Half of the population of the Hashemite Kingdom dwells in Amman. Ramified suburbs, straight avenues, beautiful houses with huge satellite antennas, olive trees and even gold-gilded trees. These are its rich suburbs. In a cramped centre of Amman traditional craft stalls and shops, cookshops and numerous monuments of architecture are concentrated.

How many kinds of tourism are there? Gastro, ecotourism, shopping — there are probably as many varieties of them as travelers themselves — everyone choose what they want. Today we talk about people visiting places that have become locations for shoting famous movies.

Majestic and beautiful, contradictory and frightening ... The UNESCO World Heritage List includes into their ranks important works of culture, history, or objects of environmental importance. According to UNESCO rules, a heritage site must be a masterpiece and be of value to a specific era, contain information about unique traditions, reminisce about historical events, or include the habitat of rare species.

Nine months per year Aqaba is blessed with perfect weather. It is time for sailing, snorkelling, water skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving or sunbathing. Travelers who arrive at this southern city from the north, say that Aqaba is like a breath of fresh air, a very sought-after gateway in hot winds blowing through the pink sands of Jordan.

American writer Jon Krakauer wrote: ‘To the deserts go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality’. OUTLOOK journalist Yelena Rasenko tried not to escape reality but find it in Jordan in one of the most amazing deserts of the world, in Wadi Rum.

They have been on duty for many years. Beaten down, crippled, lost friends in battles, they are still staring into endless sand landscapes to see whether an enemy is approaching, and every day they lose their memories crumb by crumb. About thirty palaces and castles live out their remaining days scattered throughout the deserts of Jordan. Once majestic, terrifying and awaking mystical awe, even now these fortified palaces are able to captivate a traveller.

I put my finger into the gap of column, froze for a moment and cried out with delight - it moves! There was a heavy stone pillar above my hand, once carved and piled up on a pedestal by some Roman architect or his Arab assistants. This amazing column and hundreds of others alike are a part of the ancient city of Jerash situated in the north of Jordan.

Already on the way to the water, the strong smell of salt and sulphur hit my nose. Shore were dotted with bizarre-shaped yellow-white boulders, and the whole expanse of the sea was enveloped in mysterious, whitish haze. This strange place was very quiet: no birds, on holidaymakers on sun loungers, the sea looked like a huge pot with hot thick jelly that barely reacted with light rips in response to rather strong wind.