Mohammad Zayadeen was tending his sheep in the rugged Wadi Hidan region of central Jordan nine years ago when he came across a group of hikers. It was an encounter that transformed him from a shepherd who barely left the pastures of his home region to one of the kingdom's most experienced hikers.
The hikers were exploring the area to establish what is now known as the Jordan Trail, which runs 675km from the border with Syria in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, on the Red Sea. The group, from the Jordan Trail Association, were trying reach the gorge of Wadi Mujib, known as Jordan’s Grand Canyon, but could not figure out how.
Mohammad, now in his early thirties, knew the area well, having worked there since he was a child. “I showed them the way. And then I started liking the idea of hiking,” he says. Soon afterwards, he began working for the association as a trail marker and guide.
After a slow start, the trail began attracting thousands of hikers each year, mainly from overseas, until the Gaza war hit tourism across the region. The eight stages of the route pass natural and archaeological gems long overshadowed by the kingdom's two most famous sites, Petra and Wadi Rum.
The “wow factor” starts at the first stage, which stretches 80km from the northern town of Umm Qais, or ancient Gadara, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, to Ajloun, home to a 12th century castle.
The Greco-Roman city of Gadara was a centre of learning and the birthplace of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus. The tunnels supplying the city with water were among the longest and most sophisticated of the era. Umm Qais was also part of the Decapolis – 10 cities established or supported by the Romans in the Levant. Pella, another member of the Decapolis, is also on the first stage of the trail, in the greenest part of Jordan.
From Ajloun, the trail's second stage winds 62km south to Al Salt, which has the most Ottoman-era buildings in the country. Tribal politics prevented Al Salt from becoming the capital of Jordan when the kingdom was founded in 1921, even though it was the most advanced city at the time.
From Al Salt, the third stage runs 85km to the hot springs of Maeen, passing the two-storey Qasr Al Abd, meaning “palace of the servant”, near Amman. A rare example of Hellenistic architecture in Jordan, the structure is adorned with carvings of lionesses and was fed by an artificial lake that is still filled in the winter.
Hills abound in the fourth stage, but the most difficult section is between Wadi Hidan and Wadi Mujib, which Mohammad helped to discover. It can take novice hikers more than eight hours to walk that section, but Mohammad does it in four.
The two wadis are among the most geographically distinct areas in the Levant, formed as part of the geological changes millions of years ago that produced the Great Rift Valley, extending from Turkey to East Africa. Wild thyme grows there, as does black iris in the spring, amid the limestone and basalt landscape interrupted by a few ravines and ponds.
There are views of the Dead Sea, although these have been marred by the construction of roads and a dam. Roman ruins, including the remains of a fort, dot the landscape. Greek historian Eusebius once described the area as “treacherous”.
The trail then passes through what was the Kingdom of Moab to the city of Karak, where the fifth stage of the trail begins. Karak is famous for its Crusader castle, where Raynald of Chatillon had prisoners thrown from the walls to their death. The nearby abandoned village of Khirbat Aynoun is Mohammad's favourite stop on the trail. “I like the place because it is simple,” he says.
After walking another 83km, stage five ends at the Dana Biosphere Reserve, a marked contrast to the kingdom's familiar arid landscape. There, hikers can walk among oak and pine trees and look out for the occasional fox and gazelle.
Mohammad says the trail is well marked from Umm Qais to the Dana reserve, but the route is not as clear after that. “Modifications are made constantly, to bypass new buildings or farms,” he adds.
Stage seven of the trail, which extends about 90km between Petra and Wadi Rum, typically takes five days to complete. After Wadi Rum comes the final stage – 112km across granite elevations, with views of the Sinai Peninsula across the Gulf of Aqaba.
Mohammad finished the whole trail for the first time in 2016. It took 29 days. A year later, he ran the trail with his cousin in 12 days.
Although many people have walked the route, there have been no reports of serious injuries. He advises hikers to be bring a hat to protect them from the sun. Anyone can access the trail, with maps available to download online, along with details about the difficulty of the terrain.
Although Mohammed has welcomed few hikers to the area in recent months because of the escalating tension in the region, he hopes tourists will return. “There is a lot more in Jordan that deserves to be seen,” he says.
