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The Grand Tour of the Middle East

A Grand 12-Day Tour of : Syria, Jordan , Israel and Palestine


We'll show you the wonders of fabled Syria, the biblical sites of Jerusalem
and Jordan , including the Lost City of Petra, and Damascus all in 12 days

The Turkish Hamam is a tradition that still thrives in Damascus

Compare with the 11 day version , or the 28 day in-depth edition

Add Lebanon

 

 

 

Friday, Weekly - Year Round
Day 1 - Damascus
: You may arrive by air into Damascus, or by land from Jordan , we'll meet at the Airport and proceed to your hotel. Please secure your visa for Syria from the Syrian Consulate nearest you .
Compare with the Best of Jordan, Syria and Egypt Tour . All transfers are on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, extend to Aleppo and Krak De Chevalier ? please click here .

 

 

Saturday, Day 2 - Damascus - (BL)
Today we explore the Syrian capital, visiting the National Museum, with treasures dating from the 1400s BC; the bustling Old Bazaar, the Eastern Gate (Bab ash-Sharqi) in the Roman city walls; the Street Called Straight (Via Recta); the house of Anania; and the chapel with very the window from which disciples lowered St. Paul so he could escape those who sought to kill him (Chapter 9:24-25) Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Dinner is included at the hotel . Add an extra night in Damascus ? please click here.


 

Sunday, Day 3 - Palmyra, Damascus (BL)
We drive to ancient Palmyra (Tadmor), in a desert oasis on the trade route between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, to visit its museum, the temples of Bel, Baal Shamin and Nebo, the Roman baths, the Tetrapylon, Diocletian's camp, and the Valley of the Tombs, before returning to Damascus. Lunch at a local restaurant is included.

 

 

Monday, Day 4 - Damascus , Bosra - Amman (BL)
We'll depart in the morning for Shahba to visit the Museum and the Mosaic Panels , on to famous Bosra , then onward to Jordan and Amman. Bosra was mentioned in Egyptian 18th-dynasty records as Busrana, and became part of Seleucid domains after Alexander's conquests. It was seized by Judas Maccabeus in 163 BC. When the Nabatean kingdom rose to local prominence in the 1st century BC, Bosra came within the north reaches of their control. In 106 AD, the Romans extended direct rule and established "Provencia Arabia". It became heavily influenced in its cultural and civic life by Roman models. Bosra was made the hub of an important network of trade routes linking Egypt, the Red Sea, Syria and the Mediterranean Mesopotamian regions. While it retained its importance through the Christian era of the Later Roman Empire, it was however a Monophysite center and thus often on bad terms with Constantinople. You'll have lunch enroute , we'll spend the night in Amman.

 

 

Tuesday, Day 5 - Amman and Jerash (BL)
Today is dedicated to exploring Amman, the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan, with its archeological and modern sites, and Ajlun and Jerash, the best preserved Roman City of the East. Lunch is included enroute .

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, Day 6 - Mount Nebo - Kerak - And Petra (BLD)
We drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine and the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time. Further on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders' castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey. Finally, we arrive to PETRA . Lunch is included enroute. In the evening enjoy the visit to Petra by night , this is an awe-inspiring experience; to experience it at night by the light of 1,800 candles is truly an out-of-this-world experience! Walk through the Siq to the Khazneh following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music of the Bedouin at the Treasury. Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at 10.00pm. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk through the Siq, you don't want to miss the show.

 

 

DAY 7 - PETRA Thursday (BD)
We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.

Petra has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center, where each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are located outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead.
Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one last turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s most impressive monument, el Khazneh - The Treasury. This is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock from the side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide.
Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day - “Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.” After that, we will return to the hotel to get prepared for a Moonlight dinner served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have a fantastic traditional dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp, at a site that dates back more than 2,000 years.

 

 

 

DAY 8 - Petra - Dead Sea - Friday (BL)
Breakfast at the hotel then off to the
DEAD SEA / GALILEE
After breakfast, . Continue northwards to Pella in the Jordan Valley. Visit Um Qais, Gedara of the Bible (Matthew 8:28-34) for a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk River drive down to the lowest spot on Earth and experience floating in the waters of the Dead Sea and your resort such as the Mövenpick Dead Sea , the Ishtar Dead Sea Kempinski Resort for Deluxe category , or similar . Lunch is included enroute
. Add Wadi Rum ? Please click here.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, Day 9 - Jerusalem (B)
Drive to the border with Israel/ Palestine . Go through passport formalities, change vehicles and continue on to Jerusalem where we take you to your hotel , Expect one hour on the border to go through formalities and change cars from the Jordanian to the Israel . No visa requirement for Israel for specific nationalities as listed , when in doubt please call the Israeli consulate nearest you .
private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

 

 

 

Sunday, Day 10 - Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem (BL)
Enter the Old City, walking through the reconstructed Jewish Quarter. Visit the newly excavated Cardo and continue to the Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the Second Temple. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and through the colorful bazaars. Continue via Ramat Eshkol to Bethlehem, birthplace of King David. Visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church of the Nativity, site of Jesus' birth. Return to Jerusalem.

