designated place of refuge in Bible times, is where many Old and New Testament stories unfolded. Reminders of these stories are everywhere in Jordan - from the forests of ancient Gilead in the north, to the fertile valleys of central Jordan near the Dead Sea, and beyond to the desert landscapes of the south where the Edomites once ruled, the events and lessons of the Holy Scriptures flow through the landscape much like the river that bears the country's name.

What follows is the itinerary for the November 2007 Press Tour^[1].

[edit] Day 1: Arrival

Amman (Arabic: عمان ʿAmmān), is the capital and largest city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, population 2.1 million. Amman forms a great base for exploring the country and does, in fact, hold a few items of interest to the traveler. The city is generally well-appointed for the traveler and the people are very friendly.

[edit] Queen Alia International Airport, Amman

Queen Alia International Airport (IATA: AMM, ICAO: OJAI) (Arabic: مطار الملكة علياء الدولي; transliterated: Matar al-Malikah 'Alya' ad-Dowaly) A two terminal airport, situated in Zizya (زيزياء) area, 20 miles (32km) south of Amman, the capital city of Jordan. It is the home hub of Royal Jordanian Airlines, the national flag carrier. It was built in 1983.

The airport is named after Queen Alia, the third wife of King Hussein of Jordan, perished in a helicopter crash in 1977.

[edit] Grand Hyatt Hotel

'Grand Hyatt Hotel, Amman is located at Hussein Bin Ali street on the third circle, in the Jabal Amman district, primarily known as the financial and diplomatic district of the capital. The hotel offers sweeping vista of the city and the celebrated King Abdullah I Mosque (locally known as the Blue Domed Mosque). Grand Hyatt is conveniently linked to Zara Expo, the capital's Trade, Exhibition, and Conference center, and is 30 minute drive to and from the Queen Alia International Airport and just3 minutes to downtown and the Roman Amphitheatre.

Individual rooms are provided 'hard-wired' internet access, while wireless access is offered in public areas of the hotel. Located on the Lobby level of the hotel next to the Zara Souk hotel shoppe is the the hotel's business center, offering MS Office equipped computer stations, secretarial, courier, printing and translations services between the hours of 7:00 am to 11:00 pm.

[edit] The Baptist School

The Baptist School, affiliate with the Jordan Baptist Convention offers k-12 education programs geared at providing life-skills through a balanced curriculum of program of spiritual, social, physical, and mental activities.

[edit] Day 2: Amman Voluntourism & Christian Worship

The Jordan Tourism Board North America (JTBNA) branch is promoting the concept of "voluntourism," as a whole new dimension to the travel experience that includes adding to one's tour a few hours at an orphanage, painting a classroom or chatting with the elderly^[2].

Many local Christian churches hold services on Saturday night, as Sunday is the beginning of the work week (Sunday-Thursday). However, some churches do have services on Sunday morning, as well as Sunday night.

[edit] Al-Hussein Society

The Al-Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged (AHS) s an educational, vocational and therapeutic non-governmental organization dedicated to providing comprehensive habilitation/rehabilitation services to physically challenged individuals, with the emphasis on children, irrespective of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion and sex.

Since its founding in 1971, AHS has expanded its programs to become a major provider of comprehensive services to the physically challenged of Jordan through its in-house and outreach programs; including:

elementary education for grades one through six;
dietary orthodontic, nursing and other medical services;
community-base physical & occupational therapists to to rural areas and refugee camps; and
portage programs to educate mothers in their disabled child.

The AHS also hosts and networks with other societies in an effort to serve a maximum number of people with different challenges as effectively and efficiently as possible.

[edit] De La Salle Church

De La Salle Church at Frères College, Jabal Hussein, Amman offering Catholic masses in English, is located on Ar-Razi Street at the southeast corner of the Frères College compound. The latter of which school about 1250 pupils with a staff of about 80 highly qualified, well-experienced teachers. The school opens its doors to pupils willing to study for either the Jordanian certificate of Secondary Education^[3].

[edit] Day 3: Historic Amman & the Decapolis

The Decapolis (Greek: deka, ten; polis, city) was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan, Syria and Palestine. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status.

