Like Rome, Amman was built on seven hills. The Temple of Hercules at the Citadel rises on the first hill, in the middle of the city. Beside it lies the gargantuan broken hand of a statue of Hercules estimated to have been more than 40 feet tall.  

One of the so-called castles of the eastern desert, Qasr Kharaneh is a gloriously imposing structure visible for miles across the stony, forbidding landscape in which it sits. Never built for defense, it was more likely a meeting place for the Umayyad caliphs of the 8th century.  

Qusayr Amra doesn't look like much from the outside, but its vibrant, often risqué frescoes make it one of the most beautiful of the desert castles. It was here that the Umayyad caliphs slipped under the radar of those upholding Islamic law to revel in distinctly human pleasures.  

If paradise exists on Earth, Evason Ma’in Hot Springs may well be it. The five-star hotel lies 20 miles southwest of Madaba, tucked deep in a valley below sea level. Secluded and utterly peaceful, it is a well worth a visit of several days, especially for spa lovers.  

One of the resort's pools is set against the falling waters of natural hot springs that add lushness to the valley. The hot springs also fall into a rock pool at the spa where guests can float, relax, sip tea, and nibble on nuts and fruit after treatments.  

Travel off the grid at solar-powered, eco-friendly Feynan Wilderness Lodge in Dana Nature Reserve, where local Bedouins provide cultural engagement and photo ops galore. You can hike in or ride in trucks with Bedouins; don't be surprised if these two meander by to pose during breakfast (tips required).  

Aqaba, in the southwest corner of Jordan, is both a popular seaside resort and important commercial port. Take a snorkel tour in the Gulf of Aqaba and see four countries at once—Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia—along with a panorama of exotic sea life.  

White salt deposits line the shore of the ever-shrinking Dead Sea, where vacationers slather mud on their bodies then rinse in the super salty water in hopes of therapeutic benefits. Whether seeking benefits or not, visitors to Jordan shouldn't miss the Dead Sea or the area's excellent upscale resorts.  

The Monastery is at the top of Petra—800 steps up from the canyon floor—and well worth the climb. Probably carved as a Nabatean temple, its chamber may also have given early Christians a well-hidden place to worship. Either way, it's mind-bogglingly impressive.  

Few areas of Jordan stir the soul as completely as Wadi Rum, called 'vast, echoing and godlike' by T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia). Book a guided jeep or camel tour to see it up close—spectacular rock formations tower, flowers bloom improbably in shifting sand, and mountains shimmer in the heat.  

T. E. Lawrence didn't care for tent living—you can take a jeep tour or camel excursion out to the tumbled ruins of his stone house—but staying overnight in a Bedouin tent camp is a remarkable way to experience Wadi Rum and better understand life here.  

Sooner or later, everyone visiting Wadi Rum for an overnight convenes in one spot to watch the scorching sun slide from the sky. They come by truck, jeep, and camel to climb up to the flat-top rock formations and wait. The reward is a sunset to remember.