Today 's tour : private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide .
Lunch is included at a local restaurant .

 

 

 

Monday, Day 11 - Megiddo, Nazareth, Tiberias (BL)
Depart Jerusalem and drive to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation. Drive to the Sea of Galilee and ride the waters to Tabgha. Visit Cana. Continue to Tiberias for a short tour. Visit Capernaum, on the Sea Of Galilee , to see the ruins of the Synagogue and Church of St. Peter. Stop at the renewed baptismal site on the Jordan River. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Today 's tour : private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide . Lunch is included enroute .

 

 

 

Tuesday, Day 12 - Departure From Tel Aviv (B)
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for your return flight.
Today's transfer private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur Bon Voyage !

Hotels Used (or similar)

Category
Jerusalem
Amman
Petra
Deluxe
Renaissance

Marriott
Hyatt
or Similar

Movenpick
Taybet Zaman
First

Mercure
Grand Court Hotel

or similar

International
Imperial Hotel or similar
Petra Plaza

 

 

 

Rates are per person, in US$:

Category
Deluxe Class
First Class
In Triple Occupancy
4890.
4406.
In Double Occupancy
5088.
4525.
In Single Occupancy
6716.
6012.

 

 

Extra night rates are available for those who wish to stay longer in Damascus, Jerusalem, Amman or Petra.

 

 

 

Included are the following services:

 
  • All transfers within Israel , Jordan and Syria. Always on a private basis.

  • Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.

  • Meals as listed: cB: Continental breakfast, L: preset menu lunch, D: Dinner.
  • Hotel accommodation as indicated, including all tax & service charges.
  • Local guides escorting the group at all times during sightseeing at all times in Israel , Jordan , Palestine and Syria .
  • Jordanian visa fee is included in our rate , visa is issued at the border for limited number of nationalities : American, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU, and Japanese. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid passport .

 

 

 

Not included :

  • Travel Insurance

  • Gratuities to guide and driver : Suggested : $ 5 USD per person per day for the driver.
    $10 Per person per full day for the guide

  • Air fare from/to your home country

  • Any beverages. i.e. bottled water etc.

  • Any services not mentioned above.
  • Visa for Syria, easily secured from the consulate nearest you .

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Choices :

 

 

 

 

 

DAMASCUS : By Dr. Illman : Touring Syria and Jordan 2009

1. It was disorienting arriving in the old city at midnight. Nearly all the shops were closed, streets dark and wandering as we walked to our hotel.
2. Amazing hotel. Our room had fancy light fixtures. The furniture was covered with inlay mother of pearl. The hotel had two lovely courtyards with reflecting pools.
3. Everywhere there was smoking.
4. Our guide and driver were terrific – Walid and Fadi.
5. The House of Ananias and the church built around it was a real highlight. Read Acts 9 to refresh your memory on the scriptural significance.
6. Next door to Ananias we stopped at a shop. The shopkeeper knew someone from Ellettsville, Indiana. He is Mark Vanest. Mark went to school with the kids and taught this man English for several years during the time Mark lived in Damascus.
7. It was cool in Syria with highs in mid-50’s to low 60’s.
8. I was thrilled to walk the Street called Straight.
9. The Souk had shops for everything. I took a lot of video.
10. The Large mosque – Umayyad Mosque was really crowded as it was Mother’s Day and a holiday from school. Marilyn had to wear a full robe with a hood. She looked like a Star Wars’ cast member.
11. The call to prayer is 5 times a day. There are so many mosques and the calls all seem to start a few seconds apart and are sung at slightly different tempo. We saw the muezzin at Umayyad do his call.

 

 

Shahba (Sweida Province)

In the Jabal al-Arab region 90 kilometres south-east of Damascus. Shahba stands in an oasis of orchards and vineyards. Renowned as the birthplace of the Syrian Emperor Philip who ruled the Roman Empire between 244 and 249 A.D. to honour him, the city bore the name Philipopolis during the Roman period. He took a personal interest in the city, planned it after the Roman style, built numerous palaces and temples in it, erected triumphal arches and public baths, a theatre and a great wall surrounding it. He is said to have wanted to turn Shahba into a replica of Rome itself.

Visitors to the Shahba museum can see the immense mosaic panels representing ancient Greek myths; the god of wine and fertility Dionysus, the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, and the legendary poet and musician Orpheus. Another collection of Shahba's mosaic panels is in the National Museum in Damascus.

Remains of the city temple (Philipon), some public baths, parts of the old wall and its four gates, as well as the two intersecting thoroughfares and the Roman Canal can still be seen in the town.

 

Tell: 415-440-1124



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