Lawrence of Arabia

22nd October - 1st November 2024
(11 Days)

Expert Historian : Prof Nicholas Saunders

Tour price: £4,395

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Your Holiday Essentials

22nd October - 1st November 2024
(11 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated, soft drinks with dinner, all entrance fees, tour manager and expert historian throughout, all internal travel, optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 2

Expert Historian: Prof Nicholas Saunders

Prices:

Standard price: £3,775

Incl. travel from UK: £4,395
Room sole occupancy supplement: £795
Non-refundable deposit: £800
Extension single supplement: £150
Extend your stay from: £545

Booking open

click here to book

Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.

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Tour Introduction

In our opinion this is probably the finest historical tour of Jordan, in which we explore its diverse classical history, rich archaeology and enjoy a fascinating study of Thomas Edward Lawrence, the 26 year-old Oxford archaeologist sent to Arabia in late 1916 who played an instrumental part in the Great Arab Revolt. During the first couple of days in Amman you will climb up to its ancient citadel and gaze down on its Roman and modern architecture and explore many of the fabulous museums. But the real adventure starts as we begin to trace the remains of the Hejaz railway that was built by the Turks to link Damascus with Mecca prior to the outbreak of WW1. During the Arab Revolt in 1917-1918, the line was constantly under attack, and there are many extant traces of the bitter fighting and defensive positions from Amman to the border with Saudi Arabia. We’ll jump on to the back of open 4x4s driven by knowledgeable Bedouins to travel deep into the desert and discover the remains of stations, trenches, fortifications, airfields and camps, all of which played their role during WW1. We’ll drive amidst the golden-red desert, admire dramatic wind-carved formations, scale massive sand-dunes and even spend a night in the desert in our own luxury tent. We explore the incomparable rock-hewn Nabataean city of Petra, the Crusader castles of Kerak and Shobek and wonderful ‘desert castles’ ending our tour at Lawrence’s headquarters in Azraq. And if you would like to see more, you can extend your stay to include the magnificent Roman ruins at Jerash, stand where Jesus was baptised and enjoy Moses' first view of the Holy Land.

Background

Initially dismissed by critics as a sideshow, the Arab Revolt was one of the most successful campaigns of the First World War. Conceived and plotted by the Arab Bureau, a branch of British Military Intelligence, from their rooms in Cairo’s Savoy Hotel, Lawrence and his colleagues brought the idea of a Bedouin uprising to life. Between 1916 and 1918, the Arab Revolt wrought havoc and destruction upon Ottoman-Turkish forces, from the deserts of Arabia to the gates of Damascus. Subsequently called “the first modern intelligence war,” the Arab Revolt is the perfect example of what we might today call asymmetric warfare. Using guerrilla tactics and superior knowledge of geography and tribal alliances, the irregular Bedouin forces, supported by Lawrence, secured numerous dramatic victories – keeping tens of thousands of enemy troops tied down in static garrison duties trying to defend their supply line - until their eventual, triumphant entry into Damascus on 1 October 1918.

Highlights

  • With Archaeologist and Military Historian Nick Saunders
  • Two days exploring Amman
  • Visit Amman’s Hejaz Railway station and museum
  • Explore the desert castles of Qasr al-Kharaneh and Quseir ‘Amra
  • The picturesque Wadi Rum
  • Azrak and its castle
  • Visit the dominating Crusader castles at Kerak & Shobek
  • Travel through the desert in 4x4s
  • A full day to explore the wonders of Petra
  • Vist the Jordan Museum with its examples of the Dead Sea Scrolls

What's Included

  • Expert historian throughout providing a daily variety of talks, presentations and Q&A
  • Dedicated Tour Manager
  • Dinner parties hosted by your expert historian and tour manager
  • The company of like-minded travelers
  • Helpful and friendly travel advice
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • Welcome drink
  • Soft drinks with dinner
  • Entrance fees for sites included in itinerary
  • Tour information booklet
  • Modern, comfortable, air-conditioned coach
  • 4 Star Hotel
  • Return flights from London (optional)

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart
Fly London to Amman and check in to our hotel late evening for three nights.

