The Road of kings is an old trade route in Jordan and leads from Aqaba to Amman.
background
The Way of the Kings, better known under King's Highway is an ancient trade route with many faces. According to the Bible, this street is supposed to be Moses have tried through the kingdoms Edom and Moab to pull. The name goes back to an even older episode in the Bible, in the 2nd book of Moses, chap. 14 are the names of the ancient kingdoms that existed here in Abraham's time.
The King's Highway actually starts in Memphis (Egypt), continues after Heliopolis, Egypt, then goes over Sue through the Sinai to Aqaba. From here it goes over Petra and Kerak to Amman and on over Damascus until after Resafa on the Euphrates.
In Roman times the street got another name in the Jordanian part: it was from Aqaba to Petra Incense Route, its main branch ran from here to Gaza, a side branch remained on the old route to Damascus.
In Roman times the street was called Via Traiana Nova afterwards it was used by Christian pilgrims on the way to the holy places as well as by the Muslims on theirs Hajj to Mecca, until the 16th century the route through the Tariq al-Bint was changed.
Nevertheless, this road remained the most important north-south connection in the Middle East and Jordan, and has only been used in recent years with the Desert Highway a highway has been created parallel to the King's Highway, and another north-south connection runs along the Jordan Trench and the Dead Sea further south through the Wadi Araba to Aqaba. The most scenic and touristic still remains the Road of kings.
preparation
Today the road leads through the countries Egypt, Jordan and Syria and a few kilometers through Israel. The route in Jordan is primarily interesting for tourists, and here the travel direction from north to south is most often chosen. The route from the Syrian border near Irbid to Aqaba is around 410 kilometers. The terrain is mostly hilly to mountainous, and accordingly the road is often quite curvy. For experienced cyclists, however, it is manageable. There are enough rest areas and petrol stations along the way.
On Jordanian roads, there are thresholds in the pavement at almost all the outskirts, which force you to respect speed limits. You also have to expect that on multi-lane roads, the vehicle in front of you in the left lane will suddenly stop to turn left. Sheep or goat herds can also cross the road on winding roads, especially in the mountainous region.
getting there
Most of the tourists come in Amman at the Queen Alia International Airport at.
Here we go
From the Syrian border to Amman, 100 km
A border crossing to Syria is at the village Ar-Ramtha in the greater Irbid area. From here the road continues over the Syrian Dara to Damascus. To the south, the road from the Yarmuk Valley gradually rises. Between Irbid and Jerash it leads through the mountains of Gilead (Jal'ad), today Jibal Ajloun, which reach a height of over 900 m. The karstified land is to be carefully reforested. After Jerash it is again used more flat and agriculturally, in ancient times this area belonged to the Kingdom of Ammon.
- Irbid, in the ancient Arabella, is the second largest city in Jordan and has a population of more than 1 million including the surrounding area. From here the route leads over Jerash to Amman. Worth seeing: the houses in the city center, the museum.
- Beit Ras, the Capitolias the Decapolis, is north of Irbid. Only a few ancient remains.
- Umm Qais, the ancient Gadara the Decapolis is about 20 km away in the northwest.
- Jerash, the Gerasa the Decapolis, is halfway to Amman.
- Amman, the state capital, the ancient Rabbat Ammon or the Hellenistic Philadelphia , with its surrounding area is home to over 2 million inhabitants, around a third of the total population of Jordan.
From Amman to Kerak, 120 km
From Amman, the Road of Kings runs south as the main road at number 35. To the west of it, road no.65 leads through the Jordan Valley along the Dead Sea to the south, to the east it is the Desert Highway with number 15.
The next 50 kilometers still belonged to the Ammonites, the country is a high plateau at almost 800 m altitude with partially deeply cut side valleys, grain and fruit are grown.
- Madaba, the city of the mosaic map, is 32 km south of Amman.
- the Mount Nebo is only a few kilometers to the west.
- Mukawir and the fortress Machaerus are about 30 km southwest
- Um er-rasas or Kastron Mefa'a has been a World Heritage Site since 2004 UNESCO. about 30 km southeast of Madaba
- Wadi al-Mujib is a canyon that cuts through the mountains from east to west. The northern plateau is about 700 m above sea level, the valley depression goes down to 200 m. The bottom of the valley is bridged by a dam, which was inaugurated in 2004 and serves as a water supply. On the southern side it goes up again in numerous serpentines at 900 m.
This wadi was once the border between the kingdoms of Ammon and Moab. From here the mountains get higher, there is pasture farming, on the edge of the roads you can see the tents of the nomads and their herds. To the east, the Mujib Nature Reserve stretches to the Dead Sea, it is partly below sea level, making it the deepest reserve in the world.
