Aqaba was our mid-trip stop to recharge our batteries after a packed week of sightseeing and in preparation for the more physically active part of our trip. It is the only access to the sea that Jordan has and is a busy port for shipping and tourists, with Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all within a few miles.

The sea and weather were both perfect for relaxation. As well as countless modern hotels, there is also an old town with local restaurants and shops. Asking for recommendations for “local” food resulted in being given directions in Arabic so that we could obtain help in finding it. We were rewarded with an excellent fish restaurant, all be it the customary alcohol free drinks list. All the Jordanian people we have met have been very welcoming and helpful.

Wadi Rum is everything you expect from a desert – hot, dry, cold at night and a vast expanse of dramatic scenery. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times but was made famous by T.E. Lawrence staying here during the Arab revolt against the Ottomans in 1917. It was subsequently used as the backdrop for the film Lawrence of Arabia and was more recently used to represent Mars in the film The Martian.

We had a night of “glamping” in an igloo shaped tent with a transparent side and roof enabling star gazing from bed. We experienced a 4 wheel drive tour on the back of an aged Toyota, visiting a desert spring, a canyon, a rock bridge and a sand dune; finishing with Bedouin tea made on an open fire. However the scenery was the star attraction !

Colloquially known as Little Petra, Siq Al Barrid is a few kilometres from Petra and was also built by the Nabateans. It is much quieter than its big brother and although much smaller is still spectacular. At the end are steep steps through a very narrow canyon leading to a view over the wind eroded landscape advertised as the “Greatest View in the World”, presumably by the woman who sells tea at the top.

Petra is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and made famous, for many, by Indiana Jones. It was built by the Nabateans between the first century BC and the first century AD. The Nabateans were hugely successful in controlling (and taxing) the caravans travelling the spice route as they had a major source of water and knowledge of the inhospitable local area. The site was unknown to the western world until 1812 when it was discovered by a Swiss explorer Louis Burkhardt, who disguised himself as an Arab to gain entrance.

The most iconic building is the Treasury, so named as it was believed that this was where the Nabateans kept their valuables, but it is actually a tomb.

Equally impressive but less accessible is the Monastery, another larger tomb (50m wide; 45m high). It is at the end of the site reached via 800 steps. Crowds are understandably much thinner in this section, although some (lazy) tourists travel the majority of the steep route on donkeys which are being encouraged by Bedouins who all look like offspring of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Until the 1980s a Bedouin tribe lived in the site. As part of an arrangement with the government for them to move to a nearby purpose built village, they have retained the exclusive rights to trade within the site. For the men, this takes the form of horse, donkey and carriage rides and refreshment stalls. The women sell souvenirs such as clothing and jewellery, made by locals trained by the Queen Noor Foundation. One such stall holder is a women from New Zealand who came to Petra as a traveller in the 1970s and fell in love, subsequently marrying, a local souvenir seller. On her stall, as well as the souvenirs, is the book she has written “Married to a Bedouin” of her remarkable life.

Petra is without doubt amazing !

Mount Nebo is where Moses is said to have seen the promised land, with views over Israel and the Dead Sea. On the top of the mount is the Moses memorial church built on 4th century foundations in 597. It houses some of the best preserved mosaics in Jordan and was visited by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

St George’s church is in Madaba six miles from Mount Nebo. Although a small Greek Orthodox Church, during its construction the builders discovered the ruins of a Byzantine church with a highly significant mosaic – the oldest map of Palestine. Completed in 560 it depicts all the major biblical sites of the Middle East.

Jerash is known as the “Pompeii of Asia” because it is so well preserved owing to the desert air. The site existed from Neolithic times and was settled in the reign of Alexander the Great; however it is largely a Roman creation being one of the Decapolis. The 13m arch into the city was built to mark the visit of Emperor Hadrian. At its peak it has a population of approximately 20,000 but was destroyed by an earthquake in 747. It remained virtually uninhabited until the arrival of Circassians from Russia in 1878, when its importance was quickly recognised.

Only about 30% has been excavated to date and part lies under the current new town. Special rules are in place for development in the modern town to maximise preservation. Our guide was a former Jordanian CID officer who spoke good English, having spent time at a language school in Oxford in the 1970s, meeting his English wife while there.

After a long day on the road and enduring the Thursday night Amman traffic, we had our best meal to date in Amman at an Armenian restaurant. At the table next to us was a large Armenian family group, including five Armenian priests of whom two were bishops.

We visited three castles in Jordan, two built by the Crusaders and the other by one of Saladin’s generals. Karak and Shobak, the Crusaders’ castles, fell to Saladin in 1188 and 1189; the former following the Battle of Hittin, which was a crushing defeat for the Crusaders and resulted in the decapitation of Reynald of Chatillion by Saladin.

The third, Shobak, built by the Muslims is not the best preserved, but given its location and the fact that we arrived just before sunset with only one other couple there, made it the most spectacular.

Two of the local beers are named after Karak (Carakale) and Petra in a similar manner to the most popular Turkish beer being Efes.

Romans set up The Decapolis, ten cities (but possibly more), in what is now Jordan, Syria, Israel and Palestine to unite their possessions and support trade and commerce. They were built on existing sites but much enhanced. Amman was one, known by the Romans as Philadelphia. We visited another at Umm Qais, known as Gedara. It is located in the north-west corner of Jordan overlooking the Gollan Heights and Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) with views into both Israel and Syria.

Excavation began in the early 1980 and is ongoing but slow due to limited funding. Due to the location it is very low key in terms of visitor numbers with no coach parties.

Jordan is a relatively new country, founded after the First World War and gaining full independence from the UK in 1946. It is a kingdom, with the current ruler, King Abdullah, coming to the throne in 1999 following the death of his legendary father King Hussein. Jordan has no oil and very little water. The main drivers of the economy are potash, agriculture, tourism and a growing technology industry; it is heavily investing in education. It has 10 million people, with 40% in the capital, Amman. With limited natural resources and becoming the home for refugees – most recently over 1.3m Syrians on top of 700,000 Palestinians, together with over 1m Palestinians who are now citizens – the economy of Jordan has come under great strain.

Amman is where we started our tour. We were met at the airport by Ahmad who was to be our driver for two weeks. He also taught us a bit of Arabic, some of which was familiar as Arabic is one of the foundations of Turkish.

Most of Amman has been built since 1946, however it also has significant historic sites, notably the Roman Citadel and Theatre. We were grateful for some sustenance at the best known falafel stall in the souk before we visited the King Abdullah mosque.