| Page Views: 1,257 Last Visit to Amman: April, 2005 | A Bustling Arab City... by coceng - last update: Jul 14, 2005 |
JERASH<<<<<AMMAN>>>>>MADABA
JORDAN17th April 2005 ( Sunday )
First Day :
Arriving in Amman from Jerash by a service taxi, who dropped me at a bus station, dunno where...I was kinda lost.
I didn't intend to stay long in Amman because it would just be a place for me to sleep & meeting some friends.
I was lucky enough to get in touch with 3 separate persons in Amman alone. The story later.
So, at the unknown bus station, I decided to see the FIRST place that I wanted to see in Amman which was The Roman Ampitheater !
I asked a police traffic guy about how to get there & he flagged a taxi.
I knew I was not going to be cheated by this taxi driver because I had asked the police how much I had to pay to reach The Roman Theater from the spot where he flagged the taxi for me.
Anyway, it was a long way... Like it was on the other side of the city !
Reaching there with my heavy luggage, I had to find somewhere to put it so that I could clamber the theater even better !
Now that was a problem !
The ticket guy didn't want to take care of my luggage.
I looked for a policeman & explained to him that I had to put my luggage somewhere & he said that I could put inside the ticket counter; I said the ticket guy was not helpful.
We went back to the counter & the policeman explained to the guy & slowly, I put it inside the counter.
The Roman Ampitheater was impressive ! Looked so new as it was just being built early this year or early any year; If you know what I mean...
Nearly 5 pm, I had taken enough photos from the theater; Collected my luggage & looked for a public phone booth.
There's nowhere to be seen.
I approached a kiosk selling mobile phone accesories (just like everywhere in Kuala Lumpur !) & enquired about a phone booth.
The guy said he could make the call for me from his mobile & I just paid him, very cheap he said, no need to worry.
I sighed & said okay.
CONTINUE... |
INFORMATION...
Amman is the capital of Jordan.
A bustling & a spread out city...
Amman was also one of The Decapolis cities. It was known as Philadelpia then.
Along the history, Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations.
In 324 AD, Amman embraced Christianity.
The Roman Theater looks newly built, anyhow.
In the old days, it could accomodate 6000 spectators. It was thought to have been built between AD 138 and AD 161 by the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius.
Nevertheless, in general Amman looks so modern that it never associated with the word 'old'.
Amman has been inhabited since 3500 BC, which populated around Jebel Al-Qala'a (the site of the present day Citadel). Like Rome, Amman was also born out from 7 jebels (hills).
These days, however, there are 19 hills surrounded the capital.
For newcomers, this would seem a bit confusing as the houses/buildings sit on those hills look almost identical to one another...
Once you can read the signs, you will surely discover more place
like entertainment places, restaurants, pubs, shops... |
The highlights in Amman (to me at least) are :
The Citadel
The Roman Theater
Plus, walking around the city & enjoying the nightlife would be a good idea to compare Amman to its neighbouring cities.
Many tourists also make Amman as their base to explore northern Jordan or as far as down south to Aqaba.
NEVER miss The Ancient City Of Petra, which could also be a great day trip from Amman.
In this city, modern urban infrastructure are being built rapidly. It is a pleasant city and a vibrant place with its own history, culture and monuments. |
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| Pros: | "A Pleasant, Busy City !" | | Cons: | "Could Take Ages When Trying To Cross The Roads In Amman !" | | In A Nutshell: | "Jordan Is A Great Country & It Shows On Its Capital..." |
 coceng's Amman Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for coceng about Amman | | | | |
matcrazy1 Thu Jul 21, 2005 21:27 UTC
Interesting story and info in travelogues. Right, it's not a good time to stay with any luggage close to any embassy, not only in Amman. |
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