9 Day Jordan and Jerusalem Islamic Tour: Al-Aqsa & Jaffa

A full day of visits begins at the shrines of two Companions, Abd al-Rahman bin Awf and Bilal bin Rabah. You then head east to the Umayyad desert castles, fortified palaces of the former Umayyad province of Bilad al-Sham spread across Jordan's dry eastern lands, with Qasr Amra among the stops. The day ends at the Blessed Tree, still standing in the east of Jordan and regarded as the last living tree from the time of the Companions; the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is said to have rested beneath it on his journey to Syria. Return to Amman for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast you are driven to the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge to cross the border. Your first stop is Jericho, a Palestinian city in the West Bank close to the Jordan River and thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. Lunch is followed by a visit to the shrine of Nabi Musa. In Jerusalem you have a short first look at the city and join the Maghrib and Isha prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, then check in for dinner and overnight.

The whole day belongs to Jerusalem's Old City and its sacred places, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. You also walk through the old markets and visit the Mosque of Omar, and the remaining hours are left free for prayer at Al-Aqsa. Dinner and overnight at your Jerusalem hotel.

A full day south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. In Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus (peace be upon him), a silver star in a grotto beneath the 6th-century Church of the Nativity marks the spot; the church shares Manger Square with the Church of St. Catherine. In Hebron you visit the mosque and shrine of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Today you go up the Mount of Olives, also called Mount Olivet, the ridge east of the Old City that takes its name from the olive groves that once covered it. Visits include the shrines of Rabia al-Adawiyya, Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) and Salman al-Farisi. Back to your Jerusalem hotel for dinner and overnight.

A drive to the coast brings you to Jaffa, an ancient port set on a hill 40 metres (130 feet) above the sea with wide views along the shore; archaeologists date settlement here back about 7,500 years. You visit the Mahmoudiya Mosque, Jaffa's largest and most important mosque, today within Tel Aviv. Its buildings, gates and courtyards were added in stages during the 18th and 19th centuries under the Ottomans. Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast you return to the border and cross back into Jordan. At the Dead Sea, the lowest point on dry land at more than 400 metres below sea level, the very salty water lets you float with ease, and the resorts are known for treatments with its mineral-rich black mud. Continue to Amman for dinner and overnight.

In the Amman suburb of Abu Alanda you visit the Cave of the Seven Sleepers (As-Hab al-Kahf). Surah al-Kahf of the Holy Quran tells how a group of devout young men sheltered here from a tyrannical pagan king and were made to sleep for 309 years. After the shrine of Prophet Shu'ayb (peace be upon him), you continue to the airport, where our representative helps you with departure.