Amman Jordan
The districts of Amman are diverse and range in cultural and historical context, from the bustle of the city center markets to the art galleries of Jabal Lweibdeh and the modern shopping district of Abdali.
The city of Amman covers a very large area and covers 19 hills, or "jebels". It is the modern - but also the ancient - capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Known as Rabbath-Ammon during the Iron Age and later as Philadelphia, the ancient city that was once part of the League of Decapolis, today it boasts a population of around 4 million people.
Amman often called the white city because of the small limestone houses, offers a great variety of historical sites. Numerous restorations and excavations are underway which have brought to light the remains of the Neolithic, Hellenistic, and Late Roman and Arab-Islamic periods.
The site known as the Amman Citadel includes many structures, such as the Temple of Hercules, the Umayyad Palace, and the Byzantine Church. At the foot of the Citadel is the 6,000-seat Roman Theater, a deep basin carved into the hill and still used today for cultural events.
Another recently restored theater is the 500-seat Odeon, which is used for concerts. The three museums in the area that offer an insight into history and culture are the Archaeological Museum of Jordan, the Folklore Museum, and the Museum of Popular Traditions.
A well-traveled bridge between sea and desert, east and west, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrasts, from the Jordan Valley, fertile, and ever-changing, to the remote desert canyons, immense and still. Visitors can explore splendid desert castles, gaze in awe at the haunting wilderness of Wadi Rum, or bathe in the restful waters of the Red Sea.