Amman, the capital of Jordan, is one of the
oldest continually inhabited cities in the world but essentially it is a product of the
20th century. It was little more than a village when the Emirate of Transjordan was created, after the Great Arab Revolt of the WWI. Emir Abdullah bin Al-Hussein made it his capital and modern Amman developed from there
A few isolated remains of
previous settlements can be found amongst the modern buildings. Traces have been found of Stone Age homes dating to 7000BC. In the books of the
Old Testament, Amman is mentioned
as the capital of the Ammonites, Rabbath-Ammon, where the Israeli King David had Uriah the Hittite, whose wife he coveted, killed. At various times Amman was occupied by the Seleucids, Nabateans, Byzantines and Romans, when it was known as Philadelphia.
Like Rome, Amman is built on
seven hills, known as
jabals, which define the city. Each of these neighborhoods once had a traffic circle and directions are given in relation to them. First Circle is near downtown and from there the city spreads westward to Eighth Circle.
The city is one of the
safest and
friendliest in the Middle East and although the few ‘must see’ sights can easily be covered in a day, it has much more to offer than antiquities. It’s worth visiting for the
atmosphere of its
souks,
bazaars and traditional
coffee houses and for the superb modern
shopping malls and
traditional stores.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Related Amman Content
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Jordan Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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