The impressive Archeological Museum of Amman, located inside the Citadel, has a beautiful collection of ancient objects that come from many cultures that passed through the Jordan region. The cultures date from pre-historical time and move on until they reach the predominance of the more recent Ayyubid culture.

Curiously, the museum shows the oldest plaster sculptures worldwide found, in addition to clay sarcophagus sui generis, characteristic of the region.

Statues brought from Petra, heads of Roman gods, mythological beings, pre-historical bones and skulls, plates and ceramics objects of many periods of time are ornamenting this museum dedicated to local history.

(This post is an excerpt from my book “Jordan´s Historical Treasures”, from 2014, ISBN 978-85-67911-01-4)

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

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On top of the Citadel it’s possible to view all the grandiosity of the roman amphitheater of Amman and realize the importance of this building of the 2nd century A.D., ingrown on a hill deliberately chosen to protect the spectators from the sun.

The amphitheater of Amman is a beautiful remaining of this so classic institution of the Greek-Roman world.

With room for six thousand people, it was divided in sectors destined to three castes: the noble stayed in the lower section, close to the actors. For the emperor and the rulers, a place was especially reserved in the lower section, centered to the stage offering the perfect view.

In the upper section, destined to the medium caste, was where the military and probably the merchants stayed. The last sector, the highest and furthest from the stage, was destined to the people in general.

The speeches from the actors, though, was audible in any part of the amphitheater, even in the highest levels, thanks to the acoustic projected to attend to all the sectors of the building.

The higher part of the amphitheater was figured with statues and sculptures of gods.

On the sides of the stage, there were support rooms for the show, where the musicians, actors and helpers stayed.

Even today, at the current Amman, the amphitheater is used sporadically for cultural events, like great operas.

In front of the amphitheater, tall columns still remain as the only remains of an extinct Roman forum.

(This post is an excerpt from my book “Jordan´s Historical Treasures”, from 2014, ISBN 978-85-67911-01-4)

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

Marcelo Ozorio at Roman Amphitheater of Amman – Jordan

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Nowadayr Umm Qais in Jordan used to be called Gadara, founded about 300 B.C. and was one of the ten cities united at the time as the Decapolis.

These ancient cities of hellenistic origin were founded by Greek merchants, to the east of Jordan River. They didn’t represent an official group, but were united by the similarities in language and the same origin. Although they were attached to the Roman Empire, they had certain autonomy in regard to it. They represented a cultural counterpoint in a region where the Semitic influence predominated, composed by Nabataean, Aramaic and Judaic cultures.

Gadara became famous for being home to the famous miracle of the pigs performed by Jesus. As said in the Bible, after having crossed the Sea of Galilee, Jesus arrived at Gadara, finding a man possessed by a legion of demons who terrorized the city. Jesus ordered the demons to leave the body of the man and transfer themselves to the body of pigs that grazed on the hills. It was told there was about two thousand pigs there. After his command, the demons entered the pigs and then suddenly ran down the hills, at last drowning themselves in the sea, freeing the city and the possessed man from the subjection of the demons.

Little remained of this ancient Greek-Roman city. Built in basaltic stones, it has buildings of a characteristic dark grey color. There are still remnants of a circular church, apparently erected to celebrate the miracle of Jesus, built over an even more ancient tomb, very mysterious.

In this archeological site, one can see the typical roman main avenue, flanked on both sides by adorned pillars.

After the Christian period, the city was conquered by the Arabs and finally was abandoned after an earthquake in 747 A.D.

(This post is an excerpt from my book “Jordan´s Historical Treasures”, from 2014, ISBN 978-85-67911-01-4)

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

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One of the most famous archeological sites of Jordan, Jerash is one of the most well-preserved Greek-Roman cities from the beginning of the Christian Era, where you can admire the urban and architectonic labor of that period.

Buried because of earthquakes during the Middle Age, Jerash was rediscovered in 1806. When the excavations began, proofs were found that its occupation dated from before the Bronze Age.

Jerash was one of the cities that composed Decapolis.

(This post is an excerpt from my book “Jordan´s Historical Treasures”, from 2014, ISBN 978-85-67911-01-4)

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

Marcelo Ozorio at Jerash – Jordan

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The Citadel is an admirable place and is one of the few spots in all the planet where man is constantly present since very remote times.

The Citadel is the historical and civilizational axis of Amman, the beautiful capital of present-day Jordan, for all cultures, in their ancestry, posted there first their legacy.

Occupied since Prehistory, the Citadel houses vestiges and objects that date back to the beginning of civilization (6000 to 7000 B.C.).

When entering the Citadel, the first thing you see are slabs representing this long journey of human saga. The slabs show all the different civilizations that lived there throughout the ages.

