Jordan

Dusty Crusader fortresses, Bedouin encampments, isolated caravanserai, Byzantine churches sheltering beautiful frescoes, shimmering oases and enough Greek and Roman ruins to really litter the desert.

Jordan's stubborn refusal to be affected by the passage of time has made it the setting for any number of seminal works from the Bible to Indiana Jones' Last Crusade.

Completing Jordan's impeccable tourism credentials, the Gulf of Aqaba protects some of the finest dive sites on the planet, while The Dead Sea might even keep non-swimmers afloat.

Carved deep into a pink sandstone chasm the magnificent settlement at Petra was lost for a thousand years, and only rediscovered in 1812. Work on the intricate temple facades and cave entrances suspended high up the cliff face was started by Nabatean Arabs in the 6th century BC. Some final touches were executed by the Bedouins, who lived in the caves as recently as the 1980's.

Jordan's capital - Amman, is an ideal place to relax and overcome monument fatigue, unless you happen to be a town planner. The city sprawls chaotically over seven hills, and while there are a few things that shouldn't be missed - notably an impressive Roman amphitheatre - most visitors come to soak up the atmosphere in the souks and narrow back-streets. Here life is played out to the endless tick-tack of backgammon boards and the honeyed whiff of Hookah pipes.