Day 1 • Departure 
Our life-changing journey begins this evening as we board our overnight flight to Jordan.

Day 2 • Arrival Jordan
We arrive in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and transfer to our lodging for the evening in Amman.

Day 3 • Dead Sea, and Aqaba
Traveling southward we stop at a Dead Sea resort for a relaxing float or optional spa treatment before continuing on to our lodging for the next two evenings in Aqaba, Biblical Ezion Geber - the lovely seaport of King Solomon. The remainder of the day is free in this lovely coastal city. You may choose to relax and simply enjoy the hotel facilities. Of special interest is the Aqaba Marine Park and Coral Reef. 

Day 4 • Aqaba Archaeology, Optional Wadi Rum
We begin our sightseeing at the Aqaba Fort rebuilt in 1587 and the walled city of Ayla constructed during the early days of the Islamic era. One of the most exciting discoveries in recent times that archaeologists in Aqaba have unearthed is what they believe to be the world’s oldest church, dating back from the late 3rd century AD. An optional afternoon tour of Wadi Rum is also available by 4-wheel drive vehicles. Enjoy a Bedouin meal and watch the sunset over the beautiful desert and spectacular red rock formations. This was a favorite get-away for King Hussein and Queen Noor.

Day 5 • Petra 
This morning we turn north toward the amazing mountain fortress of Petra, known to be inhabited by the Edomites - the descendents of Esau. Begin the tour with a walk through the "Siq," an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone, to the city of Petra carved out of the rose red rock. The Treasury, El Khazneh, is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity. Beyond El Khazneh we are surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra's carved and built structures. Departing Petra, we travel northward on the King's Highway where to the east we view the hilltop palace/fortress of Machaerus, the place where John the Baptist was beheaded. We overnight in Amman for the next two evenings.

Day 6 • Mt Nebo, Mabada 
Mt. Nebo, believed to be the site of the tomb of Moses, commands a spectacular view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. The drive continues to the town of Madaba, the biblical Medeba, 30 kilometers south of Amman. Madaba is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics and at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George we may view the earliest surveying original map of the Holy land. Looking to the northwest we view the Plains of Moab, the area where the tribes of Israel camped before crossing the Jordan and visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the place where Jesus was baptized. From here we transfer back to our hotel in Amman.

Day 7: Jerash, Bosra, Damascus
We begin our day with a tour of the Old and New city of Amman. Of special interest is the Roman Amphitheatre and an overview from the Citadel.  We travel to Jerash, one of the best preserved and most complete provincial Roman cities. Jerash, Gerasa of Roman Times, was one of the cities of the Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Graeco-Roman cities dating from the 1st century BC situated in Jordan, Syria and Israel. Known as the Pompeii of the East for its extraordinary state of preservation, the ruins indicate human occupations at this location for more than 2,500 years.  The most well known monuments here include the colonnaded street, the Temple of Zeus, the Forum and Hadrian’s Arch.  From Jerash we travel northward through the Syrian border and on to the crossroads caravan city of Bosra, mentioned in history dating back to the fourteenth Century BC.  One of the highlights of the day is a superbly preserved Roman theatre.  We continue on to our lodging for the next three nights in Damascus.

Day 8: Damascus City Tour, Street Called “Straight”
Straight Street is mentioned in the story of Paul's conversion to Christianity in Acts 9:10-19:
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
The Straight Street was the popular name for the main thoroughfare crossing the city from East to West. In the times of St. Paul, Damascus was a Greco-Roman city built according to a rectangular plan, which can be traced back to the 5th century B.C.
Ananias followed instruction to lay on hands " And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
Our tour through ancient Straight Street, Damascus will include the supposed location of the House of Judas where Paul received his sight, St. Paul’s Chapel identifying the place where Paul fled from those who would have killed him and many other fascinating sights in this remarkable city.

Day 9: Baalbeck – Damascus
Today we cross the border to visit Baalbeck, Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure counted among the wonders of the ancient world containing the largest and most noble Roman temples ever built.   Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome and today remain among the best preserved in the world.  After a full day of sightseeing, we return to Damascus for the evening.

Day 10: Mallaula,  Sednaya, Crac De Cehvilers, Aleppo
Our day begins with a visit to the mountain village of Mallaula who’s little houses and monasteries cling to the face of an enormous rock. The inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. We continue on to the Saydnaya Convent.   The terraces and domes of the convent are the subject of many stories of miracles.  The monastery contains a portrait of the Virgin Mary believed to have been painted by St. Luke.  The local inhabitants say they can show you the reputed place where Cain slew his brother Abel.  This afternoon we visit the most famous medieval citadel in the world, Crac des Chevaliers.   It is through here at “Homs Gap” that much of the Eastern World communicated with the Mediterranean.   Our lodging this evening will be in Aleppo.

Day 11: Aleppo Tour- Palmyra
Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria, is the most “oriental” of all Syrian towns in a very strategic position.  This position gave the city a distinctive role from the days of the Akkadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. The city tour includes a visit to the Citadel, the Grand Mosque, Khan Al-Wazir, the old quarters of the city, the museum and St. Simon.  According to the Biblical tradition, Abraham sacrificed on the summit of the hill where the Citadel is today.  Our lodging this evening will be in Palmyra.

Day 12: Palmyra- Damascus ON
Palmyra (Tadmor in Arabic) is in the heart of Syrian Desert, and is often described as the bride of the desert. Its magnificent remains tell of a heroic history during the reign of Queen Zenobia.
The Oasis, as it is sometimes called, is located near a hot-water spring called Afqa, which make it an ideal halt for caravans moving between Iraq and Al-Sham (present day Syria, Lebanon, Holy Land and Jordan), trading in silk from China to the Mediterranean. This strategic location made Palmyra prosper in a well-established kingdom from the 2nd century BC.  After Romans conquered Syria, Palmyra flourished and became known as city of palm-trees.  Our city tour will include the Temple of Bel, a view of the Tombs, Baths and Theatre before we return to Damascus for the evening.

Day 13: Homeward 
Early today we depart Damascus Airport for our flight home.