Jerash (Ancient Gerasa) looks like Rome in the Middle East. It's a sprawling Greco-Roman city where chariot ruts still groove the 800-metre Colonnaded Street. Start at Hadrian’s Arch (AD 129), then explore the Oval Plaza, ringed by 56 Ionic columns, and the Temple of Artemis looming above. Don’t miss the South Theatre: climb to the top tiers to test acoustics so sharp you’ll hear coins drop on stage. Unlike Petra, Jerash feels blissfully crowd-free. Expert guides help decode the ruins, telling you stories of chariot races, temple intrigues and bubbling marble fountains.

As opposed to the omnipresent in Jordan remains of Roman and Umayyad structures, Qasr al-Abd is a rare example of architecture pre-dating the Roman era. Its exact origins remain unknown, which only adds to the fascination. Qasr al-Abd is usually described as a large Hellenistic palace from the first quarter of the second century BCE. Not too far from here are the ancient caves dating back to roughly the same time period.

A destination of Christian pilgrimages for centuries, this church sits on the place where Jesus is said to have been killed, buried and resurrected. Some of the most riveting parts of the church are the richly decorated Calvary or 'Golgotha', where Jesus was crucified, and the Stone of Anointing, where the preparation for his burial was held. The huge complex was built by the emperor Constantine in the 4th century and was damaged and restored several times.

The UFO Monument in Sibirienskogen, Ängelholm is a monument at the place where a UFO allegedly landed on May 18th 1946. The statue is a scale model of a flying saucer rendered in concrete, plus the purportedly life-size landing impressions on the ground.