Alberto Angela returns to TV with new season of Ulysses. It starts in Jordan and Petra

OnThursday, September 7, 2023 at 9:25 pm on Rai1, Alberto Angela returns with a new season of the program Ulysses, the pleasure of discovery. The first episode will be dedicated to Jordan: the well-known TV popularizer will lead viewers to discover Petra and Jordan’s most fascinating places with spectacular footage shot with the support of Jordan Tourism Board.

The journey will start from Petra, the fascinating city of the Nabateans, forgotten for centuries and rediscovered only in the early 19th century. You will discover how temples, funerary monuments and palaces were literally pulled out of the rock walls, and why historians speak of Petra as an ancient Las Vegas. You will then set off on an itinerary to discover Jordan, a land of merchants, prophets, and kings. It was here, in a corner of the Jordan River, that Jesus was baptized; from the top of Mount Nebo Moses looked down on the Promised Land without, however, being able to reach it; and it was here that the mythical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were located, sunk in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is undoubtedly one of the country’s greatest attractions: it lies more than 400 meters below sea level, and its salt-covered shores dazzle the eye.

You will then go on to discover one of the best-preserved Roman cities: Jerash, ancient Jerash. You are greeted by the imposing Hadrian’s Arch and then by an oval square surrounded by columns, a scenic sanctuary with a colossal temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, and two perfectly preserved theaters. An authentic discovery is the stony expanse of Um Ar-Rasas, remains of a Roman castrum transformed into a Byzantine city, where precious mosaics are hidden beneath a layer of sand. Equally surprising are the numerous constructions improperly called desert castles. One in particular, Amra, a UNESCO heritage site, amazes with its distinctive shape and the presence of early Islamic art featuring female nudes and winged lovers. So many mythical figures in Jordan’s history: it is impossible to travel through the bewitching desert of Wadi Rum without thinking of Lawrence of Arabia. Wadi Rum is anything but a deserted area: for millennia it was traversed by merchant caravans that left traces in many rock carvings.

Participating in the episode will be restorer Franco Sciorilli, who will illustrate the Madaba mosaic, the oldest map of the holy places, and actor Filippo Timi, who in the Jerash theater will interpret a passage from a Iettera from Seneca to Lucilius.

Photo by Barbara Ledda.

Alberto Angela returns to TV with new season of Ulysses. It starts in Jordan and Petra

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.