alt="Row of columns at the Oval Forum in Jerash"/> <figcaption>
<h4>Row of columns at the Oval Forum in Jerash</h4>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Jordan’s location in the geographical “near east” has exposed the country to dozens of civilizations over the course of history. Over the last three thousand years alone this region has experienced the coming and going of the Persian, Greek, Roman, Nabataean, Byzantine, and Ottoman—to name a few—empires, the legacies of which are often still visible today.</p>
<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/greco-roman-ruins-jerash/'>Read more →</a>
</article>
<articleclass="blog-post">
<header>
<h2class="blog-post-title"dir="auto"><ahref="https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/dome-of-the-rock/">The Dome of the Rock</a></h2>
<pclass="blog-post-meta"><timedatetime="2017-01-23T08:53:53+02:00">Mon Jan 23, 2017</time> by Alan Orth in
alt="Golden dome, vibrant tiles, and elegant Arabic calligraphy"/> <figcaption>
<h4>Golden dome, vibrant tiles, and elegant Arabic calligraphy</h4>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While not <em>technically</em> in Jordan, Jerusalem’s <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock">Dome of the Rock</a> is basically just a stone’s throw away from Amman (pun intended). Not only is this shrine capped with a golden dome, covered in vibrant Ottoman-era tilework, and adorned with elegant Arabic calligraphy, it also boasts an <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Stone">impressive resume of sacred claims to fame</a>.</p>
<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/dome-of-the-rock/'>Read more →</a>
</article>
<articleclass="blog-post">
<header>
<h2class="blog-post-title"dir="auto"><ahref="https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/grandeur-petra/">The Grandeur of Petra</a></h2>
<pclass="blog-post-meta"><timedatetime="2016-12-24T20:13:21+02:00">Sat Dec 24, 2016</time> by Alan Orth in
alt="Petra's "monastery" basking in the golden light just before sunset"/> <figcaption>
<h4>Petra's "monastery" basking in the golden light just before sunset</h4>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabataeans">Nabataeans</a> were a tribe who became filthy rich on the trade of frankincense, myrrh, and spices in the Arabian peninsula around 2,000 years ago. They built Petra as the capital of their flourishing civilization. Hauntingly beautiful stone facades standing one hundred meters tall are amazingly intact and well preserved to this day.</p>
<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/grandeur-petra/'>Read more →</a>
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