Jordan occupies a pivotal position at the crossroads between Asia and the Mediterranean and Egypt and Africa, embracing a mighty continent in each arm. It was a market-place of goods and ideas, an intermediary between civilisations and faiths, shaping the East and the world in which we live.

Jordan’s Iron Age history is documented in the Old Testament - sweeping movements of people and customs, of prophets and kings, and of Christ himself. The biblical and beautifully illustrated classical archaeological past first brought early travellers to the region at the beginning of the 19th century, and continue to do so today.

Its position geologically is as significant as its culture, and the country is often described as ‘geological heaven’. The searing chasm of the Great African Rift cleaves the country in two, leaving a high rugged plateau to the east continuing until it exhausts itself in the rocky desert. To the west is the enormous trough of Wadi Araba, its vast valley floor filled by the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The rich colours of the rock enhance these amazing formations and wadi gorges.

Explore this beautiful country, and travel through deep and diverse historical and geological time. From the Roman Mediterranean Northern Zone through the copper mountains to the sandstone deserts of Petra and Rum, specialist guide Nick Jackson has suggested an itinerary including the great sites which should not be missed - Jerash, and the Madaba map, and of course, two whole days in Petra.

More adventurous is an exploration (by 4x4s and on foot) of the spectacular Wadi Feinan gorge, a forgotten archaeological landscape rich in prehistoric activity, a late Roman citadel, copper mines, elaborate water systems and settlements with Neolithic houses, in places preserved to two storeys.

Finish either with a rest day, or adventure further by taking a jeep ride into the desert to see the rock art and rock formations of breath- taking Wadi Rum - where Lawrence of Arabia gathered the tribes.