The Decapolis cities were centers of Greek and Roman culture in a region that was otherwise Semitic (Nabatean, Aramean, and Jewish). With the exception of Damascus, the "Region of the Decapolis" was located in modern-day Jordan, one of them located west of the Jordan River in Palestine (modern day Israel). Each city had a certain degree of autonomy and self-rule.

[edit] The Citadel

The Hill of the Citadel (Arabic: Jabal al-Qal'a) or often simply referred to as just the Citadel as many conquering civilizations took advantage of its 2745 foot (830m) elevation for both military and religious purposes.

[edit] Temple of Hercules

The Temple of Hercules erected somewhere between 161 and 166 AD during the governance of Germinius Marcianus under the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD), this temple overlooks Amman, Jordan from high upon the southern end of the [Hill of the Citadel|Citadel Hill].

[edit] Jordan Archaeological Museum

The Jordan Archaeological Museum is situated on the northwest end of the Hill of the Citadel and is jam-packed with antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th century AD.

[edit] Umm Qais

Umm Qais ({{Arabic: أم قيس}}) located on the site of the ruined Greco-Roman city of Gadara (sometimes, incorrectly Gedara), a semi-autonomous city of the Roman Decapolis. The location of the miracle of the Gadarene swine (Matthew 8:28-32), it overlooks the juncture points for of Syria, Israel and Jordan. The town also went by the names of Antiochia or Antiochia Semiramis and Seleucia.

[edit] Jerash

Jerash (Arabic:محافظة جرش), is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa (sometimes Garasa),, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East or Asia", referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano). Jerash is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East. It was a city of the Decapolis.

[edit] Wild Jordan Café

The Wild Jordan Café, located in the Wild Jordan Nature Center, is an attempt from the [ATICO] group to create a food outlet that offers a unique product in conjunction with communal and charity work. It is a partnership with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) - work engine aiming to generate income for the rural communities of RSCN’s 6 reserves in Jordan; Dana, Dibeen, Shaumari, Al Azraq, Ajloun and Wadi Mujib.

The Wild Jordan Café menu is based on a low fat, low carbohydrate recipes with raw materials extracted from RSCN’s nature reserves. The menu offers a wide selection of tasty salads, sandwiches, smoothies and desserts with a healthy twist to it. A percentage of the cafés revenues are dedicated to helping the communities.

[edit] Day 4: Nebo, Madaba & Mukawir

Travel southward along the 5,000-year-old King’s Highway, a vital ancient trade route stretching across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba. In Jordan, it leads out from Gerasa, past past Karak and Rabbah/Philadelphia (modern Amman), into the land of Moab to Madaba.

[edit] Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo ({{Arabic:جبل نيبو}}, Jabal Nībū) is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 metres (2680 feet) above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.

[edit] Madaba

Madaba ({{Arabic:مادبا}}) is a capital city of Madaba Governorate of Jordan, which has a population of about 60.000. Madaba is the fifth most populous town in Jordan. It is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of Palestine and the Nile delta. Madaba is located 30 miles south-west of the capital Amman.

[edit] Machaerus

Machaerus (Arabic: ِقلة المشناقى, Qalat el-Mishnaqa) is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan fifteen miles southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. It is the alleged location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. East of the mountain plateau is the village known as Mukawir (also Meqawer, Arabic: مقاور).

[edit] Crowne Plaza Resort Petra

With 147 rooms equipped with high speed Internet on the inside, and a spectacular view of the Petra Mountains from the rooms and back patio, the Crowne Plaza Resort Petra is only steps away from the visitor's entrance to the Siq and the 'Rose Red City', Petra with its world famous archaeological sites.

[edit] Day 5: Petra

Petra (from πέτρα "petra", rock in Greek language|Greek; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Butrā) is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, the great valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.

Famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock, Petra is a popular tourist site and archaeological site; declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 - and more recently the 7th Wonder of the World by the same.

Built by the Nabataeans, an ancient Semetic people, the cite is best known for the impressive stone structures that include:

[edit] Day 6: from Wadi Rum to Aqaba

Once again taking the King’s Highway out of the land of Moabbites and Nebateans, one passes the 'Grand Canyon-like' Wadi Mujib, stopping inWadi Rum, then picking up the trail until reaching the port city of Aqaba.