- Kerak with its crusader castle lies on a mountain spur. In the area there are numerous caves in the mountain slopes, mostly graves, often from the time of the Roman occupation.
- Lajjun was a garrison town in Roman times, whose troops the Limes Arabicus should protect. It is about 15 km east of Kerak.
- Mu'ta and Aazar are destinations of Muslim pilgrims 10 km south of Kerak, here 632 battles between Byzantine and Muslim troops took place.
From Kerak to Aqaba, 250 km
The Road of the Kings continues from Kerak on the main road 35 of this route to Aqaba.
- the Wadi al-Hasa was the border of the kingdoms of Moab and Edom in biblical times. In this valley are the Afra mineral springs.
- Tafila is about 50 km south of Kerak. A battle between the rebellious Arabs led by Lawrence of Arabia and the Turks took place here in 1918.
The mountain country Shara rises to an altitude of over 1200 m, individual peaks (Jabal al Batra) reach heights of over 1600 m south of Petra
- Dana is 20 km south of Tafila. Here he entertains RSCN, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature a nature reserve and with the Rummana Campsite and the Feinan Campsite 2 campsites.
- In Shawbak, almost 100 km south of Kerak, are the ruins of the crusader castle Montreal.
- Petra is about 150 km south of Kerak. The old capital of the Nabataeans in Wadi Musa is one of the main tourist destinations.
- Ma'an is about 30 km east on the Desert Highway.
Main road 35 joins the Desert Highway 30 km south of Petra and Ma'an. From here the Road of Kings continues on the Desert Highway.
- Wadi Rum is only about 70 km from Aqaba, is about 30 km east of the road. Here the Jabal Rum is the second highest peak in Jordan with a height of 1754 m, only surpassed by the 1854 m high Jabal Umm ad Dami.
- Aqaba is the southernmost place in Jordan. The Red Sea has the northernmost coral reef on earth, here you can find rare visitors such as manatees, dolphins and whale sharks among the more than 1000 different species of creatures. The Road of the Kings continues from Aqaba Eilat and Taba to the Sinai and finally to Heliopolis.
Alternative route from Kerak
Of Kerak to Tafila you can go parallel to the road of the kings through the Southern Ghors drive. In the vicinity of the cities Numeira and Safi there are numerous remains of settlements from the Bronze Age. The finds could be related to the biblical cities Sodom and gomorrha and their destruction, a Byzantine monastery nearby is that Sanctuary of Lot. Further south is then Feinanbelonging to the Dana reservation. If you want to visit Petra, you have to go east again in the direction of Tafila, from here (for the time being) you only go south through the Wadi Araba to Aqaba.
security
On the hilly roads in the mountainous regions of Edom and Moab, one has to reckon again and again that a herd or even a single animal will want to cross the road. Reduce speed. Also at all town entrances where thresholds prevent rapid passage. Otherwise, at least in Jordan, you can feel very safe everywhere, the hospitality is usually very good everywhere.
trips
From the Nile to the Red Sea
The first part of the historical route leads from the former capital of the Egyptian Empire across the Sinai Peninsula to the Red Sea. The section through Egypt is also under the name Darb el Hajj, Known pilgrimage route.
- In Memphis only a few testimonies of the former glory can be admired in a museum,
- Heliopolis is a suburb of Cairo
- Sue is about 130 km east of it on the ruins of the ancient Clysma
- The Mitla pass leads 30 km east into the mountains of the Sinai-Peninsula
- The route continues over Nekhl or An Nakhl in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula via the Bedouin village At Thamad
- The shortest way to Aqaba actually leads through the historic sister city of Eilat, but this is already in Israel. So it might make sense to switch to Taba and from there take a boat to Aqaba.
Through Syria to the Euphrates
In order to enter Syria, there must be no reference to an earlier stay in Israel in the passport. Possibly get a second passport beforehand.
- Bosra, also Bostra or Busra, was already at the time of Pharaoh Tutmoses III in 1400 BC. mentioned. The city later belonged to the Nabatean Empire and was the provincial capital in Roman times. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Damascus, the capital Syria, the old town is also part of the world cultural heritage
- Tadmor, 215 km northeast of Damascus, is better known to us under the name of the old city Palmyra. This is where the Road of Kings met the Silk Road. Also on the World Heritage List.
- The remains of Resafa are near the city of Ar Raqqa. Here on the Euphrates was once the border of the Roman Empire on the Limes Arabicus.
