Last days in Jordan

Citadel ruins at Amman

My last two days in Jordan were spent walking around Amman some more and going on another road trip with Iyad. In the middle of Amman on the top of a hill is its citadel, which has a very Roman feel about it. There is a museum up there too, with artefacts dating back to BC ranging from statues to money to kitchenware, tools and weapons.  If this ever came to Australia as an exhibition you’d expect to pay at least $20 admission but here it was just AU$2.

On our day trip Iyad took me into north Jordan, lamenting the entire way that although he has two wives he still has to do his own laundry. We stopped in first at Ajlaun castle, which sits on top of a big mountain overlooking the valley where Ajlaun town lies. I was the only tourist here and it was both surreal and a bit frightening walking through a dark old castle alone.

From here we drove east to Jerash, where an ancient roman town has and continues to be excavated in the middle of the city. Unlike ruins in other countries you are free to walk all over the ones in Jordan, with barriers only in places where one could fall over a cliff or similar.

 

After Jerash we headed back to Amman but cut through the east of the city and continued out to the desert towards the Iraqi border where some ancient desert castles and church have been found. It is strange seeing signs letting you know that only 200km down the same road is Iraq, and 80km ahead lies Saudi Arabia. Other than these monuments, which were also deserted … ha ha, deserted in the desert … there is little else out there.

View across desert

Paintings found inside Ummayad desert castle dating back to 660s AD 

By that evening I was definitely ready to leave Jordan and feel I saw absolutely everything I could have wanted to. I was also very much looking forward to meeting the people i'll be spending the next five months with and having a proper conversation in English.