Day 2: Amman
Welcome meeting prior to a full day exploring Jordan’s capital including its Roman Theatre, Odeon, the citadel and the Jordan Museum with its examples of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Arab Revolt and the Hejaz Railway
Visit Amman’s Hejaz Railway station and magnificent museum, home to hundred-year-old idle steam locomotives, carriages and rolling stock. At the emotive Martyrs Memorial Museum and fabulous modern Royal Tank Museum we find excellent exhibits and displays on the Arab Revolt and the First World War. (B,L,D)

Day 4: On to Aqaba!
Following the Hejaz railway southward via Qatrana, Jerowf-Dawish and Qalat Aneiza stations where we find eerily abandoned Hedjaz railway rolling stock, derailed bogies and station buildings. Thence to Abu al-Lissan where Lawrence participated in a cavalry charge of 450 horses and camels. Continue to Aqaba for the night arriving mid-afternoon for some relaxation at our hotel situated on the shores of its eponymous gulf. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Wadi Rum
Subject to access, visit the archaeological and Arab Revolt museums in Aqaba and explore the battle site, also known as Aqaba Castle. Then on to Wadi Rum, the multi-coloured gorge from where Lawrence and the Arab troops operated throughout 1917. The wadi was widely used by David Lean for the epic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, with sites including Lawrence Springs and Lawrence House. Spend the night in our luxury tented camp (with full facilities) and enjoy the desert sunset/sunrise. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Deep Desert Exploration
Travel through the desert in 4x4s following the guerrilla route from Wadi Rum, we visit the former RAF base at Disha, Lawrence’s recently discovered camp at Tooth Hill and follow the track-bed of the railway to the Saudi border via Ottoman forts and stations at Tel Shahm, Ramleh and Mudawwara where we ascend surrounding hills to explore the rarely visited Turkish redoubts and trenches. Re-join the coach and travel to Petra for three nights. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Petra
A full day to explore the wonders of Petra, the unparalleled capital of the Nabatean Empire, known throughout the ancient world for the wonders of its architecture and innovative means of moving water across the city. Lawrence visited Petra before and during the war and was captivated by the beauty of the rock-hewn ‘Treasury’, the Royal Tombs, the ‘Monastery’, Qsar al-Bint and the Temple of the Winged Lion. (B,L,D)

Day 8: The Railway War
Exploring the railway from Wadi Rum northwards, we’ll find labour camps, more redoubts, bullet riddled stations, see the dramatic and vulnerable loops where the railway ascends the escarpment at Batn el-Ghoul and climb the ‘Hill of Birds’ to explore the extensive and surviving Turkish militarised landscape around Ma’an station and discuss its effectiveness in holding off the Arab attacks in April 1918. (B,L,D)

Day 9: Little Petra, Crusader castles and Tafileh
This morning we visit the lesser-known wonderfully sited Nabataean site at Siq al-Barid (Little Petra) with its buildings carved into sandstone canyon walls and the remote and imposing Crusader castle of Shobek. This afternoon we explore the field of the only pitched battle that Lawrence fought, that of Tafileh in January 1918. Thence to the dominating Crusader castle at Kerak that most impressed Lawrence the architecture undergraduate prior to WW1. Return to Amman for our final two nights. (B,L,D)

Day 10: Azraq and the Desert Castles
Travel west to the Azraq, the austere basalt-built castle in which T E Lawrence found himself during the winter of 1917/18 and 1918 and where he recovered from his unfortunate experience in Dera. En-route we visit the tall looming castle-like 8thC caravanserai of Qasr al-Kharaneh and the magnificently decorated 8thC Quseir ‘Amra to determine whether it was intended as a den of iniquity or celebration of wine, women and dance! (B,L,D)

Day 11: Depart
Fly Amman to London (B)

Extension
Day 11: Jesus and Moses
Drive to the banks of the River Jordan to Bethany, the magical baptism site of Jesus Christ: visit Elijah’s Hill, the hermit caves, baptismal pools, the spot where Jesus was baptised and perhaps take a paddle in the River Jordan yourself. Thence to Mount Nebo, the supposed burial site of Moses and from where he first glimpsed the ‘promised land’. Weather permitting, enjoy that same view over the Jordan Valley and modern-day Israel. At St George’s Church in Madaba examine the 6th century mosaic, believed to be the oldest map of the Holy Land. Continue to Amman for two nights. (B,L,D)

Day 12: Jerash
Explore the magnificently situated Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman sites in the world. Its wealth of remains include almost complete city walls, an aqueduct, the temples of Zeus and Artemis, a hippodrome, an oval Forum, a long colonnaded street, two theatres, communal baths and much more. (B,L,D)

Day 13: Depart
Fly Amman to London (B)

Recommended Reading List

Prof Nicholas Saunders

Prof Nicholas Saunders

Conflict archaeologist, anthropologist and historian

Read more

Photo Gallery

Your Holiday Essentials

22nd October - 1st November 2024
(11 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated, soft drinks with dinner, all entrance fees, tour manager and expert historian throughout, all internal travel, optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 2

Expert Historian: Prof Nicholas Saunders

Prices:

Standard price: £3,775

Incl. travel from UK: £4,395
Room sole occupancy supplement: £795
Non-refundable deposit: £800
Extension single supplement: £150
Extend your stay from: £545

Booking open

click here to book

Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.

click here to register your interest

Tour Reviews

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