CRUSADERS CASTLES AND MUSTY MOSAICS - Karak, Madaba and Amman, Jordan

.......previously, our years long dream to see Petra is finally realised........

The glorious Roman Temple ruins, Amman Citadel

Our trip to Jordan was primarily focused on visiting the amazing ancient city of Petra, and having achieved that, we decided to slowly travel to Amman, stopping at a few historical sites along the way.

Not sure how to go about getting to Karak from Wadi Musa, we asked our friendly reception guy, who called the local bus driver. He said he would collect us from the hotel the next morning, and after picking up more passengers from the bus station, take us to Karak for the bargain price of 5 JOD/£5.50. We were amazed when this played out exactly as he said!

The scenery grew more green and agricultural as we travelled north on the bus, and there were many herds of cute long haired sheep. 

Karak is usually a day trip for people on their itinerary around Jordan. As always, we had time to stay a couple of nights and discovered more to the town than just the famous medieval castle that everyone comes to see.

We arrived to our cheap digs, and finding the owners also ran a nearby restaurant, we sat down, ordered up and ate ravenously. Since Ramadan had finished, we had been quite happy to see all shops and restaurants once again open and busy, and made the most of the abundance of food.

Rich was enthusiastic enough to suggest a stroll around the castle that very day, so we set off up the road, and spent a slow afternoon perusing the giant structure. One of the largest castles in the area, Karak Castle is said to have been built in the 1140s during the Crusader period, and enjoyed a strategic position near the Dead Sea and the trade routes. During the following centuries, the castle fell under subsequent leaderships, ending with the Ottomans in the late 1800s. 

Appreciating the sunny day which we had to explore, we scouted around the tunnels and passages of the castle, and gazed out over the sweeping views. It was revealed how close we were to the Dead Sea - Jordan really is tiny!

Underground cavern, Karak Castle, Jordan

A maze of tunnels under Karak Castle, Jordan

Spring flowers, Karak Castle, Jordan

Views all the way to the Dead Sea, Karak Castle, Jordan

In Karak, we realized something that would be true of all our time in Jordan - the further away from tourist sites one goes, the more genuine the people are. This probably goes for anywhere in the world, but it seemed a sharp contrast here in Jordan, beginning our travels as we did in touristy Wadi Musa. The closest little grocery shop to our hotel was run by a gracious Yemini man. After a short discussion about where he was from, our experience of Yeminis in Saudi, and our desire to travel there, he insisted on buying us a mouth watering meaty dinner to take back to eat at our hotel! Unbelievable!

Enthusiastic boys on Karak street, Jordan

A meal bought for us by Yemini shop keeper, Karak, Jordan

An afternoon spent wandering the busy souq street close to the giant Omari Mosque and away from the castle area further proved what welcoming and friendly people Karakians (?) are. We particularly enjoyed poking around the few antique/junk shops, cluttered with a range of old precious items and more retro colourful collectables. 

Shop selling ancient cassette tapes, Karak, Jordan

Interesting antique shop, Karak, Jordan

Next up was a stop in the "Mosaic City" of Madaba. We hadn't realized it would be a slight hassle to travel to Madaba from Karak. The bus dropped us at a giant roundabout on a busy multi-lane highway on route to Amman, with no-one speaking up to let us know where to go to transfer. We were eventually helped by a man who told us to scramble up the side of an embankment to another part of the highway, where a Madaba bus came and took us the rest of the journey. 

We arrived at our pre-booked Air B and B, in what seemed like a wealthy area of Madaba. We had a cosy apartment, with a clean and well equipped little kitchen and immediately went out to supply ourselves with groceries for our weeks stay. It had been some time since we had been able to cook for ourselves and we thoroughly revelled in the treat! We also found the shop owners and people on the street in this suburb (away from the touristed areas) to be super friendly and amiable. 

Cute residence Madaba, Jordan

After a couple of days without seeing anyone about at our apartment building, we messaged our host in order to ask if we could do a load of washing. He arrived the following night, and we discovered he actually lived in Amman. He had come over especially to help us do our laundry! Having put our dusty things in the machine, we settled down for a most informative chat with the affable guy about what it's like being a Catholic in a majority Muslim country (especially during Ramadan!), and generally chat about travel and life. An offer of a whiskey was extraordinary for Rich - after so long without a drink it was a real treat. 

