JORDAN BIBLICAL PROGRAM 8 DAYS / 7  NIGHTS

 ARRIVE AMMAN AIRPORT Meet at the gate by our friendly Airport staff
 who shall provide full assistance through immigration & customs.
 Transfer to hotel in Amman for dinner & overnight.

 CITY TOUR OF AMMAN / BETHANY / DEAD SEA / AMMAN
 AMMAN In the Old Testament, Amman was called Rabbath-Ammon, and
 in the New Testament, it is referred to as Philadelphia after Ptolemaios II
 Philadelphius  285 - 246 B.C. Points of interest in Amman include the
 Citadel and the Roman Theatre, as well as the Archaeological, Costume
 and Folklore Museums.
 BETHANY  Bethany, beyond the Jordan, the large loop in the Jordan
 River opposite Jericho which has long been identified as the spot, where
 Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. It is called Al-Maghtas
 in Arabic. Less than two kilometers East of the river is another important
 place associated with the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist  -- the
 settlement of Bethany, where John lived and baptized. The Baptism site
 at Bethany beyond the Jordan is one of the most recent significant
 archaeological and religious discoveries.
 DEAD SEA The lowest spot on earth. Time for bathing and relaxing.
 Back to Amman for dinner and overnight.         

 AMMAN / JERASH / AJLUN / AMMAN
 JABBOK RIVER:  On the way to Jerash, stop at the Jabbok (Jacob)
 River, which is also mentioned in the Bible. Twenty years after the quarrel
 between himself and his brother Esau (grandchildren of Abraham and
 sons of Isaac), Jacob came back from Padan-aram with his family and
 settled in this area. Here Jacob became involved in a fight with a stranger
 and won. Later on he found out that he had fought against God and God
 blessed him by decreeing that forthwith he should be named Israel (1
 Moses 32:22 - 32).
 JERASH: In the Bible it is named Antiochea or Gerasa. According to
 Mark 5:1f and Luke 8:26 - 39, here Jesus cast the evil spirits out of a
 man. Today it is one of the best preserved and most complete of the
 greco-roman cities in the world.
 AJLUN: Ajlun has no biblical significance. The fortress was built in
 1184/85. After it was no longer used for defence, it was used for
 administration until 1260. In 1837, the fortress was damaged by an
 earthquake and between 1927 and 1929 it was restored and cleared of
 rub.

 AMMAN / SALT / PELLA / UMM QEIS / AMMAN
 SALT:  The town is situated 29 km north of Amman and has no biblical
 background. Around 1975 a relief-decorated family grave with three
 sarcophaguses and many burial additions was found there. It could date
 from the 3rd century A.D. and represents the roman past of the city,
 which was named Gadora at the time. On one of the hills of the city, a
 fortress was built at the time of the Crusaders, which was used until
 Turkish dominion.
 PELLA: This village, which is only 100 years old, is named Fahl in
 Arabic, a name which can be traced back to the 4.000 year old Semitic
 name Pihilum. The name Pella was used during the time of greatest
 prosperity in the town's history. The town was originally given the name of
 Alexander the Greatbirthplace in Macedonia. Pella was a member of
 the 10 city alliance of the Decapolis.
 UMM QEIS: In the Bible, Umm Qeis is referred to as Gadara and was
 also a member of the Decapolis. This 10 city alliance already existed at
 the time of Christ (Matthew 4:25). According to Matthew 8:28 - 34, here
 Jesus cast the evil spirits out of two men.

