Not to miss

Amman

Amman, Jordan's capital, will certainly never win any prizes as the most interesting city in the world and, in fact, has only a few attractions. It's a busy, chaotic jumble of traffic and poor planning, but all roads lead to Amman, so you're bound to wind up here sooner or later.

At least 5000 years old, Amman is sprinkled with Roman ruins, including a citadel and a forum. Downtown Amman is at the bottom of four of the city's many hills, and its where you'll find cheap hotels, banks and the sights. Flash places to stay and eat and embassies are on the main hill, Jebel Amman.

The restored Roman theatre, just to the east of Downtown, is the most impressive remnant of the Roman city of Philadelphia. Built in the 2nd century AD, it holds 6000 people and is cut into the side of a hill that once served as a giant graveyard. To the east stands the Odeon, built around the same time and used mainly for musical performances. The city's main fountain, or nymphaeum, is to the west. North of these ruins, on its own hill, is the Roman citadel, the garrison for centurions. Most of the buildings are now rubble, but you can see Roman, Byzantine and Muslim architecture. There's also a National Archaeological Museum on the site.

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum has some of the most spectacular desert scenery in the world. Lawrence of Arabia spent some time here during the Arab Revolt, and many of the scenes from the film were shot here. Don't expect sweeping sand dunes: Wadi Rum is a landscape of bizarre, soaring rock formations, known as jebels.

Although a popular tourist stop, it hasn't lost any of its forbidding majesty. The only residents of the area are 4000 villagers and Bedouin nomads, and the only buildings are goat hair tents, a few concrete shops and houses and the fort headquarters of the Desert Patrol Corps. There is no hotel.

Around the village of Rum, there are a few things to see. Lawrence's Wellis a spring 2km (1.2mi) south-west of the village. It's really just a stagnant pool, but the views are stunning. There's a much prettier spring at the base of Jebel Rum. The Nabatean empire, responsible for Petra, also left a ruined temple in Rum, and the area is covered in Thamudic and Kufic rock art. But the real attraction of the area is the desert itself, and you get out into it in a hired 4WD or on a camel. Some people just do a few hours, but if you take a guide its worth doing a trip of several days, staying overnight with Bedouin families or camping in the desert.

Petra

Petra is the sort of place that usually exists only in the imagination. This unique ancient city was hewn from a towering rock wall; few of the imposing facades of its great buildings are freestanding. Make sure you take as much film as you can carry because every nook and cranny is a Kodak moment.

It's hard to overrate Petra. There's no other sight in Jordan, or perhaps the whole Middle East, as compelling - the locals know it, and they'll charge you accordingly. Once the capital of the Nabateaeans, a 3rd century BC Arab dynasty, Petra was forgotten for 1000 years and only rediscovered in 1812. It raised its public profile with an appearance in the movie Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. Since its discovery and up until the 1980s, it was home to a number of Bedouin families who have since been relocated, an arrangement they are less than happy with. Don't expect a serene and contemplative visit: up to 3000 people come here every day.

You really need to spend a couple of days here to get the feel of the place, which means paying the entry fee more than once. Set in a deep canyon and only accessible through a narrow winding cleft (or siq) in the rock, Petra is carved from sandstone that takes on deep rusty hues interlaced with bands of grey and yellow. The most famous ruin is the Khazneh, or treasury, whose beautifully carved facade is the first thing you'll see when you enter from the siq. The monastery is equally imposing, and if you climb to the top you'll get stunning views. Other ruins include an 8000-seat amphitheatre and the Temple of the Winged Lions, still in the process of excavation.

Karak Castle

The ancient Crusader stronghold of Karak (or Kerak) lies within the walls of the old city and is one of the highlights of Jordan. The fortified castle dominates the town and was a place of legend in the battles between the Crusaders or Franks and the Islamic armies. Often ignored by travellers heading for Petra, Karak Castle is well worth the effort.

Throughout the castle are informative display boards with detailed descriptions of the history and function of each structure. It's worth bringing a torch (flashlight) to explore the darker regions, and some doorways are quite low so watch your head. Reconstruction and excavation work within the castle is ongoing.

Ruins at Jerash

The ruins at Jerash (known in Roman times as Gerasa) are one of Jordan's major attractions and still have the power to evoke the ghosts of Rome. It's one of the best examples in the Middle East of a Roman provincial city, and is remarkably well preserved.

In its heyday, Jerash (known in Roman times as Gerasa) had a population of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants and, although it wasn't on any major trade route, its citizens prospered from the good agricultural land that surrounded it. The ancient walled city that survives today was the administrative, commercial, civic and religious centre of Jerash. The bulk of the inhabitants lived on the eastern side of Wadi Jerash (now the modern town of Jerash) and the two centres were linked by causeways and processional paths. As you wander Jerash try to imagine life 2000 years ago: the centre bustling with shops and merchants, lined with cooling water fountains and dramatic painted façades. Picture today's empty niches filled with painted statues; buildings still clad in marble façades and decorated with carved peacocks and shell motifs; and churches topped with Tuscan-style terracotta tiled roofs. For a visual reconstruction of Jerash's finest buildings, check out the drawings at the visitor centre.