INCOMINGS
DID YOU JUST RECENTLY RECEIVE AN EXCHANGE CONTRACT TO JORDAN? ARE YOU CONSIDERING COMING ON EXCHANGE HERE?
LET US SHOW YOU WHY THIS IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO MISS.
To view our Exchange Conditions for SCOPE click here and for SCORE click here.
To view our ExPlore page click here.
CITIES AVALIABLE FOR EXCHANGE
AMMAN
The City
Amman is the capital and most populous city of Jordan, and the country’s economic, political and cultural center.
Situated in central Jordan, Amman is the administrative center of the Amman Governorate. The city has a population of 4,007,526 and a land area of 1,680 square kilometers.
Today, Amman is considered to be among the most liberal and westernized Arab cities. It is a major tourist destination in the region, particularly among Arab and European tourists. Amman is a fairly modern city with ancient roots that date back to the Roman Empire, and Omayyad Islamic era. Amman has the best archaeological museum in Jordan and in a country with so many antiquities that is something to be proud of. The city is built on seven hills, like every great city should be. It is one of the cleanest and neatest cities in the Arab world. These hills sometimes make it a bit hard to get around, but since taxis are not expensive and always near, you will never really get lost and it’s a great way to know more about the city.
One of the best highlights of this city is the friendliness of its people. Don’t be shocked when you hear the word “welcome” with a big smile in every shop or place you visit. The Ammanians are proud of their city and country and they are always happy to greet visitors making them feel at home.
Local Committees:
Three out of our four exchange-active LCs are active in hospitals in Amman. University of Jordan Local Committee (UJ-LC), Hashemite University Local Committee (HU-LC), and Mutah University Local Committee (MU-LC) offer exchange to hospitals in our beautiful capital.
IRBID
The City
Formerly known as “Arabella,” the ancient city of the Aramics, is the second largest city in Jordan, lies in midst of the countryside that used to be a legendary scene of vast wheat fields in the northern region of Jordan. The “Bride of the North” as Jordanians call it, as it is considered to be the “Pride” of their north.
Before Islam, Irbid was famous for some of the best wines of the ancient world, made from rich, transparent and honey-toned, green, red, or black grapes. Nourished by extremely fertile deep-brown soil, growing under beautiful horizons, dominated by an assuring presence of Jabal El-Shiekh, the all-season’s snow tipped mountain of the Middle East. Warmed by the pleasant sun of a lovely Mediterranean moderate climate.
After the dawn of Islam, Arabella became known as Irbid, taking a fair share in thrilling epics of longing heroes and memory dwelling laments of poets. It has a mixed lifestyle of the traditional and the modern.
Local Committees
Our biggest and oldest local committee at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST-LC) offers exchange in the city of Irbid at the biggest hospital in northern Jordan.
ATTRACTIONS IN JORDAN
Citadel, Downtown and the Roman theater
The Citadel is a good place to begin a tour of the archaeological sites of the city. It is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon and excavations there have revealed numerous Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. Located on a hill, it not only gives visitors a perspective of the city’s incredible history but also provides stunning views of the entire area. There you can also see the temple of Hercules, the Byzantine Church and the Jordanian Archaeological Museum. The downtown area is much older and more traditional with smaller businesses producing and selling everything from fabulous jewelry to everyday household items. There you can see the Roman Theater, which dates back to the 2nd century AD. Built into three sides of the hillside, it seats around 6000 people and is still used for performances today.
“Take a random walk in downtown and wonder may pop-up surprisingly.”
The Royal Automobile Museum
The Royal Automobile Museum depicts the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from the early 1920s until the present day. The featured cars highlight the life of His Majesty the late King Hussein and his reign, as well as the many aspects of his leadership. The museum affords the visitor an insight into the history of the Kingdom through the exhibited cars from the era of King Abdullah I, the founder of the Kingdom, to the current era of His Majesty King Abdullah II. These exhibits recap the development of the Kingdom in pace with the automotive advancement in the country and its transformation since the Great Arab Revolt during World War I. Rare photo archives and video footage are used throughout the museum. A multimedia room, a library, as well as a souvenir shop are available to provide the visitor with a comprehensive and stimulating historical experience.
Petra
The giant red mountains and vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with modern civilization, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at their true value – as one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man.
Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed. Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
“A Red Rose City.
Half as old as time.”
The Treasury is merely the first of the many wonders that make up Petra. You will need at least four or five days to really explore everything here. As you enter the Petra valley you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this place and its outstanding architectural achievements. There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings – unlike the houses, which were destroyed mostly by earthquakes, the tombs were carved to last throughout the afterlife and 500 have survived, empty but bewitching as you file past their dark openings.
