Not far from busy Fès, the former Roman city of Volubilis, an UNESCO World Heritage site, contains ancient vestiges of the Roman Empire. You can easily spend hours here for taking in all the colourful mosaics, and for exploring the ruins of houses, gates and palaces. To get here, you can either join an organised tour from Fès or catch a train to Meknes nearby.

The Duke’s Diwan is a time capsule of early 20th-century Amman, hidden in plain sight on the busy King Faisal Street. Built in 1924 as the city’s first post office, this Ottoman-era stone house later became the Haifa Hotel before heritage activist Mamdouh Bisharat ("The Duke of Mukheibeh") rescued it from demolition in 2001. Today, its creaking wooden floors lead through rooms frozen in Jordan’s past, complete with antique typewriters, sepia photos of camel caravans on dusty roads, and a balcony overlooking downtown’s metamorphosis. More than a museum, it’s a living diwan (gathering space): poets hold readings at the carved oak table, while artists riff under the Arabian archways. Admission is free, and the duke himself sometimes holds court, spinning tales of old Amman over cardamom coffee. Don’t miss the upstairs gallery, where rotating exhibits spotlight Jordan’s underground creatives.

This landmark is a well-known secret of Saint Ann Parish: despite its growing fame as a tourist attraction, it has managed to reserve its secluded quality. Fed by gushing waterfalls and surrounded by rich tropical flora, these stunning azure pools provide a perfect setting for hiking and swimming. Adventure-seekers can even grab rope swings to plunge over the Hole, or sign up for a river tubing tour.

The Cave of the Seven Sleepers in ar-Rajib village ties Islamic tradition to physical geography. According to the Quran, devout youths fleeing Roman persecution around AD 250 took refuge here, awakening 309 lunar years later in a testament to divine protection. The site, rediscovered in 1951, now includes a mosque built above the cavern, where an imam often explains the story’s theological importance. Visitors enter through the mosque (head cover required for women) to see the rock-hewn cave and adjacent Byzantine-era tombs. Unlike ornate shrines, the site’s power lies in its simplicity: the low-ceilinged grotto and quiet courtyard encourage reflection. While Jordan isn’t the only country claiming this legend (others exist in Turkey and Syria), the presence of 3rd-century Christian graves lends archaeological weight.