JORDAN

Welcome to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, founded by King Abdullah I and currently ruled by King Abdullah I and currently ruled by King Abdullah II son of the late King Hussein. Over the years, Jordan has grown into a stable, peaceful and modern country.

While Jordan is known for the ancient Nabataean city of Petra carved from rock over 2000 years ago , it also offers much more for the modern travellers , from the Jordan Valley, fertile and ever changing ,to the remote desert canyons, immense and still. Whether you are a thrill seeker, a historian, or you just want to relax, Jordan is the place for you.

JORDAN

BIBLICAL JORDAN

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has proven home to some of the most influential Biblical leaders of the past; Abraham ,Job, Moses , Ruth, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ and Paul, to name a few. As the only area within the Holy Land visited by all these great individuals, Jordan breathes with the histories recorded in the Holy Bible.

Through the words of the prophets Abraham, Job and Moses in the Bible’s Old Testament, this land is where God first manifested Himself to man. Here, Adam and Eve may have stood in the former Garden of Eden, in an area along the northwest bank of the River Jordan, now known as Beysan (Beth-shean).When Cain killed his brother Abel and was banished by God to the area “east of Eden”, he may well have sought shelter at one of the three sites east of the River Jordan, which later become known as the “Cities of Refuge”.

It was in Jordan where the prophet Moses journeyed with the Israelites, where John the Baptist heralded in the New Testament of the Christian faith and where Jesus Christ thrived. This spiritual area was known as the “Plains of Moab “in the Old Testament and “Peraea” in the New Testament .It spans a wide reach , from the East beyond the famous baptismal river to the West on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Truly, the history of Jordan holds is immense. This is where Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God where Lot’s wife was turned it to a pillar of salt, where Job was tested and rewarded for his faith and where Elijah ascended to heaven. This is the land through which Moses led the Israelites on their flight from Egypt, where he delivered God’s Law, the site of Jesus’s baptism, the gathering grounds of the first disciples and where the Holy Trinity –the Father, Son and Holy Spirit –manifested itself.

It is the land of miracles, where God appeared to the prophets in the form of whirlwinds, a cloud of light, an angel, or a voice that commanded them to do His will.Here is where Jesus began his final journey to Jerusalem.

Jordan boasts some of the world’s earliest churches, including the 2^nd or 3^rd century “prayer hall” at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the 4^th century church at Umm Qays and the remains of what is believed to be the oldest purpose built church in the world in Aqaba. The 6^th century Byzantine church of St George in Madaba, is home to the world renowned mosaic floor map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Most of the Holy sites in Jordan have been identified and excavated and are easily accessible to visitors.

In the Book of Genesis, God refers to the Jordan River Valley around the Dead Sea as the “Garden of the Lord,” and it is believed to be the location of the Garden of Eden.