Desert Castles

fortified palaces or castles in what used to be the Umayyad province of Bilad ash-Sham

68km

Beit Shean Valley

The Beit She'an Valley is an area in the Jordan Valley of northern Israel. It consists of the town of Beit She'an (also spelled Beit/Bet/Beth Shean/She'an/Shan), as well as a number of kibbutzim and other small agricultural communities.

157km

Azraq Wetland Reserve

Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) facility that shows you how they are working to preserve the wetlands. You can follow the short, but expensive, Marsh Trail through the main wetlands section to get a glimpse of what they would have been like, complete with ruins of ancient dams.

805m

Qasr Amra

château

26km

Qasr Al-Kharanah

desert castles located in present-day eastern Jordan

39km

Qasr Al-Hallabat

human settlement in Jordan

55km

Umm ar-Rasas

Jordanian archeological site

103km

Ajloun Forest Reserve

A 13-km² protected forest run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. The reserve features multiple hiking trails of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty.

127km

Ajloun Castle

An Islamic fortress, built during the period of the Crusades. The castle is located on the top of a mountain just outside the small city of Ajlun. The castle is an interesting maze of passages and levels, and offers a wonderful view of the surrounding area, northwestern Jordan, and off into Galilee.The castle was built in 1184-1885 AD and was one of the few fortresses built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from both the west and the north. It also controlled the area around it, including another of its major objectives, to control the iron mines in the area. The castle is one of the best preserved and most complete examples of medieval Arab-Islamic military architecture.Ajloun Castle dominated the three main routes leading to the Jordan valley and protected the trade and commercial routes between Jordan and Syria, it became an important link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders, who, unsuccessfully spend decades trying to capture the castle and the nearby village.From the top of the castle, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Jordan Valley and the highlands of north Jordan. Excavations have recently identified a church that was built on the castle site in the earlier Byzantine period, while restoration and conservation works have made all areas of the castle accessible and safe for visitors. It is recommended to bring binoculars, also, the scenery is promised to be beautiful and as much a part of the reason to visit Ajlun Castle as the castle itself!

129km

Tell Mar Elias

The site of two very old churches and the reputed area where the prophet Elijah was born.

130km

Machaerus

134km

Al-Karak

city in Jordan

137km

Dead Sea

salt lake bordering Jordan and Israel

148km