Dubai Post 77: The City of Amman

Amman is the capital of Jordan and is home to about 1/3 of Jordan’s population.  We unfortunately did not have a lot of time in Amman but it seemed like a city I would like to revisit.  The downtown area was filled with markets and cafes buzzing with the citizens of the city.  In regards to all of the cities I have visited in the Arab world (excluding Dubai), Amman seemed to be the most “civilized” and desirable.

Compared to Dubai and Riyadh, it actually seemed like you could walk
on the streets here...as in there were sidewalks and the weather was great. 

Amman is also a massive city as it is sprawled out on 19 hills.  It was originally built on seven hills with the center hill being the Roman Citadel.  The infrastructure was much better than many other cities and traffic was not as heavy compared to Riyadh. 

Roman columns as you enter the amphitheater.

The view looking down. 

My favorite part about the city was that it is embedded with Roman ruins.  As you drive downtown you can see parts of the Roman rule next to current day apartments.  To me, I was amazed at how far the Roman rule existed.  If you do not know your geography, Jordan is a pretty far walk from Italy.  It was pretty astonishing that a thriving Roman city existed in Amman thousands of years ago.

The city to the right of the Amphitheater.  You can see the top of
the citadel to the right. 

The first site we visited was the Roman Amphitheater. I have been to a few Roman Amphitheaters before (not the Colosseum) but nothing to the magnitude of the one in Amman.  As we climbed to the top, we all wondered what it would have been like to gaze down two thousand years ago.  Did they have people selling bread in the aisles similar to how stadiums sell beer today?  Brylski (College Roommate Sam) and I were of course comparing it to Camp Randall’s end zone.  We decided the Amphitheater was missing a level or two to match the size of the student section.

On top of the Citadel over looking part of the city. 

Temple of Hercules atop the hill.  You can see Sam standing
next to it and get a sense of how big it was. 

The second site of Roman ruins we visited in Amman was the Citadel.  The Citadel is situated at the top of a centralized hill in the middle of Amman.  The Citadel was used as a fortification throughout the history of the city.  The location of the Citadel was chosen because you could see all of the surrounding area for enemies looking to invade.  Now a day it provides tourists with fantastic views of the entire city.

The old road leading into the Citadel. 

View of the center of town. 

Our visit to Amman was short but sweet.  I would have loved to walk the streets and interacted with the people.  We also got no taste of the night life.  It just means that I will be back!

Brylski climbing rocks and mountains.  A frequent
occurrence throughout the trip.