Random Pictures From Zeek's Phone

Zeek and Jim at Ajlun Castle

Ayoub and Jim at Ajlun Castle

Jim with one of Salah al Din's archers

Jim with one of Salah al Din's archers

Zeek and Jim atop Ajlun Castle

Ayoub and Zeek atop Ajlun Castle

Jim in the pine grove below the castle

Ayoub having a smoke before going inside Ajlun

Jim laughing with the boys in our guest salon

Sign at a spice seller's stall in Aqaba...remember, there is no Wal-Mart here...

Jim and Ibrahim in our guest salon

Amjad in our guest salon

Ayoub, Omar, and Ibrahim in our guest salon

Ibrahim and Jim in our guest salon

Sunset just inside Amman after Aqaba trip

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum

If you're going with me, get your arse in the car!!!

Ajlun Castle

The view from top of Ajlun Castle

Zeek and Jim at the top

Jim, Zeek, and Ayoub at the top

Looking west

Main entrance to Ajlun

Looking north toward Jerusalem

Had to get a rest after climbing to the top!! You can see the outskirts of Jerusalem just beyond the back of my head.

Big Balls!!! {for catapults}

No, I'm not drunk...I thought the picture was finished...

Jordan Valley

Ayoub said "don't make my picture!!"

Pines overlooking Jordan Valley

Just look at the farms across the valley!

My god, it's so GREEN!!!!!

This huge fortress was built by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), in AD 1184-1185. The fortress is considered one of the very few built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from Karak in the south and Bisan in the west. From its situation, the fortress dominated a wide stretch of the northern Jordan Valley, controlled the three main passages that led to it (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes), and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria. It was built to contain the progress of the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan and as a retort to the castle of Belvoir on the lake of Tiberias. Another major objective of the fortress was to protect the development and control of the iron mines of Ajlun.

Ayoub, Zeek and I drove up to Ajlun Castle a couple of days ago. The further north we drove the greener it was. The area is mostly farms and small villages and just too charming for words! We saw olive trees that were planted by the Romans, and are still producing fruit. The castle itself is a huge fortress built by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander and nephew of Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), in AD 1184-1185. The fortress is considered one of the very few built to protect the country against Crusader attacks from Karak in the south and Bisan in the west. From its situation, the fortress dominated a wide stretch of the northern Jordan Valley, controlled the three main passages that led to it (Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes), and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria. It was built to contain the progress of the Latin Kingdom of Transjordan and as a retort to the castle of Belvoir on the lake of Tiberias. Another major objective of the fortress was to protect the development and control of the iron mines of Ajlun.

Aqaba/Wadi Rum

Because we still needed a few things for the flat we decided to make a quick trip down to Aqaba to see what we could find in the duty free shops. It was also a nice opportunity to get out of the city for a couple of days and relax a bit by swimming and lazing round on the beach. We found a few treasures to bring home. The drive down was just gorgeous. We stopped a few times to make some pictures of the countryside with the stark, bare mountains. Sadly, the haze was fairly heavy so the pictures aren't of the greatest quality. They are somewhat better on the return trip when we stopped in Wadi Rum. So soon, we will be taking a camping trip down there!

Enjoy the pics!

More to come!!!