Jordan - rock of ages

And, if it doesn’t occur to you then, it almost certainly will as you book into your first hotel which, like most in this country, comes equipped with its own airport-style baggage scanner.

Not exactly terrifying to be sure, but hardly reassuring either.

Except – and make no mistake, it’s a very large ‘except’ – there’s no need to panic. Or steer clear of this beautiful country.

True, the Foreign Office does state “there remains a general threat from terrorism in Jordan”, but then it says that too about the USA (in addition to warning New York visitors to beware “of rabies from racoons in Central Park”).

However, if you’re still not convinced, you might like to know that the Foreign Office also makes the same claims for Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland (although here they do call it an ‘underlying’ threat), Sweden, Spain (a ‘high’ threat) and even Belgium.

Which means, like any form of travel, assessing the risk is all about context.

And being sensible, of course.

So, with that out of the way, what can I say about Jordan?

Well, for a start, you’d be mad not to visit.

Clearly I didn’t see the whole country, but I did spend time at some of its more notable attractions – namely the Dead Sea, Petra, Mount Nebo, Aqaba, Wadi Rum and Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Jesus’s baptism site).

And in order of appreciation, I’ll list them as follows: l Petra l Wadi Rum l Aqaba (Jordan’s Red Sea resort).

And for unappreciation: l The Dead Sea l Bethany Beyond the Jordan l Mount Nebo.

Naturally, I realise the Dead Sea – one of the 28 official finalists in the worldwide ‘New7Wonders of Nature’ campaign – is a must for many travellers here, wooed by glamorous images of swimmers reclining in its uber-salty waters And I’ll admit, I too was intrigued (I even packed a cocktail glass for the trip, just to exploit this obvious picture opportunity).

But truth is, I was hugely disappointed.

Google ‘Dead Sea’ and the pictures do look fantastic, but for me the hype failed to match the reality – a rocky, sandless ‘beach’, quarry-like surroundings and a numbing sense of anti-climax.

Yes, I did clamber into the water, and yes I did shamelessly pose, leaning back, glass held high in hand, the sea my organic chaise longue, and yes I did cover myself in the black, mineral rich mud (which in tubs sell for a fortune), but after 20 minutes, it was ‘been there, done that’, followed by frustration over what to do next.

Bethany Beyond the Jordan was little better.

Long known from the Bible as the site of Jesus’s baptism by John the Baptist, and situated on the east bank of Jordan River, this proved truly depressing.

Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, I at least expected some sense of spiritual majesty, like Lourdes or the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

But instead, all I got was a sense of municipal car park and combi-garden centre gone to seed.

Shame.

Still, Mount Nebo did at least give some sense of what many imagine the Holy Land to be like.

For instance, it felt ‘sacred’. Indeed, according to Christian and Jewish tradition, Moses was buried on this mountain by God himself.

And looking out westward from its crown, one could believe that the Son of God had indeed dwelt here.

But on its own it was still not reason enough to visit Jordan.

Petra and Wadi Rum, however, more than made up for any of the above shortcomings – either in Jordan or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

In fact, visiting Petra was a spiritual experience. In the genuine sense of the word.

Uplifting, breathtaking, extraordinary – there frankly aren’t enough superlatives to match the overwhelming sense of awe and wonder which strikes you as you wander through this vast, unique city, carved out of the sheer rock face more than 2,000 years ago.

A Unesco World Heritage site, it trumps Machu Picchu, both China’s Forbidden City and Great Wall, Pompeii and Egypt’s Great Pyramids.

Shamefully, I spent only six hours there but could easily – and happily – have explored its huge and sprawling realm for a week, or more honestly...a year.

Winding your way down its extremely narrow gorge, make no mistake, your first sight of the great rock temple of Khasneh is little short of pure Hollywood (appropriate, since it was immortalised in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

And here’s a tip: if you can make the rocky climb to the second temple of Al-Deir (about a hour’s hard walk), your jaw will not only punch its way into the ground, but do so in almost total isolation, as most visitors tend to settle simply for craning their necks up at Khasneh.

Dated to the 1st century AD, this temple too is carved entirely out of the rock face; but is 50 metres wide by 45 metres tall, with an eight-metre-tall entrance door.

In short, it’s effect is IMAX 3D on LSD. Mind-blowing and humbling in equal measure.

Now, if you want to stay giddy, fine, but if you want to reduce, just a tad, the number of endorphins in your bloodstream, journey on to Wadi Rum.

This maze of monolithic rockscapes rising up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750 metres not only leaves you dumbstruck, but gazing out over yet another film set, again 100 per cent ‘organic’ in origin, as Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean’s epic, was largely shot here.

And with good reason – this is precisely where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and TE Lawrence based their headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in the First World War.

As a bonus, I slept overnight here (see factfile), enabling me to watch the sun set over this glamorously barren wilderness. And no, I don’t think I’m romanticising – or cheapening – this experience by saying I felt a lump in my throat. Because I did.

Would I then pay good money to travel back to Jordan?

In a shot. Despite the Dead Sea.

The people are lovely, the food is OUT OF THIS WORLD, and Khasneh and Al-Deir are, quite simply, Petra perfect.

• GETTING THERE: Royal Jordanian offers daily flights from London Heathrow to Amman in Jordan. Return flights start from £415, including taxes.

• STAYING THERE: Crowne Plaza, Amman centurypark-hotel.com Very nice. Taybet Zaman, Petra jordantourismresorts.com/?q=en/node/104 Absolutely superb Mövenpick Resort and Residence Aqaba moevenpick-aqaba.com My favourite Captain’s camp, Wadi Rum captains-jo.com Unforgettable (but pack mosquito repellent) Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea moevenpick-deadsea.com If you like spas, you’ll love it.