Jordan Times
Friday, September 2, 2005
'The Jewel That Is
Jordan' returns to Kingdom
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN — “The Jewel That Is Jordan” will be back
in Jordan for the second time for a two-week tour of the country's historical
sites.
About 60 classic cars from a 1909 Rolls Royce through Bugattis and Mercedes
Benzs, will be touring the countryside using scenic highways as well as
challenging mountainous roads, according to the Royal Automobile Museum.
The classic car tour is scheduled to set off on Sept. 14 from the Red Sea port
of Aqaba.
The participants will then make their way to Wadi Rum to take in the spectacular
sights of the sand dunes as well as a performance by the Royal Badia Forces
band, before leaving for the ancient rose-red city of Petra.
The tour will also stop in Shobak, the Dana Nature Reserve, Karak, Tafileh,
Jerash, the Dead Sea and the mosaic city of Madaba, according to the Tourism
Ministry.
Chairman and founder of the event Jonathon Lyons, who was here in 2003 for the
first event, described the upcoming tour as “one of the most wondrous and
astounding experiences the [motorists] will have.”
Lyons told The Jordan Times during the first tour that the Kingdom held a
special place in his heart since he first set eyes on it in 1995.
The tour is one of the ways he sought to share Jordan's beauty with others
around the world.
“Jordan is a modern, forward-thinking country, full of excellent restaurants and
bars and luxurious hotels, yet steeped in history, custom and tradition. I want
people to realise that this is a beautiful and safe country for any visitor to
enjoy,” said Lyons.
Around 44 participants took part in the 2003 tour aboard Rolls-Royce, Bentley,
Aston Martin, Mercedes, Morgan, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Lagonda cars.
They included Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, founder and chairman of the British
National Motor Museum, whose 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle was the
oldest car present, Lord Cope in his 1936 Bentley MX, and Buzz Aldrin who was
the second man on the moon.
In 2003, the participants ended their two-week tour with a fundraising dinner to
support an initiative undertaken by Her Majesty Queen Rania to ease the plight
of terminally ill children in Ajloun.
The children's camp is based on a model inspired by veteran Hollywood actor Paul
Newman that serves cancer-stricken children in the US and Europe.
Queen Rania has been actively pursuing the initiative with the collaboration of
Al Hussein Cancer Centre, and Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps, a nonprofit
organisation, which runs camps for children between the ages of 7-15 years.
“The Jewel That Is Jordan,” held under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal,
chairman of Jordan Motor Sports Executive Council, and Lord Montagu, is
organised by Lyons in association with the Royal Automobile Museum and the
Classic Car Committee of the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan.