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Amman

Travoley
Amman
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Amman Travel Guide

  • About Amman
Amman, the capital of Jordan, is the Middle East for beginners. As one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, it now finds itself as a cross between traditional Arabic sensibilities and Western commercialism.Divided between western Amman, with its modern cafés, bars and malls, and eastern Amman, where traditional Jordanian culture is still deeply rooted, the best way to get a sense of it all is to take to the streets, starting downtown.Amman’s historical heredity is embedded in the crumbling Citadel (Jabal al-Qal’a) and the ruins of the Temple of Hercules; the nearby archaeological museum joins the chronological dots together. Downtown also exposes its Roman roots with the imposing Forum and impressive Theatre.This is a capital that charms the curious into simply wandering around, perhaps stopping for a na’na-flavoured tea.Amman’s history is as rich as its ambrosial cuisine, which is sprinkled generously with outside influences. Whether it’s the olives and garlic of Mediterranean gardens, or Persian spices such as cinnamon and saffron, meal times are an event in themselves. Typically, they’re feasts of fresh mezze, mopped up with khubz (pita) and washed down with cardamom coffee.Thousands of years old, Amman has managed to retain both its authenticity and its small town charm. It isn’t uncommon to see luxury hotels shadow traditional coffee shops where elderly men still sit to play backgammon. Old Arabia can be found in the city’s souks, among its handmade crafts and Bedouin jewellery.Founded on seven hills, urban creep means Amman now sprawls over about 20 surrounding mounds, but beyond its borders, explorers can get a real sense of Jordan by trekking the nearby jebels (hills) where flat roads are a rarity.As one of the easiest cities to explore in the region, Amman allows visitors to get lost in a truly Middle Eastern experience.
  • Amman History
One of the world’s youngest cities, Amman was little more than a village when the Emirate of Transjordan was created following the Great Arab Revolt of WWI. Then, in 1928, the King of Jordan made it his capital.A few isolated remains of previous settlements can be found among the modern buildings, including traces of Stone Age homes dating from 7000 BCE.The Roman Theatre attests to the Empire’s presence in the area, when a city named Philadelphia existed close to where Amman now stands. The name, incidentally, came from Egypt’s King Ptolemy II Philadelphus who conquered the city in 285 BCE and named it after itself.Since then, the city has also been occupied by the Seleucids, Nabateans and Byzantines. In the books of the Old Testament, Amman is mentioned as the capital of the Ammonites. Rabbath-Ammon was where the Israeli King David had Uriah the Hittite killed in battle so he could marry his wife.The Arab general Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan took the city in 635, but by 1300 it had all but vanished, stumping historians as to the reason why. The Hejaz Railway, which began running in 1908, literally put Amman back on the map. As a stop on the newly installed network, people were drawn to the city and its population grew from around 2,000 to 33,000 in just 40 years.In 1970, the city saw heavy fighting and shelling during Black September, the Jordanian Civil War between the Jordanian Armed Forces and Palestine Liberation Organisation. But in the years that followed the conflict, the modern city that exists today began to take shape. Queen Alia International Airport was built in 1983, King Abdullah Stadium opened 15 years later, and by 1999, the Amman Stock Exchange had started trading.Despite its impressive growth, the city’s recent history hasn’t been without challenges, not least in 2005 when terrorist bombings at three hotels left 60 dead, 115 injured and a nation in shock. Nevertheless, modern Amman is a place that remains as scintillating as it was during the years when it was known to the world as Philadelphia.
  • Did you know?
Amman’s Roman Theatre was built facing north to keep the sun off the audience. The Royal Automobile Museum still houses King Hussein’s Amphicar (a hybrid of a car and boat), which he used to drive in the Red Sea. The Hejaz Railway was primarily built to make the pilgrimage to Mecca easier for Muslims.
  • Weather in Amman
If you don’t want to be ringing sweat from your t-shirt, visit from March to May when Amman is awakening from its bitingly cold winter.The temperatures in spring are warm and forgiving, rising from 17˚C (62˚F) in March to 28˚C (82˚F) in May, but visit in summer (June through to September) and the mercury pushes 40˚C (104˚F). The rains move in around October before winter sees single digit temperatures and regular rainfall.

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