The view from the top and other Amman, Jordan Things to Do Tips

Little remains of ancient Philadelphia (the Greek name for the city that is now Amman) but a visit to the citadel gives some clues to the long history of this place as well as providing an excellent all round view of the modern city on its many hills.

The most substantial ruin is the most recent - the qasr, once part of a much larger 8th century Omayyad palace, the remnants of which lie all around.

Moving back in time to the 6th or 7th century, there is a small Byzantine basilica lying close to the museum

Walk to the south and you will come to some Roman columns and a short section of wall -the restored scraps of the 2nd century AD Temple of Hercules.

Look to the south-east and there is an excellent view of the Roman theatre and its surrounding buildings, to the south-west a huge Jordanian flag flies over the city, and all around the white stone buildings of the city cover the hillsides.

The citadel opens at 10am

leyle

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Directions: Jebel al Qala'a

Like everywhere in Amman, a short taxi ride is probably the best way to get to the citadel and then walk down the steep stairways to the theatre.

Though only small, the Archaeological museum on the Amman's citadel contains a number of quite unique and important finds dating from pre-history through to Islamic times.

Among the really important artifacts are items from Teleilat Ghassul, a Chalcolithic site in the Jordan Valley that was one of the very first towns in the region including strange humanoid terracotta coffins and a frescoed wall.

Iron Age pottery, Greek coins, Roman glass and Mameluke grenades - evidence of the tide of history that has washed over this place. It really is worth an hour or so of your time.

The museum opens from 1000 -1330 and 1500-1800

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Address: Jebel al Qala'a

One of the treasures of the Archaeological Museum in Amman is the Copper Scroll, the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls to have been found by archaeologists on an organized expedition rather than by Bedouin tribesmen, whose first discoveries of the scrolls were accidental.
Considered by many to be the most intriguing of all the Dead Sea Scrolls, this one is unique for being engraved on a sheet of copper rather than written on paper or leather, for the different form of Hebrew it is written in and for its content. Whereas all the other scrolls are of a religious nature, this one is a precise desription of a great treasure and of the place where it is hidden.
Ever since its discovery in 1952 this scroll has been the subject of controversy. Is it a work of fiction -a literary telling of a story about a treasure - or is it a carefully recorded inventory of a real treasure and its hiding place?
The jury is still out on that. The passing of time has meant the places described with such accuracy can no longer be recognized even if they still exist and, to date, no treasure has ever been found. A job for Indiana Jones perhaps.

The metal of the scroll was so corroded when it was found it could not be unrolled without irreversable damage. After much debate it was cut into narrow sections. What you see in the museum is an imprint taken from some of those sections, as well as several of the sections themselves

leyle

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Address: The Archaeological Museum at the Citadel
Directions: Jebel Qala'a
Website: http://www.unmuseum.org/copper.htm

Drop in at books@cafe off Rainbow Street on Jebel Amman. Just about all the expats in Amman call in there at one time or another. Don't expect a large selection of second hand books, but you can get a lot of tips for living in Amman.

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Address: Margo Street, just off Rainbow Street

A "flea market" will be organised every Friday from the 5th August.

This should be very interesting to look at. It is described as "A weekly open air flea market showcasing oriental antiques, pottery and handicrafts. It seeks to help individual industries by providing an opportunity for families that manufacture pottery or handicrafts to showcase their products."

The market, called Souk JARA, will include numerous retail vendors offering a wide range of products.

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Directions: The market, to be held at the street adjacent to the Jordan River Foundation showroom near the First Circle, will be open from 10:00am till 9:00pm each Friday.

Posted by Lulu

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Two little museums at the Roman ampitheatre are devoted to the folklore and traditional life of Jordan, and are certainly worth a visit. Among the exhibits are some wonderful costumes, head-dresses and jewellery, as well as a good collection of 4th-6th century mosaics, interesting depictions of town and nomadic life and a a fine assortment of weapons, musical instruments, domestic and agricultural implements and the like. Known as the Museum of Popular Traditions and the Folklore Museum they occupy the vaulted chambers oof the foundations n either side of the stage and offer an interesting glimpse of the structure beneath the huge open seating area.

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Directions: The Folklore Museum (on the right of the stage) is open every day except Friday, from 9am-5pm
The Museum of Popular Traditions has the same opening hours but is closed on Tuesdays.

King Abdullah - the first king of the modern incarnation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that was created from the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I -had this mosque built in 1924 on the site of an ancient mosque that was built here in the 7th century, just a few years after Islam came to the country.

Built in Ottoman style in the heart of the old city, this is Amman's Juma (Friday) mosque. It's closed to non-Muslims. The square and the streets around the mosque make for great people-watching however.

leyle

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The huge new King Abdullah mosque with its great blue dome is hard to miss. Built by his grandson, the late King Hussein, to honour modern Jordan's first king, who was assassinated in 1951 and is now regarded as a martyr in Jordan, the mosque was completed in 1990 and is a complete contrast to the lovely old al-Husseini mosque. Its white marble-clad walls and minarets topped by an enormous pale blue dome are stark and hard-edged in the new style seen a lot throughout the region. My preference is definitely for the mellow old stone and warm creams and pinks of the older mosque. See them both and make your own decisions.

leyle

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