Amman, Jordan

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Amman, Jordan’s capital, feels ancient.

I was warned that the city would be sleepy and dull. But I got a different impression. True, there’s a quiet calm in Amman—even amidst the bustling city center—but one that comes with thousands of years of age, not sleepiness. Houses are the same shade of brown that blends with the surrounding dirt. They’re densely situated among hills that go on for miles. It’s an enchanting site.

Old ruins are everywhere, intermingled with modern shops, streets, and buildings.

B (best friend who’s living in Dubai) and I stayed at Abbasi Palace Hotel, a rundown hostel with rooms smelling of mildew and no warm water. For some reason the hostel’s ratings were excellent on Hostel World. Perhaps its owners have a lot of friends to help them out! But in all fairness, the staff was very friendly and the building was conveniently situated at the city center.

Overlooking the city is the Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a), a hilltop that was perhaps settled as early as 7000 BCE. There, the Temple of Hercules, an Umayyad palace, and a Byzantine church, remind visitors of the different civilizations that occupied the area. Across the citadel is a beautiful view of a 6,000-seat Roman theatre.

For foreigners who want to mingle with fellow foreigners, there’s Rainbow Street (originally called Abu Bakr al Siddiq Street)—named after a cinema in the neighborhood. The hip cafes and stores market a “modern Amman” that contains familiar elements for foreigners.

Random encounter: One of our taxi drivers was the former coach of Jordan's national Taekwondo team. He'd coached the team when they competed in Iran in '97 and '99!

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Photos

The Nymphaeum
2nd century AD

Lunch at Al-Qods
Great restaurant in Amman

Awzee (I think)
This dish is delicious!! It's a filo dough-type crust filled with rice, lamb, pine nuts, and lots of spices.

P1010102
Walking up to the citadel

Comments

[Ardalan Nikou]

Massive...
Amazing how an old civilization was able to adopt the technology to lift massive blocks of rocks many feet in the air. Well depicted piece of history while framing the contemporary dwellings.