Amman, Jordan — Where to Go
Amman Sightseeing Overview
Amman was little more than a village when the Emirate of Transjordan was created, after the Great Arab Revolt of 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.
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.
Amman 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 country'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.
Amman Tourist Information
Ministry 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 in Amman, Jordan
Citadel
The site of the Citadel in Amman contains the remains of the Temple of Hercules, built between 161BC and 166BC, and the Jordan 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 (palace) is the centerpiece of a once mighty Umayyad city. The Citadel ticket office is located on Mathaf Street, just off King Ali Bin Al-Hussein Street.
Citadel Hill
Tel: (06) 463 8795 (Jordan Archaeological Museum).
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 0800-1600, Fri 1000-1600 (Oct-Mar); Sat-Thurs 0800-1900, Fri 1000-1600 (Apr-Sep).
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
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 - Arabic for 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.
Madina Al Munawarah Street
Tel: (06) 489 5414/3.
Website: http://nabataea.net/hejaz.html
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.
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.
Website: www.royalautomuseum.jo
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1900.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
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
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
Little House of the Arts (Darat Al Funun)
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
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs: 1000-1900 (until 1500 during Ramdan).
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
