King& X27;s Highway 35 - Jordan Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Highway 35, also known as the King& x27;s Highway, is a north–south highway in Jordan. It starts in at the Syrian border north of Irbid and leads to Highway 15 in the Ma& x27;an Governorate. This highway runs north-south from Irbid down to the Desert Highway in Ma& x27;an Governorate. The highway passes the castle of Kerak and Shobak and passes Wadi Musa, the city most close to the ruins of Petra. The route of Highway 35 is over 5,000 years old. This highway was first constructed by the Romans, and was part of the Via Nova Traiana. It is one of the most historic highways in the world. The King’s Highway was a trade route of vital importance in the ancient Near East, connecting Africa with Mesopotamia. It ran from Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba, from where it turned northward across Transjordan, leading to Damascus and the Euphrates River. After the Muslim conquest of the Fertile Crescent in the 7th century AD and until the 16th century it served as the darb al-hajj or pilgrimage road for Muslims coming from Syria, Iraq and beyond and heading for the holy city of Mecca. In modern Jordan, Highway 35 and Highway 15 follow this route, connecting Irbid in the north with Aqaba in the south. The southern part crosses several deep wadis, making it a highly scenic if curvy and rather low-speed road.