We were surprised to learn that Christians make up only about 3% of the population in Jordan, we had imaged the representation to be higher. The percentage is low mainly due to the high birth rate of the Muslim population and emigration of many Christians to other countries. It is said that Christians are integrated into Jordanian society without much fuss. They are free to celebrate their ceremonies, and have representation in parliament. Thanks to the complicated history of the region, Christians in Jordan come in many forms -  Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, as well as the Evangelists, (the latter not being recognised as a church by the government).

Madaba kitty

Sigh-seeing around Madaba was solely focused on churches and mosaics. Walking though the dusty sandstone streets, we discovered a rather lovely and busy town with a great vibe. Locals were welcoming and there were plenty of historic churches for us to poke around. 

This mosaic was a bit racy! Madaba church

Mosaic scene with much frolicking, Madaba church

An ancient city mentioned in the Bible, Madaba was subsequently ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires during the 2nd-7th centuries, as part of their Arab provinces. Many of  its famous mosaics were constructed during this time as well as during the Umayyad era (600s-700s). Much later, in the 1880s, ninety Arab Christian families moved to the city from Karak (where we had just come from), and more in depth research into ancient Christian sites in the area was undertaken. A treasure trove of intricate mosaics were revealed under floors and rubble in buildings, and great care was taken to preserve the art. Some showed extremely important historical records and maps of the Middle East, others more whimsical scenes of nature, animals and everyday life. We found it most perplexing, that in all the mosaics we saw during our stay, there were very few with religious motifs. 

An archaeological park had been created to protect and show the mosaics to the public, and we were welcomed in a rather special way by the gatekeeper. He insisted on writing our names in Arabic on our tickets, with a calligraphy style, and explaining a little about the site. To be honest, we dislike guides and being spoken to about a place before seeing it in that way, but he was very enthusiastic, so we nodded and smiled and got away as soon as we could. 

Writing Sal's name in calligraphic Arabic, Madaba

The highlight in Madaba for us was St John the Baptist Catholic Church. Completely deserted when we visited, we were able to explore the site in peace. A small, but intriguing network of underground tunnels were open to the public, and the cold and musty passages were set up with mouldering artifacts and pictures. We particularly liked the old photos of missionaries in the early days posing with groups of local Bedouins. Haunting hymns played softly from speakers somewhere, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The modest church was a quiet place for reflection, and we then headed to the bell tower. After a steep climb up a series of wonky ladders and dodging the humungous bell, we spilled out onto an open ledge with a stunning 360 degree view over the entire town. 

Poor John, separated from his head, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Climbing the ladder to the look out, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Lovely window, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Old photo of Bedouin on display, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Some of the other sights around town, whilst probably historically important, were a little underwhelming. A mixture of lack of maintenance and badly presented lay outs, made the dirty tiled floors difficult to see and decipher what was actually pictured in the mosaics, which was a shame. The worst were covered in pigeon poo. I suppose in such a dusty country, it's difficult to keep the sites completely spic and span. 

We were happy to wander and enter everywhere we saw that was open, thanks to our Jordan Pass, almost every entrance fee was included. 

Wee ancient vase, Madaba museum, Jordan

Thanks to easy and accurate instructions from our helpful host, we easily found our way from our temporary home in Madaba to our next stay in the suburb of Abdali in Amman. We were pleased to travel on one of the only large buses we had seen so far. Old and tatty but roomy, it got us there no problems. We had been so happy to see so many buses of every size and sort in action around Jordan. We had really struggled with lack of public transport in Saudi, but here, many people do not own cars and rely on the extensive bus system, as did we. We did feel that we were often being charged slightly more than the Jordanians, but as it wasn't a great deal, we put up with it (not really having a choice). We couldn't complain with this trip, however, at 1 JOD/£1 for the one hour ride. 

A most swanky and comfortable apartment awaited us in Amman. Chuffed to bits at the clean, spacious and well equipped place, we were, however, shocked at the cool temperatures, and set about turning on all available heating. A cold wind was blowing in the city, keeping things chilly and there was even a bit of rain still hanging about. This didn't last more than a few days, however, after which the sun came out creating a beautiful bright and dry climate for the rest of our stay. The streets around Abdali were quiet and residential, an established place with fragrant blossoming street trees. Randomly, here and throughout Jordan, we were to spot many retro Mercedes cars from the 1970s- all seemingly in great condition. 

Happy to arrive at our swanky digs in Amman

Posh cafe precinct, Amman

As in Madaba, our first priority for our few weeks stay was supplying ourselves with local foods for some cooking time. Abdali suburb had a fantastic shopping area, with a green-grocers, supermarkets, a bakery and sheesha cafe, as well as a myriad of other businesses. More than everything we needed! We stocked up on fresh seasonal veggies such a cauliflower, zucchini, turnips and potatoes and had fun cooking curries, soups and stews while the weather was cool. It had been ages since Sal had a kitchen to potter in, and she was in heaven!

