If you are looking for adrenaline-pumping travel experiences then Jordan is for you. What makes Jordan all the more exciting is its stark juxtaposition of the ancient and of the modern. Across the beautiful dessert of Jordan, Bedouin men clothed in flowing robes and headgears tend to their herds of livestock just as how their ancestors lived in ancient times. However, once you set your feet inside the capital city of Amman, all notions of antiquity are erased as the city is surprisingly modern and Westernised in every sense, a stark contrast with other Arab cities in the region.

In the commercial centre of Amman are ultra-modern buildings designed according to the architectural trends of its days, smart hotels and fashionable restaurants, trendy cafes and stylish boutiques and art galleries. All these evidences of a Westernised Jordan sit comfortably and peacefully with throwbacks to the old days of the city with its traditional coffee shops and artisan workshops.

如果你想追求激发肾上腺素分泌猛增的旅程，约旦肯定是最佳选择，而古现代景色交融是约旦的最大特色。

先跳过约旦各地的美丽甜点，当你看到漂泊的游牧民族贝都因人传统长袍和头饰，还有畜牧杆子，仿佛见到他们祖先的远古时代。然而，一旦踏入首都安曼，这一切观念都会被颠覆，城市令人惊叹的现代和西方化，与其他阿拉伯城市形成鲜明对比。

在安曼商业中心，纵横交错的各种精品酒店、时尚格调餐厅和咖啡馆，还有精品店和美术馆，皆显现超现代化的建筑风格。可是，西方化的约旦城市与传统咖啡馆、工匠作坊却融汇得如此舒服和沉静。

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Petra

Petra is one of Jordan’s national treasures and becomes well-known tourist attraction after the climactic scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in which the Treasure serves as a hidden temple.

Petra is the legacy of the ancient Nabataeans who settled in Jordan over 2,000 years ago. It sits inside a narrow desert gorge, accessible only by walking through a 1km long narrow, weather-sculpted siq (chasm). The walls of the siq itself are a sight to behold as they touch the 200m mark upwards. And at end, greeting visitors with its dramatic façade is the famous Treasury itself, the ornate monolith chiseled out of the pink sandstone. The surrounding area is dotted with hundreds of tombs, buildings, temples, arched gateways, colonnaded streets and rock drawings. Also in the vicinity are a 3000-seat open air theatre and a monastery which dates back to the 1st century.

佩特拉

佩特拉古城是约旦的国宝之一，就是电影“夺宝奇兵之圣战骑兵”场景中藏有圣杯的圣殿，而在这段高潮迭起的剧情后，也让它成为著名旅游景点。

佩特拉是納巴泰王国设立于2000多年前的约旦古迹遗产。步行在逾1公里狭窄的峡谷沙漠，天然雕刻的Siq峡谷山涧行走，巍巍外墙，深约200英尺的通道蜿蜓深入，直达山腰的岩石要塞。前进到最后，会看到阳光照射下的“宝库”正面，巨石凿刻出来的华丽优美粉红色砂岩。周边地区分布着数百个墓葬建筑、庙宇、门楼，柱廊街道和岩画。此外，赫然显现的一个具备3000个座位的露天剧场和修道院，这些建筑物的历史必须追溯到一世纪。

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JERASH 杰拉什

Beauty in Ruins

There are other heritage sites that house glorious artefacts that speak of Jordan’s glorious past. The first is Jerash, which has been sustaining a civilisation for millennia. This fertile land was conquered by the Romans in 63 BC and is today one of the best-preserved provincial Roman town in the world.

Excavations at the site reveal paved colonnaded streets, tall hilltop temples, theatres, spacious public squares, fountains and city walls fortified with towers and gates. Hidden for centuries in sand, the archaeological marvels of Jerash have undergone restoration for the past 70 years to reveal glimpses of their original splendour.

During the crusades, Jordan was thick in the fighting and it was in this time that the Ajlun /Ajloun Castle and the Karak/Kerak Castle were erected. Sitting up high on hilltops to offer stunning views of the surrounding landscape, these majestic fortresses have stood the test of time and today make for perfect photo opportunities. While the Ajlun is an enthralling maze of towers, chambers, galleries and staircases begging to be explored; the Karak Castle is in fact a fort, a shadowy labyrinth of stone-vaulted galleries and never-ending hallways.

废墟中的华美

有迹象证明，约旦辉煌的过去是华美的文物古迹，而首选是维持数千年历史的杰拉什。这片土地是于公元前63年由罗马人征服，也是当今世界上保存最完好的罗马古城之一。

现场铺成的街道廊柱、狂阔的庙宇山顶、剧院和宽敞的公共广场、喷泉，还有强化的塔还有城门城墙。而隐藏数百年的沙子，带出杰拉什古城的考古奇迹，隐约恢复过去70年来辉煌的轮廓。

在十字军东征期间，约旦经历冷酷的战斗，这个时候，阿杰隆城堡和卡拉克城堡被架设，所以坐在高高的山顶，围观附近景观的壮丽景色，这些雄伟的堡垒已承受时间的考验。

而阿杰隆是塔、室，回廊和曲折楼梯所构成的魅力迷宫；至于卡拉克城堡其实是一个炮台，石拱形回廊和永无止境走廊，形成了带点阴暗色彩的迷宫。

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WADI RUM月亮谷

Sailing in the sands

 

In the midst of a series of valleys in the south of Jordan lies a desert landscape that has towering monolithic rock formations rising from the floor. This region is known as Wadi Rum and is popular with avid hikers. The Wadi Rum provides a natural challenge for them as some of the imposing rockscapes reach heights of up to 1,750m. With many empty spaces, canyons and water holes to explore, this desert jewel also has 4,000-year-old rock drawings tucked within its crevices.

航行于沙滩

约旦南部的山谷之中有个沙漠景观，既是高耸岩层从地面升起，这个区域被称为瓦迪拉姆（月亮谷），并深受狂热徒步旅行者的推崇。瓦迪拉姆提供最天然的挑战，气势磅礡的岩石林立达到最高1750米的高度。由于旷大的空间、峡谷和水源探索，这个沙漠宝石包括在夹缝内有4000年历史的岩画。