 AMMAN / HISBAN / MADABA / MOUNT NEBO / MUKHAYAT /
 MUKAWIR / MA'IN
 HISBAN: In the Bible, Hisban is named Heshbon - the city of the Sihon
 (4 Moses 21:25f, 32:37) and Heshbon was conquered by the Israelites
 (Judges 11:26).
 MADABA: In the Bible, Madaba is named Madeba or Medeba, city of the
 Sihon (4 Moses 21:30). The city lies in what was the territory of the race
 of the Reubens (Joshua 13:15 - 16 or Isaiah 15:2 and 1 Chronicles 19:7).
 The main point of interest in Madaba is the mosaic map of the Holy Land
 from Byzantine times.
 MOUNT NEBO: The Bible reports that Moses climbed up onto Mount
 Nebo, coming from the plains of Moab. On the mountain God showed
 him "all the land" which was promised to the descendants. Moses died
 on this mountain, however it is unknown where he is buried. "And Moses
 went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of
 Pis'gah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the
 land ..... And the Lord said unto him, ... I have caused thee to see it with
 thin eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the
 Lord died ...." (5 Moses 34:1 - 4).
 MUKHAYAT: Scholars suppose this village to be the site of the biblical
 city of Nebo. In the middle of the 9th century B.C. King Mescha boasted
 that he had slain 7.000 men, women, boys, girls and maids at this place
 and had taken it from the Israelites. In Byzantine times, Khirbet El
 Mukhayat had a monastery complex and at least four churches.
 MUKAWIR: In the Bible, Mukawir is referred to as Machaerus. On a
 mountain which resembles a cone with its top cut off, can be seen the
 imposing remnants of the fortress Qasr El Mashneqh. The Arabic name
 means "Castle of Gallows". The castle was built by Alexander Jannaeus.
 The historian, Josephus, reports that it was here that John the Baptist
 was imprisoned, Salome danced and John was beheaded (Matthew 14:3
 - 11).
 MA'IN: Twelve kilometres south of Madaba lies Ma'in, an early centre of
 the Bezant-East-Jordan-Land. Belemunim, the Christian settlement, has
 a name to which the biblical village Baal-Meon is similar. Baal-Meon is
 mentioned in 4 Moses 32:38 as a city of the Reubens and is also to be
 found under the names Beth-Ba'al-Meon (Joshua 13:17) and Bet-Meon
 (Jeremiah 48:23).

 MAIN / DHIBAN / WADI MUJJIB / RABBA / QASR / KERAK / PETRA 
 DHIBAN:
 In the Bible it is referred to as Dibon. The town was taken from the
 Moabs by the King of the Amorites, King Sihon. Then King Sihon lost
 Dibon to the Israelites (4 Moses 21:25 - 31).
 WADI MUJJIB: In biblical times, the Wadi, or River Arnon, formed the
 natural border between the territories of the Moabs in the north and the
 land of the Edomites (later the Nabateans) in the south. Even now it acts
 as the border between the two administrative districts of Balqa and
 Kerak. The Wadi is mentioned in the Old Testament (at the time of King
 David) as the river which flows through the valley to the Dead Sea.
 RABBA: This is an old settlement with modern buildings. The history of
 Rabba probably began with the city Ar or Ar-Moab, which is mentioned in
 4 Moses 21:15 and 5 Moses 2:9. While the Israelites of the Exodus
 spared Ar and the whole land Moab, the Amorite King Sihon ransacked
 the city in an attack launched over the Arnon River (4 Moses 21:28).
 QASR: Today Qasr is a village with the remnants of an old arab castle,
 probably built in the 2nd century A.D.
 KERAK: Kir, Kir-Moab and Kir-Heres are the Old Testament names for
 the town of Kerak (Isaiah 15:1, 16:7 and 16:11 and Jeremiah 48:36). In
 the time of the Judges, the Moabite King Eglon may have resided in Kir-
 Moab. In 850 B.C. one of his successors, King Mesha, was surrounded
 by the united Israel-Judah forces of Kings Jehoram and Jehoshaphat in
 Kir-Heres and could only escape defeat by sacrificing his first-born son.
 An inscription found during excavations in Kerak in 1961 reveals the
 name Mesha.

 PETRA / AMMAN
 PETRA: In the Bible Petra is the city of the Nabateans, the descendants
 of the Nebajots (1 Moses 25:12 - 18 and 1 Chronicles 1:29 and Isaiah
 60:7). The first King of the Nabateans was Aretas (2 Makkabar 5:8). In
 biblical times the Nabateans were Bedouins even though Petra was a
 focal point for them (2 Makkabar 12). Later Petra became the royal city of
 the Nabateans. The earliest historical records for the Nabateans date
 back to the year 312 B.C. and the last sign of life was in the year 328
 A.D. Late PM. Drive Via the desert highway to Amman. Dinner and
 Overnight.

 TRANSFER TO AMMAN AIRPORT FOR DEPARTURE Breakfast. Transfer
 to Amman Airport including our assistance during departure formalities.