Amman in 3 days

The Dead Sea (Bahr al-Mayyit — the saline lake on the border of Jordan and Israel/Palestine, 430m below mean sea level (the lowest elevation point on the surface of the Earth), with a salinity of 34.2% (9.6 times the salinity of average ocean water): the buoyancy is so extreme that it is physically impossible to sink (the body floats horizontally on the surface without effort — the sensation is completely unlike any swimming experience). The mineral-rich black mud on the shoreline (Dead Sea mud contains magnesium, calcium, potassium and bromine — marketed globally as a cosmetic product) is applied to the body and allowed to dry before washing off in the salt water. The Amman Beach (the public beach on the Jordanian side, JD 20 including towel and facilities) or the Kempinski Hotel beach (JD 50, private beach with infinity pool).

Madaba (the "City of Mosaics" — 30km southwest of Amman on the King's Highway: the Byzantine-era city known for its extraordinary concentration of mosaic floors from the 5th–7th centuries AD). The Madaba Map: the mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land on the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George (built 1896 over the ruins of the Byzantine church): the original map (dated c. AD 560, the reign of Emperor Justinian) covered 21 square meters and showed the entire Near East from Lebanon to Egypt — 157 captions survive. The depiction of Jerusalem (the Cardo Maximus, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Damascus Gate) is the earliest known map of the city.

Mansaf (the national dish of Jordan — the dish served at every Jordanian celebration (weddings, births, funerals, Eid and the welcoming of honored guests): the whole lamb (or large pieces of lamb on the bone) slow-cooked in the jameed sauce (the sauce made from jameed, the dried and fermented goat or sheep yogurt, hard as stone when dry (the Bedouin preserved milk by drying and salting the curds into balls) and reconstituted with boiling water to a sharp, gamey, intensely tangy sauce) served over a large communal dish of the basmati rice with flatbread (the shrak — the thin Bedouin flatbread baked on a convex iron domed griddle (the saj)) on the bottom, the rice on top of the bread, the lamb pieces on the rice, the jameed sauce poured over everything, and the whole garnished with toasted pine nuts and almonds. The largest mansaf restaurants in Amman are near the 3rd and 4th circles in Jabal Amman.

Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas — the archaeological and religious site on the east bank of the Jordan River where the Gospels place the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist: the UNESCO World Heritage Site (2015) with the excavated Byzantine church remains (the church built by Emperor Anastasius I in the 5th century over the traditionally identified baptism site), the spring of Elijah (the spring near which the prophet Elijah is believed to have lived), the Jordan River itself (the narrow, muddy river at this point — not the majestic river of popular imagination but deeply significant) and the Israeli West Bank on the opposite bank. The sunset view across the Jordan Valley to the hills of Palestine.

Petra (البتراء — the Nabataean capital (3rd century BC to 1st century AD): the most visited archaeological site in the Middle East and one of the 7 New Wonders of the World: the rose-red sandstone city carved directly from the cliff faces of the Wadi Araba desert valley by the Nabataean people (the Arab trading civilization that controlled the incense trade routes from Arabia to the Mediterranean). The Siq (the 1.2km narrow canyon entrance, with walls rising 80m on either side): the walk through the Siq building the anticipation to the moment the canyon opens into the view of the Treasury (Al-Khazneh — the 40m facade carved from a single sandstone face, perhaps the most photographed archaeological monument in the Middle East). Beyond the Treasury: the Street of Facades, the Roman Theater (3,000 seats, carved from the cliff), the Colonnaded Street, the Byzantine church and the Monastery (Ad-Deir — 8km walk from the entrance, the largest monument in Petra, reached by 800 steps). From Amman: 2.5 hrs by car or JETT bus (JD 11).

The most theatrical approach to any monument on Earth: 1.2km of twisting sandstone canyon, the walls closing to 3m width at points, carved with Nabataean niches and the ancient water channel system, ending in the sudden full reveal of the Treasury facade.

Larger than the Treasury but less visited: the 48m wide, 45m tall carved facade at the top of 800 rock-cut steps. The views from the plateau above the Monastery: the Wadi Araba stretching to the Negev Desert horizon.

Habibah Sweets (King Faisal Street, Downtown Amman — the most celebrated knafeh shop in Jordan since 1951: the Palestinian sweet (shredded wheat (kadaif) crust over sweet white Nabulsi cheese, baked on a large round tray, soaked in orange blossom and rose water syrup and topped with crushed pistachios): the most important dessert in Levantine culture, the perfect end to any day in Jordan.