Wadi Rum “Rum Valley”
This is a stupendous, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like…” A maze of monolithic rocks capes rises up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750m creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. Hikers can enjoy the tranquility of the boundless empty spaces and explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-year-old rock drawings and the many other spectacular treasures this vast wilderness holds in store.
“The human spirit needs places where nature hasn’t been re-arranged by the hand of man.”
The Dead Sea
Without a doubt the world’s most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.
The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela).
The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water itself – some ten times saltier than sea water, and rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromine and several others. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea’s rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water’s healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun.
Hammamat Ma’in (Ma’in Hostsprings)
Visitors to the Dead Sea should also take advantage of another nearby wonder, Hammamat Ma’in (Ma’in Hot Springs). Popular with both locals and tourists alike, the springs are located 264m below sea level in one of the most breathtaking desert oases in the world. Thousands of visiting bathers come each year to enjoy the mineral-rich waters of these hyper-thermal waterfalls. These falls originate from winter rainfalls in the highland plains of Jordan and eventually feed the 109 hot and cold springs in the valley. This water is heated to temperatures of up to 63° Celsius by underground lava fissures as it makes its way through the valley before emptying into the Zarqa River.
Aqaba
With its wealth of other attractions, Jordan’s splendid Red Sea resort is often overlooked by modern-day visitors. But apart from being a delightful place for discerning holidaymakers, this is actually a great base from which to explore various places of interest in southern Jordan.
Aqaba is a fun place. It is a microcosm of all the good things Jordan has to offer, including a fascinating history with some outstanding sites, excellent hotels and activities, superb visitor facilities, good shopping, and welcoming, friendly people, who enjoy nothing more than making sure their visitors have a good time.
But perhaps Aqaba’s greatest asset is the Red Sea itself. Here you can experience some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. The temperate climate and gentle water currents have created a perfect environment for the growth of corals and a teeming plethora of marine life. Here you can swim with friendly sea turtles and dolphins as they dart amongst the schools of multi-colored fish. Night dives reveal the nocturnal sea creatures, crabs, lobsters and shrimp, as they search for a midnight snack.
OUR SOCIAL PROGRAM
The national social program is held twice a year in July & August and includes four main activities, one for each weekend of the month.
The National Food and Drinks Party (NFDP), where we plan a one day party at a summer house farm in the northern suburbs. Students are expected to prepare one of their country’s traditional dishes, so don’t forget to pack some ingredients, drinks, and for sure some amazing traditional clothes that represents your culture; fueled by live DJ at the pool party into the late hours of the evening will surely mark this day an unforgettable one.
Dead Sea Trip: a trip to the lowest point on earth, where you can just kick back, relax and cook a good tan. Not to forget the mud bath and the salty water of the Dead Sea that gives you the skin of a two years old baby.
Wild Valley Trip: a breath-taking adventure in one of the Jordanian valleys, because what’s better than an adventure to discover the wild nature of Jordan? As you traverse the valley, cross the canal and zip-line down the waterfall surrounded by the high walls of the valley, this one day trip will surely bring out the skookum in you.
“The Golden Triangle” is a three day trip and is the heart and soul of our social program. In short, we set route to Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, along the early hours of dawn. After enjoying the majestic glamour of Petra for several hours we will continue down south to catch the breath-taking view of the sun setting down behind the endless chains of Wadi Rum’s mountains and dunes. A traditional buffet of underground cooked meal of Zarb at base-camp will surely refuel your energy level for an evening yet to begin. Following the base-camp party lit by the only Bedouin DJ in the world you will snatch your blankets up to the dunes to lie down on the sand under the crystal clear sky of Wadi Rum gazing at the stars which will take you of this world. As dawn approaches we will set sail on our camels or safari jeeps to witness the birth of a new day as the sun rises over the horizon enjoying a warm cup of tea made by our Bedouin friends. As our bus engine warms up we will pack our stuff, grab a quick breakfast, and continue further south to Aqaba city.
First day of Aqaba will involve a yacht party, lunch and a diving experience through the corals of the magnificent reefs of Aqaba bay. After checking in at the hotel later that evening you will be given the option to either rest or explore Aqaba’s restaurants and cafés at the famous pizza street.
The final day of our trip will mainly be a free time for you to either enjoy the beach and water activities or explore Aqaba’s tax-free markets and stores. A late lunch will mark the end of our stay in Aqaba as we pack our stuff to head back home.