Anyways, we decided to take a numbered, alphabetically arranged list of all the countries and pick out all the places we'd already done plus all the ones we knew we just wouldn't be able to do for one reason or another. Then, we cut up all the numbers and put them in a bag- and now we take turns picking random numbers out of the bag.
Louis was the first one to get to choose and he pulled out country number 106 aka JORDAN.
"Jordan, an Arab nation on the east bank of the Jordan River, is defined by ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts. It’s home to the famed archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital dating to around 300 B.C. Set in a narrow valley with tombs, temples and monuments carved into the surrounding pink sandstone cliffs, Petra earns its nickname, the "Rose City."
Capital and largest city: Amman; 31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.950°N 35.933°E
Official language: Arabic
Interesting Facts about Jordan:
The official name of Jordan is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Jordan emerged from the post-World War I division of the Middle East
made by Britain and France. Known as Transjordan from 1922, it was
formally recognised by the UN as an independent sovereign kingdom in
1946.
Jordan has a long history of accepting refugees. Positioned in the midst
of turmoil, it has accepted vast numbers of refugees from surrounding
conflicts. Most notably, the country has an estimated two
million Palestinians and 1.4 million Syrian refugees residing in the
country. In a nation of just 9.5 million people, this represents over a
third of the population.
Jordan is home to the ancient city of Petra.
Known as “The Rose City” it is famous for its unique architecture
carved directly into the rock face. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage
Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
Unlike the other Arab states in the Middle East, Jordan has no oil of its own.
Jordan is home to many biblical sites including, among others, the
Jordan River where Jesus was babtised by John the Baptist, Mount Nebo
where Moses died, as well as the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The lowest point on Earth in terms of dry land is the shore of the Dead Sea in Jordan. It lies at 1,378ft (420m) beneath sea level.
One of the quaintest facts about Jordan is that it is considered polite
to refuse the offer of a meal three times before finally accepting
If it weren’t for the 26km (16mi) coastline along the Red Sea, Jordan would be landlocked.
The capital of Jordan, Amman, was once named Philadelphia. It was named
after Ptolemy Philadelphus (283-246 BC) who rebuilt the city during his
reign before Amman was taken by Herod around 30 BC and fell under the
influence of Rome.
I'm not going to lie...I was NOT overly excited for this stop on the adventure. I've never really experienced a ton of food from this part of the world, and not because there is lack of exposure here...I've just never thought I'd really like it..... luckily, I was pleasantly surprised!! And while not everything was my favorite, I really did enjoy it all more than I anticipated I would.
Dinner: Mezzeh...almost comparable to spanish tapas. We had tabbouleh, cucumber salad, flat bread, hummus, chicken schwarma, and rice with harissah for dessert.
Movie: Theeb
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| harissah- coconut cake |
