Jordan City: Amman

Amman – the capital of Jordan and the largest city of the country with a population of more than 3 million inhabitants, in which almost half of the population of Jordan lives.

Despite the fact that Amman has a richest history, it has been preserved very much to this day. In 1946, this was no more than an administrative center of British transice, with a population of several tens of thousands of people who lived in small houses around the ruins of the Roman amphitheater (now renovated and the symbol of Amman). Through the city, the Line of the Hijaz Railway in Mecca was held, than, in fact, the city and lived for many years. After the independence of Jordan and with the beginning of the first Arab-Israeli war of 1947-1949, the population of Amman has grown more than five times due to hundreds of thousands of Arab refugees from Palestine. The second wave of refugees overwhelmed the city in 1967, during the next Arab-Israeli war, when again thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled to Jordan, and the Israeli army seized the West Bank and Gaza (which in turn Jordan seized in 1948). Thus, in our days, Amman is about 70% consisting of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

Amman – Capital and Economic and Cultural Center of the country. Modern Amman is pretty young: the city as such began to form only at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, but people here live more than 10 thousand years. Old Testament Rabbat-Ammon and Antique Philadelphia have flourished many centuries on the site of modern amman, but were practically erased from the face of the earth with merciless times.

Sights of Amman

Among the attractions of the city are most interesting Fortress mountain (Jebel al-Kalya, Citadel), on which monuments of various eras are located, including the remnants of the fortress walls of different eras, partially restored Colonnade Temple Hercules, Byzantine church (VI century), Al-Casre Palace (VIII century) and Archaeological Museum (1950), storing among thousand unique exhibits famous "Kumran Scrishes". At the foot of the fortress mountain is antique amphitheater (in excellent condition, was designed for 6 thousand spectators), the nymphum (I-II century. NS.), and Museum of Folklore and Jordanian Museum of Folk Traditions, located in an antique building Odeon.

No less interesting Byzantine necropolis Akhl al-Kahaf ("Sleeping cave") in the area of ​​Ara Razhib – an alleged place of the biblical legend about the wonderful dream of seven Christians, as well as Ammonite guard towers (VIII-VII century BC. NS.) on Sultan Al-Atrash Street, Palace of Governor The beginning of the era of Omeyadov (VIII century.NS.), Royal Palace Ragadan (1927), Museum of royal cars (Personal cars King Hussein – more than 60 rare cars) and Museum of Monet In the building of the Central Bank of Jordan.

It is worth paying attention to visiting the largest mosque of modern amman – Mosque King Abdalla with Islamic Museum, inspect Buildings of the Jordanian Parliament, Jordanian National Art Gallery, Museum of Geology, Jordanian Postal Museum, Military Patriotic Museum In the huge sports town of Schmeisani district (the art center and the Museum of Science are also located here), University with good Archaeological and Biological Museums, and also naturally, Quarter Down-Town with his colorful streets, hundreds of bench and famous SUK AL-DAKHAB ("Golden market") and AS-SUK AS-SUKKARY ("Sugar Market").

How to get to Amman

Amman – the main transport hub of the country with a major international airport, from where numerous flights from the Middle East and Southeast Asia are being performed, there are several bushows connected by frequent buses and minibuses with all the corners of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE.

Railway communication, previously binding a city with Damascus (Syria), is currently discontinued due to the civil war in the neighboring state.

Four times a week at 14:00 from Amman from the Maraya Hotel, buses are sent to Nazareth (Israel).