Sightseeing OverviewAmman may be a product of the
20th century but at its heart is the
ancient Citadel of Rabbath Ammon. Sitting on top of Jabal Al-Qala’a, it can be seen throughout the city. Excavations are ongoing but so far archaeologists have uncovered remains from the
Roman,
Byzantine and
Islamic periods. Jordan’s small
archaeological museum is on this site and contains the county’s collection of
Dead Sea Scrolls.
Most of the remains of the
Roman city of Philadelphia can be seen from the Citadel
and it’s a short walk downhill to visit the remains of The Forum, Nymphaeum and Roman Theater. The
Museum of Popular Tradition and the
Jordanian Folklore Museum are located on either side of the theater stage.
Also worth visiting are the
Royal Automobile Museum, which contains most of the vehicles owned by the late King Hussein, and the
Hejaz Railway Station with its excellent museum and collection of working steam locomotives.
Tourist InformationMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities
Third Circle
Tel: (06) 460 3360.
Website:
www.tourism.jo A selection of free glossy booklets, brochures and maps can be obtained from here. The Ministry has also established a unit to deal with customer care and a toll free line (tel: 0800 22 228) to provide visitors with assistance and listen to complaints. Most information can be obtained online at
www.tourism.jo and
www.visitjordan.com.
Key Attractions:The Citadel
This contains the remains of the
Temple of Hercules, built between 161BC and 166BC, and the
Jordanian Archaeological Museum with its collections of pottery, glass, flint and metal tools, a copy of the Mesha Stele and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Nearby the domed eighth-century BC Al-Qasr or palace is the centerpiece of a once mighty Umayyad city.
Ticket office: Mathaf Street, just off King Ali Bin Al-Hussein Street
Tel: (06) 463 8795 (Jordanian archaeological Museum)
Roman Philadelphia
Downhill from the Citadel on Al-Hashami Street the Corinthian colonnade of Philadelphia’s original market place,
The Forum, leads to a
Roman Theater,
built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161BC). On the left side of the theater stage a statue of a Bedouin warrior guards the
Museum of Popular Tradition with its sixth-century mosaics, collections of antique jewelry and displays of traditional costumes. At the other side the statue of a Circassian in traditional dress stands at the
Jordanian Folklore Museum. A Bedouin tent features in a tableau depicting desert life and a recreated living room from an Ammani house depicts the life of city dwellers.
Tel: (06) 465 1742 (Museum of Popular Tradition)
Tel: (06) 465 1742 (Jordanian Folklore Museum)
Hejaz Railway Station
The
Hejaz Railway Station, which is best visited in a taxi, is like a time-tunnel to a vanished age. Just ask the taxi driver to take you to Mahatta, the Station. Trains leave from here to make the eight- or nine-hour trip to Damascus using rolling stock that was old when Lawrence of Arabia was attempting to blow it up. There’s a fine collection of working steam locomotives that are used for corporate and tourist excursions, a remarkable little railway museum and a very friendly station master.
Tel: (06) 489 5414.
Website:
www.jhr.gov.jo Royal Automobile Museum
This museum has an amazing collection of motorbikes and cars going back to the time of the Great Arab Revolt and includes the late King Hussein’s 1952 Lincoln Capri (that he had when a student in England) and the 1955 Mercedes 300SL ‘Gullwing’ he once raced.
Al-Hussein National Park
Tel: (06) 541 1392.
Further Distractions:Al-Husseini Mosque
The
Al-Husseini Mosque was built by the late King Abdullah in 1924 on the site of a much older mosque and possibly also the site of Philadelphia’s Byzantine cathedral. Built in pink and white stone in the Ottoman style, it was fully restored in 1987.
Al-Hashmi Street
Little House of the Arts - Darat Al Funan
This tranquil garden contains the former home of Peak Pasha, Captain (later, Lieutenant Colonel) Frederick Peak, who commanded the Arab Legion from the early 1920s until 1939. Now it is a gallery housing works by leading Arab artists.
Omar Al-Khayyam Street
Tel: (06) 464 3251/2.
Website:
www.daratalfunun.org
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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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