Jordan

Amman the capital of Jordan is a city which geographically straddles seven hills and historically sits astride many centuries. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations. The profusion of gleaming white houses, kebab stalls with roasting meat, and tiny cafes where rich Arabian coffee is sipped in the afternoon sunshine, conjure a mood straight from a thousand and one nights. It is a city with a timeless ambiance, where a slight detour off the beaten track reveals the wonders of a Bronze Age settlement or a Byzantine monastery. In its souqs (markets), you can bargain for fruit, perfume, gold or other exquisite luxuries of the Middle East. For Businessmen, Amman offers the most up-to-date convention and communication facilities. Its strategic position and convivial atmosphere, make it one of the foremost centers of finance & trade in the Middle East today.

Anyone visiting Amman for the first time will be surprised above all by the hills. The mental image of a Middle Eastern capital set on a dusty plain must be discarded, for Amman lies on a high plateau of 850m. Built originally on seven hills, the main areas of Amman gain their names from the hills on whose slopes they lie. The city is dotted with a number of historic sites from the stone age to the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Each is considered interesting in its own way. The first impression you get as you arrive, is that of a modern city with limestone and concrete buildings, and well maintained cars cruising wide streets. The bustle, noise and squalor which accompany this western veneer is not to be seen except in Downtown Amman, which was also hub of life in ancient times. Amman's population is close to one and half million, swelled by refugees from the 1948 Palestinian conflict, the Six Day war in 1967, and the Gulf War in 1991. Nearly half the population of Jordan lives in Amman. Underneath its modern appearance, Amman's origins go back a long way. Neolithic sites and villages were discovered in the 1980's in more than one area in Amman. One of the revealed sites is a village ten times the size of Jericho. During the Iron age, Amman was the Capital of the Ammonites, and it is referred to as Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament, an area thought to have been located, where the Citadel now stands. The city which was rebuilt during the Hellenistic and Roman periods was renamed Philadelphia by the Hellenistic ruler Ptolemy II. Later, during the Byzantine Period, Amman was home to bishop and several splendid churches. One important church was discovered in 1970, in a site known as Sweifieh. It has one of the greatest mosaic floors in Jordan and is one of the only few Byzantine mosaic floors found in the capital. Following the Sasanian onslaught in the early 7th Century, Philadelphia reverted to being known by its Semitic name. Thus Ammon evolved to become Amman. Again, during the Early Islamic Era Amman held some of its importance through its location on trade routes and for its strategic military position. But Amman's entry into modern times did not happen until the 19th century. In 1878 a group of Circassian emigrants, many of whose descendants still reside in the capital, were transported to Amman by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid. It was in 1921 that the Emir Abdullah bin Hussein moved his capital to Amman.

Touring Amman should begin at the Citadel, which is now located -as in ancient times- at the heart of the city, facing the Roman theatrein the valley below. On all sides but the north it is buffered by valleys, and on the north an escarpment was quarried to givesecurity from the underlying areas. Many of the summit's most valuable remains and important relics from across Jordan, can be found in the Archaeological Museum located at the Citadel. Below the Citadel's southern rim is a stream known as Seil Amman. It is on its south bank that most of the Roman City of Philadelphia was situated. This included the main Forum, Theatre, Odeon, and various shops. Just north of the Sail was a large road that ran from east to the west. This street or Cumanus Maximums, gave access to the citadel by a connecting path. A smaller main street also lined with Corinthian columns, ran off the Decuraunce Maximus called the Cardo. Behind the junction of the two main streets was the site of the Nymphaeum. This sacred fountain, similar to the Nypmhaeum at Jerash, was fed by water from Seil Amman which ran to its southern wall. The forum is concealed by the streets of modern Amman. Amman's Amphi Theatre is the largest in Jordan, with room for 6,000 spectators. In the east wing of the stage is the Folklore Museums of Amman. In the western wing is the Museum of Popular Traditions. Steps lead to a gallery of exquisite Byzantine mosaic scenes from Madaba. The Theatre area is an ideal place to wander. There is a bustle of traffic and everyday life, stalls selling shish kebabs or ice creams as well as a bevy of souvenir shops.                                       

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