Amman

Amman

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of contrasts – a unique blend of old and new, situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisan workshops. Amman’s neighborhoods are diverse and range in cultural and historical context from the hustle and bustle of the downtown markets, to the art galleries of Jabal Al Lweibdeh and the modern shopping district of Abdali.

This site is one of Jordan’s UNESCO world heritage sites

the citadel

 

If a journey through history is what you’re looking for then the best place to start would be the Citadel. Located on a hill it gives visitors a glimpse into the evolution of Amman and provides stunning views of downtown Amman. Among the sites you can’t afford to miss at the Citadel are the Umayyad Palace complex, the Temple of Hercules and the Byzantine Church.

souq jara

 

This summer street market in Jabal Amman is open on Fridays and includes stalls selling local wares, pop-up cafes, street food and live performances from local bands and musicians. If you’re in Amman during the summer, you can’t miss out on this family friendly activity!

nymphaeum

 

Built in 191 AD, it was once a large two-story complex with fountains, mosaics, stone carvings and possibly a 600 square meter swimming pool.

hijaz railway station

 

View the great collection of working steam locomotives, formerly used for as part of a pilgrimage route connecting the Ottoman Empire to Saudi Arabia and an intrinsic part of the Great Arab Revolt in 1918.  For more of an in-depth look at the history of the station make sure to visit the onsite museum.

royal film commission

 

The Royal Film Commission is a committee that aims to develop the local production industry by encouraging Jordanians to use film and audio-visual media to express their original ideas. The commission also provides opportunities for audiences and filmmakers to get together, watch independent films, and exchange ideas in addition to supporting local and international movie productions in the Kingdom.

the jordan museum

 

The Jordan Museum is located in the dynamic new downtown area of Ras al-‘Ayn. Presenting the history and cultural heritage of Jordan in a series of beautifully designed galleries, The Jordan Museum serves as a comprehensive national center for learning and knowledge that reflects Jordan’s history and culture, and presents in an engaging yet educational way the Kingdom’s historic, antique and heritage property as part of the ongoing story of Jordan’s past, present, and future.

turquoise mountain

 

Turquoise Mountain celebrates and protects heritage in Jordan, Syria, and elsewhere, transforming lives and supporting communities with jobs, skills, and opportunities.

In Jordan, Turquoise Mountain works with talented master artisans from across the region to revitalise traditional craft and produce beautiful heritage objects.

Visit the showroom on Rainbow Street to discover their collections.

darat al-funun

 

Jordanian, Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese families built the houses that form Darat al Funun. They are a living memory of the history of Jordan and the shared history of the Bilad al Sham. Darat al Funun today is an oasis for the arts overlooking the crowded downtown area of the old city of Amman. Along with visiting the Darat’s contemporary art exhibitions, many come to admire Amman’s traditional architecture, attend events in the archaeological site, read a book in their art library, or take a walk in the gardens.

nabad art gallery

 

A contemporary art gallery based in Amman, Jordan, Nabad has been exhibiting and providing artworks by emerging and established artists from Jordan since 2008. In addition to seeking to promote Jordanian art, Nabad also showcases a number of artists from the wider Arab world and beyond, with a view to cultivating intercultural dialogue among artists and with the public.

dar al-anda

 

Nestled at the cusp of ancient and contemporary history is a sanctuary of the senses that is Dar Al-Anda. The name is an authentically Arabic one. It best translates into “home of the giving“and therefore exemplifies what they stand for. Dar Al-Anda aims to enrich the lives of their patrons, employees and community by giving them the opportunity to experience art in all of its forms, thereby provoking thought and discourse.

king hussein bin talal mosque

 

The King Hussein Bin Talal Mosque, named after the late King, is the largest mosque in the Kingdom. Its architecture reflects the Umayyad style prevalent in several sites in Jordan.

grand husseini mosque

 

The mosque was built by the late King Abdullah I in 1924 on the site of a much older mosque. It’s conveniently located downtown near the traditional souqs and street food vendors.

king abdullah i mosque

 

Built as a memorial by the Late King Hussein to his grandfather, the unmistakable blue-domed mosque can ost up to 7000 worshippers inside and another 3000 in the courtyard area.

Cave people traces

The Cave of the Seven Sleepers is a historical and religious site in al-Rajib, a village to the east of Amman. It is claimed that this cave housed the Seven Sleepers – a group of young men who, according to Byzantine and Islamic sources, fled the religious persecution of Roman emperor Decius. Legend has it that these men hid in a cave around 250 AD, emerging miraculously about 200 or 300 years later. Considerable debate remains concerning the exact location of this cave – various locations in Turkey including Afşin, Tarsus, and Mount Pion been suggested in addition to the al-Rajib site. The site is surrounded by the remains of two mosques and a large Byzantine cemetery. It is near the Sabah bus station and approximately a fifteen-minute bus ride from Amman’s Wihdat Station.

Roman amphitheater

The Roman Theatre is the most impressive monument of old Philadelphia, as Amman was known when it was part the Roman Decapolis, the cities network on the frontier of the Roman Empire in the southeastern Levant. According to an inscription, it was built during the era of the Antonine emperors, at the end of the 2nd century AD.

Its tiered, semicircular seating space, carved into the Jabal Al-Jofeh hill in three horizontal sections with a total of 44 rows can seat around 6,000 people. It faces north so that the audiences are protected from the sun. Social rank dictated the places for the audience. The urban poor, foreigners, slaves, and women were restricted to the upper section. The stage building, about 100 m wide, was probably three storeys high. The wooden stage elevates 1.5 meters from the the chorus performance space, the orchestra, which has a radius of 13 meters.

Today, the Roman Theatre is again in use for performances, concerts, and events. In addition, halls on both sides of the stage house two small heritage museums: The Folklore Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions.

The row of columns in front of the theatre is what remains of the colonnades which flanked the Roman Forum, a public square, once among the largest of the Empire (100 x 50 metres). East of it is the Odeon, a smaller Roman auditorium for musical performances.