April 21, 2008

Africa & Mideast | Jordan

Down and Dirty

By Nicole Cotroneo

How Jordan came to hit new highs at the Earth’s lowest point.

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Sure, Jordan may be wedged between Iraq, Syria and Israel, but the democratic nation is on a mission to show travelers it’s got more riches than unrest. Last week a five-billion-dollar plan went into motion to posh up Jordan’s major port at Aqaba — and its only outlet to the sea. Meanwhile, the kingdom’s model-beautiful queen (and one of Forbes’ most powerful women) has started using YouTube to address and dispel Arab stereotypes.

This week, the spotlight’s on the World Rally Championship as it decamps in Jordan for the Middle East’s first ever WRC race. Fresh from high-altitude heats in Argentina and Mexico, the international drivers face the lowest course of the season –- make that the lowest point on Earth — along the banks of the Dead Sea. The dusty desert course skirts some of Jordan’s scenic splendors, including Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have looked on the Holy Land, and the fabled stone city of Petra.

The rally’s starting line happens to be a stone’s throw from one of Jordan’s hottest new hotels, too: Kempinski’s Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. With an exclusive villa enclave and nine freshwater pools, the property also claims the longest private beach in Jordan. But it’s not done yet: come summer, the hotel’s boutique Anantara Spa will blossom into a two-and-a-half-acre sanctuary with 20 treatment rooms and 28 spa suites, making it the largest spa in the Middle East.