KING’S HIGHWAY Highway King’s 182 © LonelyPlanetPublications ﺍﻟﻤﻠﻮﻛﻲ with allitsdifficulties,andyoufollowinthepathofhumanbeliefs, hopesanddreams. andbyMuslimpilgrimsheadingtofromMecca. Travelfortifications; theroadtoday, Christian faithfulonpilgrimagetoMoses’memorialatMtNebo;byCrusaderstheircastle en route tothePromisedLand;byNabataeansandfromtheirsacred cityatPetra; by ancient highway.The highwayhasforthepast3000yearsbeentraversed bytheIsraelites teau, uninterrupted highwayfromthesouth. bythegreat hiatusthatdividesthenorthern oftheupperpla- resume. ofaseamless continuumalongthesurface It’sasiftheyformpart Mujib, where theavenues ofpoplars,thepricklypear–fences towns andthesleepymarket antiquity, watchedbypiedwagtailsthatbobover amosaicofparchedearth. the day.Onlylizardsdisturbpeaceastheyrustlethroughfallenmasonryof flapping outsidetheflat-roofed, ochre-coloured of houses,sleepsthroughthehottest part good-natured bleating,pourthroughtheruralnetworkofpaths;avillage,withwashing wrap aroundthecontoursofgentlyundulatinghills;sheep,driven inliquidstreams of where thelandscapecouldbestbedescribedasquintessentially Jordanian.Neatolive groves There isapointonthe justbefore Highway, youreachKing’s thelipofgreat WadiMujib, „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS There issurely nobetter metaphorforthecontinuityandtenacity ofhumanlife alongthis There justafter Highway, thegreat isanotherpointontheKing’s yawning gapofWadi DancewithSalome’sghostat Find peace(andibexifyou’re lucky) at Listen tothethunderofghostlyhooves at thePromisedLandfromMoses’ Survey Piece togetherearlyChristianhistoryin reluctant HerodbeheadedJohntheBaptist ( p195 ), before unveiling thespotwhere a castles Crusader impressive most ’s ( p211), deliver andcosttheregion dearly ised landthattookalmost2000yearsto desert landscapeofWadiAraba desert from thetemperate tothe high-ground Dana Nature Reserve castle Karak memorial at the mosaicsof made modern workshoptoseehowtheywere Mt Nebo 21) and (p201) 13) te prom- the ( p193):

( p205 ), onahike ( p184 ) andvisita ﺍﻟﻄﺮﻳﻖ Shobak castle Mukawir

Dead Sea Dana Nature Shobak Reserve Nebo Mukawir Mt Karak Madaba KING’S HIGHWAY 5 183 Al- Al-Hesa Airport 40 Mujib 15 Queen Alia Muwaqqar 15 International 5 Qatrana Umm ar-Rasas Dhab'a Wadi 25

50 Freight line only line Freight

15 Ma'in Hwy

Nitil Hasa Lehun Desert Ma'an Wadi Zarqa ὄ ὄ

Ara'ir

35 Hesban Na'ur Hwy Madaba

Khirbet Tannour Wadi

(1641m) Al-Qasr Ar-Rabba Libb King's Karak Castle Mazar Jebel Atatia Al-Fiha Mu'tah Fasaliyya Husseinyah 817

Ariha

Wadi

Qadsiyya Afra

as-Seer n Ayoun ('Ain) Musa

da Rashidiyya Udruh Dhiban Ma'in i Dana Al-Barra Mukawir

Hamad Al-'Ain Fag'ua Hammamat

H (74km) al-Bayda

Karak

40 eir di w To Aqaba 35 Hammamat Ma'in

Khirbet Visitor Centre

Shuneh al- Janubiyyeh Abu al-Lasan Wa Shobak 00 30 km 20 miles As-Sadaqa Tafila Feinan Lodge Ghu Tower Centre Numeirah Mt Nebo Wadi Lot's Cave Musa Mukhayyat

Al-Karama Wadi bin Wadi Wadi Jadid 65 Wadi Mujib Burbita 65 Wadi Fifa Safi Nature Reserve 35

rdan Hammamat

Jo H Ὀ Ὀ wy Castle Rummana Machaerus KING’S HIGHWAY •• Madaba HIGHWAY KING’S Sea Shobak Spring Campground Dead

Dead Sea Panorama Herodus

Suweimeh Ar-Rajif Dana

Mazra'a

De Ras an-Naqb Mansourah Feinan Nature Rajif Sea Tayyibeh ad Khirbet Reserve an Jebel Jebel Intersection the-Jordan Mubak Haroun (1727m)

Bridge Fein Allenby Jericho Umm Mathla Bethany-Beyond Ein

Greigra Gedi

King Hussein/ Wadi

Ar aba on foot. With is easily explored Madaba Gharandal Wadi KING'S HIGHWAY 65 To Aqaba (63km) TERRITORIES PALESTINIAN ISRAEL & THE West Bank its lively shops dangling with strings of shops dangling with strings of its lively shoes; by men in skinned goats tended to rise, and finally Mammon gets a look in a look gets to rise, and finally Mammon traffic.with the honks and groans of The with yelps to the day is punctured of rest from buy apricots, and friendly greetings children. ὈὈ ὈὈ ὄὄ ὄὄ ﻣﺄﺩﺑﺎ

05 / Pop 70,000 One third of Madaba’s population is population is Madaba’s One third of Unfortunately, Wadi Mujib is to blame Unfortunately, the way to explore The most convenient If all else but be is possible fails, hitching

Christian (the other two thirds are Mus- Christian (the other two thirds are Christian the largest lim), making it one of communities in Jordan. The town’s long tolerance is joyfully – religious tradition of on Friday. This is and loudly – expressed one day when you shouldn’t expect a lie- in. The imam summons the faithful before the sky. Then the dawn leavens of a sliver Christians carillon bells bid the Orthodox x is Madaba town of The amiable market superb, best known for a collection of Byzantine-era mosaics. The most famous these is the mosaicof map on the floor many are but there Church, St George’s of parts of other mosaics carpeting different even more are which the town, many of and vibrant in colour. complete MADABA Getting Around Getting Around highways north running three Of Jordan’s HighwayKing’s far the is by to south, the historical with a host of most interesting, nearby lying on the road or attractions ancient this of for the history p44 (see The highway the connects thoroughfare). city to the pink Madaba mosaic of town via Crusader forts, castles, Roman Petra of a windswept Nabataean tem- biblical sites, – including ple and some epic landscapes Wadi Mujib. the majestic along this public transport for the lack of road: minibuses serve the communities on the wadi, while through trafficeither side of uses the Desert a taxi Highway. Chartering ). The p192 (see feasible for the day is more in hotels budget (and other Hotel Palace that ) run minibus tours p105 Amman, see (and some- Karak stop in Wadi Mujib and to Petra. en route times Dana and Shobak) This al- a car. King’s Highway to hire is circular trips that combine lows for longer, the King’s Highway with the Dead Sea Highway along spectacular hairpin roads (see p170 ). – for long waits on deserted stretches prepared temperatures not advisable in the extreme all of To explore or winter. summer of on public in this chapter covered the sites a week.transport could easily take lonelyplanet.com