Jordan Tours and News

 AMMAN — Inscriptions found in Yemen and Oman dating back to the Nabataean period point to the prevalence of frankincense trade between southern Arabian centres and the Levant, according to a Greek archaeologist. 

 AMMAN — During 2019, Petra witnessed unprecedented trourist activity, ending the year with a record number of 1,135,300 visitors of all nationalities, an increase of 37 per cent compared with 2018.

 AMMAN — World War I marks the beginning of using aerial photography in archaeology, as cameras and airplanes improved rapidly during the war, according to a British researcher.

 AMMAN — In response to the endangered status given to the Arabian Oryx in the 1970s, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve has taken measures, specifically the expansion of ecological balance, to preserve the rare species.

 AMMAN — Sixty-three cruise ships docked at the port of Aqaba in 2019, bringing 120,000 tourists; an increase of five ships and 9,000 tourists from 2018, according to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

 AMMAN — During the fourth millennium BC, a new culture appeared in the southern Levant, with a “pronounced” attitude towards adapting the so-called “Mediterranean diet” based on grapes and olive tree cultivation to different ecological niches, said an Italian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — The Museum of Jordanian Heritage (MJH), initiated by Yarmouk University in Irbid in 1988, aims to present the social history of not only Jordan, but also the region since the dawn of civilisation, said a Jordanian scholar.

 AMMAN — Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh and Prague top Jordanians preferred destinations during this holiday season, according to travel agencies.

 AMMAN — The irrigation system in the terraced gardens of the Black Desert, according to scholars, was probably the outcome of an indigenous (basalt desert) technology, which was also discovered at the earlier sites like Tulul Al Ghusayn, Khirbet Al Jabariya and Khirbet Abu Al Husayn, said a German archaeologist.

 AMMAN — Ancient fossil remains have revealed that Jordan once hosted one of the largest flying reptiles in the world, known as Arambourgiania Philadelphia, according to a Jordanian scholar.

 AMMAN — The number of visitors to the Baptism Site, recorded at more than 170,000 through November of this year, has almost tripled in the last four years, according to the commission that oversees the site.

 AMMAN — Scholars were unsure about the exact foundation date of the four-kilometre-long city wall in Jerash (ancient Gerasa), noted an Australian archaeology professor.

 IRBID — After being on display at the Jordan Museum from July through December 2019, the exhibit "Tall Ziraa — Mirror of Jordan’s Ancient History" opened on Tuesday at Yarmouk University’s Museum of Jordanian Heritage in Irbid, with a scheduled duration of five months.

 AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Sunday celebrated Feynan Ecolodge receiving the “Golden Award” at the World Travel Market (WTM) Travel and Tourism Awards 2019 in the category of reducing carbon and other greenhouse gases.

 AMMAN — Tucked away in a hidden corner of Jabal Amman, the Amman Design Week’s Crafts District offered its visitors design installations, exhibitions, shops, and a cultural programme in the Kabariti Village.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Bird Observatory (ABO) has registered sightings of the migratory oystercatcher, which is locally considered a rare bird.

 AMMAN — The Human Rights Film Festival “Karama” is holding its 10th edition under the slogan “Think Forward” from December 5-12 at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman.

 AMMAN — Official statistics issued by the Airport International Group revealed that Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) received 1,053,225 passengers (PAX) during August 2019, indicating a 5.1 per cent surge set against the same month last year.

 AMMAN — During late antiquity, wealthy women often travelled from western parts of the Roman Empire to visit holy sites and shrines in the Levant and Egypt, according to an archaeologist.

 AMMAN — The abundance of water in Wadi Al Zarqa enabled the region around archaeological site of eh-Sayyeh to establish a “very attractive” settlement area, according to a German scholar.

 AMMAN — Sales of a unified ticket designated for tourist areas in Jordan have increased during the first eight months of this year, according to Tourism Ministry official figures.

 AMMAN — In tribute to American arcaelogist Philip Hammond, a French scholar recalled his unearthing of information about Nabataean architecture and worship practices.

 AMMAN — Aqaba is expected to celebrate 1 million tourists by the end of 2019, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) said on Tuesday.

 AMMAN — European interest in cartography of the Levant dates back to at least the 16th century, according to a Swiss researcher.

 AMMAN — Tourism Minister Majd Shweikeh on Wednesday announced the first Arab Forum for Tourism Investment, which will be held on March 14, 2020 under the patronage of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, with the aim of promoting investments in the sector, increasing growth and attracting more tourists.

 AMMAN — “Amman the 28 country I have visted, Jordan is the best so far thanks to the hospitality of Jordanians,” Moroccan traveller Yasin Allam said on Monday. Allam, 33, who arrived in Jordan on September 21, said that he visited 27 African countries before Jordan during a trip that took him three years on his bicycle.

 AMMAN — The settlement in Jerash (Gerasa) during the Middle Islamic period was much more extensive and complex than hitherto thought, said a Danish archaeologist.

 AMMAN — Known locally as Khatt Shebib, Jordan’s own “great wall” is the second-longest structure built by humans next to the Great Wall of China, according to a Jordanian scholar.

 AMMAN — Petra is expected to celebrate 1 million visitors this year to its captivating attractions in early December, Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) said on Wednesday.

 AMMAN — Middle Islamic pottery is an understudied subject and until recently no comprehensive typology existed for pottery from this period, according to an American archaeologist.