Located on the top of a circular mountain offering a 360 degree view, it gives us the impression of being in a majestic and strategic Olympus, which reigns until today as a geographical and testimonial vestige of times and ages past…

We can admire, surprised, the pharaonic grandeur of giant pillars of the monumental Temple of Hercules. Little has remained, except for two or three whole columns and a few others partially preserved, but one can clearly realize the architectural power of the Greek-Roman civilization that resided in Amman, called at the time as Philadelphia, one of the pillars of sustenance and power in the East.

Entering the simple museum, we realize all the legacy of the place. We find the oldest statues created by human beings, preserved to this day, dated to 6500 B.C.

Besides pre-historical pieces, the museum also brings collections of Rome, the Nabataean kingdom and other ancient civilizations, some not very known in the West, found in Jordan lands. Interesting are the clay sarcophagus, which points to the practice of burying the dead vertically, until then never found at another place or culture.

The Citadel still brings testimony to the passage of religions through time, showing the polychrome faith of the Romans, passing from the monotheistic Christian Byzantine civilization that pulsed from the neighbor Constantinople, evolving to the current mosques of Muslin faith.

At the Citadel, the many archeological sites reveal this indivisible line of the history that goes through the labyrinthine centuries of human adventure.

(This post is an excerpt from my book “Jordan´s Historical Treasures”, from 2014, ISBN 978-85-67911-01-4)

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

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Located in a region close to Amman, Madaba is known as the city of the mosaics. The mosaic is an ancient art which dates to Mesopotamia. At Madaba, it consists of puzzle tablets forming images commonly organized horizontally on the churches’ floors.

It’s inhabited since 4500 B.C., in other words since pre-historical times, which basically makes this city a land deep in so much saint history. Just to have an idea, it was one of the cities divided between the twelve tribes of Israel in the time of the exodus. You know what that is? Just like me, probably not, but one thing we know for sure: this is all very remote! Biblical quotes, Israelite kings, Nabataean Period, annexation by Rome, Byzantine Christian Empire, the beginning of the Christian Age, Jerusalem, map of the Holy Land, Promised Land, Moses, Mount Nebo and so many other terms make Madaba an endless mosaic complex of ancient history.

The city today is well organized to receive visitors from the whole world. It has many churches with well preserved mosaics and a restoration and conservation service through worldwide effort, which permits the visitor to dive in this unfathomable biblical atmosphere.

Madaba is an interesting and curious destination.

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

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The Astonishing Treasure at Petra – Jordan

Petra is an ancient city located in Jordan, constructed by an extraordinary civilization with a great sense of aesthetics and design.

Petra is very famous worldwide with the facade named “The Treasure”, a very known monument erected to honor the Nabatean Kings.

Petra is a very large and extensive archaeological site with lots of remainings, you could stay a whole week if you want to see Petra in details.

Visitations lately may have been reduced because the syrian conflicts and the general turbulences at Middle East, but this old city, that existed between 400AC to 700 DC, will be always a very interesting place to visit.

You can stay in regular hotels, not expensive, easy to book and very close to the entrance. I paid U$ 60.00 for a 3 day visit in 2012.

The area contain a great amount of rose rock so this ancient city is also called the rose city.

Although the treasure is the most famous facade, my preference remains at a second one called “The Monastery”. You have to climb about one hour by an old and rocky trail to reach “The Monastery”. At the other side, at the top, you can see the Wadi Rum Desert.

If you have the chance, this is a place you won´t regret to visit. At any direction you go, you always see something interesting to explore. All the facades are merely stylized caves and you find tombs inside, many of them are open for visitation.

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

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Interesting Military and Medieval Castle

Located at famous King´s Highway in Jordan, karak Castle is a medieval building from Crusades times constructed for the enforcement of Christianity in the East.

This crusader castle has an amazing light. It is a labyrinth inside, very misterious and cavernous but, suddenly, you have little windows in geometrical shapes spreading the sunlight on the shadows.

It looks not that big from outside but it is a huge construction from middle age.

Writing about Karak is too complicated because human evolution is intermittent.

In religions, everything thickens in the frantic passions and beliefs, making man lose his reason and dive into bestiality.

A military construction in essence, Karak is a medieval castle present in the complex history of the enforcement of Christianity in the East. It remained in the hands of crusaders for little time, who lashed out since Europe to make war and reclaim the Holy Land. Which was nothing like Jesus teachings! What remained as legacy is its beautiful architecture. The place’s plasticity is impressive.

Forget the Holy Land, come witness the beauty of the sun light! Nothing could be more holy than this…

Photos, video and text by Marcelo Ozorio

You can also read more about Karak Castle at Wikipedia.

WARNING: I have been in Jordan in april 2012. You probably shouldn´t visit Jordan the next few years or until the problem finishes… now it is a mess due to the Syria conflict and terrorist attacks. Some governments has recently released travel alerts. See this link for more details:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Jordan.html

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