At a laid back local restaurant specializing in Jordan specialities we tried our first proper mansaf, a dish where lamb is slow cooked in yogurt until it is melt in the mouth perfection. 

Mansaf in the foreground, Amman

Our stay in Amman was a relaxed combination of exploring the hilly city, enjoying being "at home", and chatting about future plans over a Turkish coffee and sheesha. 

Coffee fix in Amman, Jordan

It took a few days to discover how to get around with the buses. There were two types around the city. Minibuses, not very frequent and no timetable, and around 0.50 JOD/£0.53 for a single trip. These weren't convenient for us, as the destination was only written in Arabic, and most of the time we didn't really know where we were going to ask the driver. Instead, we found a new fleet of big buses, navigating many routes in the city- our area to the centre being one of them. We asked some people downtown where and how to buy a ticket and were directed to a random mobile phone shop. The helpful guy there sold us a card with some money on it, and away we went. Each trip was 0.55 JOD/£0.58, the buses were frequent, and the service was well used by locals. 

We loved the vibrancy of the downtown area. Colourful dress shops and markets full of yummy produce sat alongside gold stores and fresh orange juice and sugarcane stalls. People were friendly, and we loved the atmosphere with jostling crowds and mosques calling in the background. Even the many slightly tacky souvenir shops were colourful and worth having a poke around in. 

We had noticed, by this time, many images of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein everywhere in Jordan. Apparently, he is still extremely popular here for his independent pro-Arabic views of the region, strong leadership and close relationship with Jordan during his rule. Although we don't necessarily agree with the politics in this article, it gives a quite good overview to people's ideas on this matter. 

Saddam on a bus window, Karak

Saddam on Iraqi money in Amman market

Using our Jordan pass (now expired, but the guard just waved us through), we visited the stunning Citadel high at the top of Amman, with views across the entire city. Up there, we saw for the first time what an absolutely huge area Amman covers. Inside the Citadel, show stopping Roman ruins sat beside Byzantine settlements and the Umayyad-era Mosque and palace. We took our time walking through the mix of eras, appreciating the undeveloped feel of the site.  

Local visitors at Amman's giant Citadel

Broken off hand of a giant statue, Amman Citadel

Looking out to Amman city, from the Citadel

The giant expanse of Amman city, from the Citadel

Pretty pink spring flower, Amman Citadel

Ruins of a Roman Temple, Amman Citadel

Little lizard, blending in, Amman Citadel

Inside the huge Umayyad-era Mosque, Amman Citadel

Seeing the light, Amman Citadel

The accompanying museum was fantastic, with many finds from Amman and further afield. We spent some time contemplating the ancient colourful beads and golden jewels, busts and statues from different ages, the Roman clay figurines and delicate glasswork and amazing sarcophaguses. 

Cheeky bum on a Roman statue, Citadel Museum, Amman

Fantastic torso from a Roman statue, Citadel Museum, Amman

We continued our historical explorations another day at the 2nd century Roman Theatre. We had seen this place from afar whilst walking in other areas of Amman up high in the hills, but to experience the size of it close up was awesome. The details such as grooves for armrests in the ground, drainage holes in the steps, and quite lovely drains in the shape of flowers in the ground brought an intimate quality to the giant amphitheatre. Accompanying information signs informed us that the big wigs would have sat at the front for the best views, while the hoi polloi would have been high up in the back. The theatre was oriented so the sun would not be in the eyes of the spectators. Again, the museum on site was charming, dedicated to local folklore, and we loved the traditional regional costumes and elaborate jewellery on display in an atmospheric stone building.

A row of columns near the Roman Theatre, Amman

Amazing examples of traditional face coverings from the past, museum, Amman

The humungous scale of the Roman Theatre, Amman

We visited some different communities in Amman, including Rainbow Street a trendy, upscale area with expensive cafes and eateries and the sprawling Friday second-hand clothing market, as well as an outlying transit station district when we became lost trying to navigate the bus routes. But mostly we enjoyed chilling at home and in our neighbourhood, there was more than enough to keep us occupied. 

Amman concluded our Middle Eastern adventure, and it was so fantastic for us to have experienced such varying cultures and amazing people for the past three and a half months. We enjoyed the contrast to our other travels in the past couple of years, and hoped to return to the region again before too long. Next up, however, a much needed European summer and beach time in the Balkans was on the agenda.