"Amman: the heart of Jordan" Top 5 Page for this destination Amman by Cristian_Uluru

Amman Travel Guide: 685 reviews and 1,305 photos

Amman - Amman
Amman

Welcome in the heart of the wonderful Jordan: Philadelphia or as it now knows Amman.
Amman is fantastic and wonderful. The heart of all the town is the Citadel with Romans and Ammonites ruins. From the top of the Citadel you can see a wonderful landscape over the hills of the city.
Amman is an overcrowded town. If you don't know the town you can lose yourself because there are so many cars that it's impossible to understand where you are.
One of the nice place in Amman is Shmeisani, the residential area, where there are beautiful villas and where you can find some good restaurants.

Amman is the perfect starting point if you want to visit all the area around this town. From Amman is very easy to reach Jerash, Ajlun, Pella, the Dead Sea and the Desert Castles.

Some of history...
Byzantine basilica & al-Qasr - Amman

Byzantine basilica & al-Qasr

Amman is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with homes and towers believed to have been built during the Stone Age, circa 7000 BCE. There are many Biblical references to the city, which by about 1200 BC it had become the Ammonite capital of Rabbath-Ammon. The Ammonites fought numerous wars with Saul, David and others. The history of the town between the end of its Biblical references and the time of the Ptolemies is unclear. We do know that the city was renamed Philadelphia after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus in the third century BC. After coming under Seleucid and Nabatean rule, Philadelphia was taken by the Roman vassal King Herod in 30 BC and it became part of the Decapolis League. Under Roman rule, Philadelphia was replanned and reconstructed in typically grand Roman style with a colonnaded street, baths, an amphitheater and impressive public buildings. During the Byzantine period several expansive churches were built in the city. It declined during the late Byzantine years, and was overrun by the Persian Sassanians in 614 CE. Their rule was short-lived, however, collapsing before the Arabian armies of Islam around the year 635. The name of the city then returned to its Semitic origin of Ammon, or "Amman." It remained an important stop on the caravan routes for many years, but eventually trade patterns shifted and dried up the lifeblood of Amman. The city declined to little more than a provincial village for many centuries. The modern history of Amman began in the late 19th century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants there in 1878. During that time and the early decades of the 20th century, the neighboring city of Salt was more important as a regional administrative and political center. However, after the Great Arab Revolt secured the state of Transjordan, Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein made Amman his capital in 1921.

Enjoy yourself in this fantastic town!!!

Pros and Cons
  • In a nutshell:It's GREAT!!!!
  • Last visit to Amman: Mar 2005
  • Intro Updated Jul 5, 2005
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Reviews (34)

The Cardo Maximus and the Ninpheum - Amman Jerash: a Roman wonder Things to Do (27)

A perfect day trip from Amman is Jerash, a wonderful Roman town. Here you can find a big theatre, the Cardo Maximus, the... more travel advice

Dead Sea - Amman Dead Sea Things to Do (27)

A fantastic day trip from Amman is to go to the Dead Sea. Here you can enjoy yourself swimming and making a bath of sun... more travel advice

The Jordan River - Amman The Jordan River Things to Do (27)

At the end of your visit to Bethany you arrive to the Jordan River. It this place you are just 5 metres from the border... more travel advice

The new church - Amman A new church Things to Do (27)

Today near the Jordan River you can see this nice new church. It was built to remember Jesus Christ and the love between... more travel advice

Comments (16)

  • Reply
    Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Jul 7, 2012 at 1:33 PM

    Nice tips Cristian!

  • Reply
    PierreZA's Profile Photo
    Mar 14, 2009 at 5:00 AM

    A very helpful and well written page, thank you for sharing.

  • Reply
    angiebabe's Profile Photo
    Aug 20, 2008 at 11:18 PM

    Hi Christian -nice to see yr pg. am looking at possibility of visiting Amman from Israel and renting a car is best?

  • Reply
    DAO's Profile Photo
    Jul 11, 2008 at 4:22 PM

    Excellent page! Really great photos to go with some well researched stories. All the best!

  • Reply
    dejavu2gb's Profile Photo
    Jul 7, 2008 at 11:49 AM

    WOW... Amman seems amazing... The history... the Mosque, Ampitheatre and Citadel seems absolutely amazing... I love the look of the food too... HMMM....

  • Reply
    Kuznetsov_Sergey's Profile Photo
    Apr 20, 2008 at 8:58 AM

    Excellent page, making me think over my own trip to Amman oneday! A lot of famous sights with interesting tips and wonderful pics. Thanks Cristian for thev irtual tour!

  • Reply
    Mar 21, 2008 at 1:48 PM

    Lovely page!

  • Reply
    xuxaBR's Profile Photo
    Nov 22, 2007 at 8:08 AM

    Hi Cristian, How are you ? It's always a pleasure to go through your travel pages...so nicely done. Thx for sharing...

  • Reply
    moshatnawi's Profile Photo
    Aug 23, 2007 at 7:26 PM

    i am glad that you liked my country :-)

  • Reply
    bradbeaman's Profile Photo
    Aug 22, 2007 at 8:12 AM

    Hi Cristian, Great page on Amman! This is helpful

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