[edit] Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم) is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southwest Jordan. It is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'. To reflect its Arabic pronunciation properly, archaeologists transcribe the name Wadi Ramm. Inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, the area offers many markings to study in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. As of 2007, several Bedouin tribes inhabit the area.

[edit] Aqaba

Aqaba (Arabic:العقبة, Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town with a population of 70,000 (2000 est. pop.) and 2% of Jordan's population in the far south of Jordan. It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. The town borders Elat|Eilat, Israel and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries. Both Aqaba and Eilat are at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba.

[edit] Captain's Tourist Hotel

The Captain's Tourist Hotel is conveniently located near the city center on Al Nahda Street, 12 minutes by car from Aqaba International Airport, in the Jordanian southern sea-port city of Aqaba. This moderately priced hotel offers 58 rooms and 8 suites furnished in a sea-faring fashion; with two noted restaurants offered at the ground-level. Located on Al Nahda Street between the Aquamarina II and Golden Tulip hotels (29°31'51.64"N 35°0'13.88"E), the htel is a short walk to the views of the the Red Sea that Aqaba has to offer. No information as to whether or not Internet access is provided is available at this time.

[edit] Day 7: To the Baptismal Site via Wadi Arabah

Travel to the Baptism place of Christ via a section of the Great Rift Valley known as Wadi Arabah (Arabic: وادي عربه). Forming border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east the Arabah is 166 km (103 miles) long from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea, where it drops sharply to meet the Dead Sea to a depth of 418 m (1373 feet) below sea level; making it the lowest point on earth.

[edit] Lot’s Cave and Museum

Along the Dead Sea Highway at Zoar is Lot's Cave where Lot and his daughters fled after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. From the cave, one can view the verdant agricultural fiels around the Safi below. 300 meters from a monastery built on top of the cave, is the newly completed Lot's Museum at the Dead Sea.

[edit] Dead Sea Panorama Complex

The Dead Sea Panorama Complex offers visitors a museum, conference facilities, a nature shop and restaurant, sits atop the jagged Zara cliff, towering above the Dead Sea itself far below and looking across a rugged and forbidding panorama of ancient rock and human history.

Inside the museum are some of the the oldest artifacts in the world. The facility also over looks "the lowest point on Earth" which lies 418 meters (1,373 feet) below sea level, and the 'Dead Sea' which got its name due to the high salinity that prevents fish or macroscopic aquatic organisms from living there.

[edit] Elijha's Hill

Elijha's Hill (Tel Mar Elias) is the hilltop site long identified with Elijah, known is Arabic as Tel Mar Elias where the prophet Elijah ascended into heaven on a chariot of fire and horses of fire - an event that almost two millenia later gave rise to the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

[edit] Bethany beyond the Jordan

Bethany beyond the Jordan (Arabic:بيثاني خارج الارد) is about 45 minutes drive from Amman, and about 50 kms.to the west of Amman and 10 km. north of the Dead Sea. For the three past year and a half, the Jordanian Department of Antiquities has systematically surveyed and partially' excavated a series of ancient sites that collectively represent one of the most important archaeological discoveries in modem Jordan — the settlement and region of Bethany (or Beth abra), where John the Baptist lived and baptized both disciples, and Christ.

[edit] Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa

The Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa located on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea (31°45'04.55"N 35°35'22.57"E), this respite offers unique and upscale spa with treatments using natural elements from the Dead Sea. Hosting 216 guest rooms, including duplex and royal suites, the resort also makes for a superb meetings and group events with facilities accommodating up to 1,000 guests.

With views of the Dead Sea from almost every room, each equipped with voice mail, data port system and wireless high-speed Internet, this resort and spa offers individuals stunning views of the Dead Sea both from terraces from select rooms and the enormous 3 tiered swimming pool facilities.

[edit] References

[edit] External Links

[_note-0] JTBNA - See Jordan

[_note-1] Voluntourism — a whole new dimension to the travel experience in Jordan

[_note-2] Amman.com - De la Salle Frère

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