Anjara
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Anjara

Anjara

Northern Jordanian hill town and Christian pilgrimage site near Ajlun's wooded highlands.

Anjara is a small town in the hills of northern Jordan, about 8 kilometres from Ajlun. It is a Christian pilgrimage site — tradition holds that Jesus and his disciples rested in a cave here during a journey between Jerusalem and Galilee.

The Our Lady of the Mountain shrine, built around that cave, is the main attraction. A Roman Catholic church houses a life-size wooden statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, and the grotto below has been developed as a place of prayer. The site features on most biblical tours of Jordan and draws pilgrims from across the Middle East. The town is quiet and can be combined with a visit to Ajlun Castle and the hilltop ruins at Tell Mar Elias nearby.

Guide

Getting There

Anjara sits on the road between Jerash and Ajlun, about 70 km north-west of Amman. A shared taxi (service) from Ajlun takes 15 minutes; from Amman, take a bus or service taxi to Ajlun's North Terminal first and switch there.

Most travellers visit as a short stop on a half-day excursion from Amman or Jerash that also takes in Ajlun Castle and Tell Mar Elias. A hired car or arranged driver from Amman makes the loop easy and costs less than a guided tour.

Guide

Things to Do

Anjara is a short stop rather than a destination, almost always combined with Ajlun up the road. The shrine and the surrounding olive-grove hills are the whole of it.