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عمان
Amman |
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 Amman the capital of Jordan is a city which
geographically straddles seven hills and historically sits
astride many centuries. The city's modern buildings blend with
the remnants of ancient civilizations. The profusion of gleaming
white houses, kebab stalls with roasting meat, and tiny cafes
where rich Arabian coffee is sipped in the afternoon sunshine,
conjure a mood straight from a thousand and one nights. It is a
city with a timeless ambiance, where a slight detour off the
beaten track reveals the wonders of a Bronze Age settlement or a
Byzantine monastery. In its souqs (markets), you can bargain for
fruit, perfume, gold or other exquisite luxuries of the Middle
East. For Businessmen, Amman offers the most up-to-date
convention and communication facilities. Its strategic position
and convivial atmosphere, make it one of the foremost centers of
finance & trade in the Middle East today.
Anyone visiting Amman for the first time will be surprised above
all by the hills. The mental image of a Middle Eastern capital
set on a dusty plain must be discarded, for Amman lies on a high
plateau of 850m. Built originally on seven hills, the main areas
of Amman gain their names from the hills on whose slopes they
lie. The city is dotted with a number of historic sites from the
stone age to the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Each
is considered interesting in its own way. The first impression
you get as you arrive, is that of a modern city with limestone
and concrete buildings, and well maintained cars cruising wide
streets. The bustle, noise and squalor which accompany this
western veneer is not to be seen except in Downtown Amman, which
was also hub of life in ancient times. Amman's population is
close to one and half million, swelled by refugees from the 1948
Palestinian conflict, the Six Day war in 1967, and the Gulf War
in 1991. Nearly half the population of Jordan lives in Amman.
Underneath its modern appearance, Amman's origins go back a long
way. Neolithic sites and villages were discovered in the 1980's
in more than one area in Amman. One of the revealed sites is a
village ten times the size of Jericho. During the Iron age,
Amman was the Capital of the Ammonites, and it is referred to as
Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament, an area thought to have been
located, where the Citadel now stands. The city which was
rebuilt during the Hellenistic and Roman periods was renamed
Philadelphia by the Hellenistic ruler Ptolemy II. Later, during
the Byzantine Period, Amman was home to bishop and several
splendid churches. One important church was discovered in 1970,
in a site known as Sweifieh. It has one of the greatest mosaic
floors in Jordan and is one of the only few Byzantine mosaic
floors found in the capital. Following the Sasanian onslaught in
the early 7th Century, Philadelphia reverted to being known by
its Semitic name. Thus Ammon evolved to become Amman. Again,
during the Early Islamic Era Amman held some of its importance
through its location on trade routes and for its strategic
military position. But Amman's entry into modern times did not
happen until the 19th century. In 1878 a group of Circassian
emigrants, many of whose descendants still reside in the
capital, were transported to Amman by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul
Hamid. It was in 1921 that the Emir Abdullah bin Hussein moved
his capital to Amman. Touring Amman should begin at the Citadel,
which is now located -as in ancient times- at the heart of the
city, facing the Roman theatre in the valley below. On all sides
but the north it is buffered by valleys, and on the north an
escarpment was quarried to give security from the underlying
areas. Many of the summit's most valuable remains and important
relics from across Jordan, can be found in the Archaeological
Museum located at the Citadel. Below the Citadel's southern rim
is a stream known as Seil Amman. It is on its south bank that
most of the Roman City of Philadelphia was situated. This
included the main Forum, Theatre, Odeon, and various shops. Just
north of the Sail was a large road that ran from east to the
west. This street or Cumanus Maximums, gave access to the
citadel by a connecting path. A smaller main street also lined
with Corinthian columns, ran off the Decuraunce Maximus called
the Cardo. Behind the junction of the two main streets was the
site of the Nymphaeum. This sacred fountain, similar to the
Nypmhaeum at Jerash, was fed by water from Seil Amman which ran
to its southern wall. The forum is concealed by the streets of
modern Amman. Amman's Amphi Theatre is the largest in Jordan,
with room for 6,000 spectators. In the east wing of the stage is
the Folklore Museums of Amman. In the western wing is the Museum
of Popular Traditions. Steps lead to a gallery of exquisite
Byzantine mosaic scenes from Madaba. The Theatre area is an
ideal place to wander. There is a bustle of traffic and everyday
life, stalls selling shish kebabs or ice creams as well as a
bevy of souvenir shops.
Sites In Amman:
Amman is home to some of the grandest mosques in the
Middle East. The newest of these is the enormous King Abdullah
Mosque, built between 1982 and 1989. Located to the north-west
of the Citadel, it is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome,
beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayers. The most unusual
mosque in Amman is the Abu Darwish Mosque, situated atop the
Jabal Ashrafieh. It is covered with an extraordinary
black-and-white chequered patterns and is unique to Jordan.
Western Amman is considered the most fashionable, with modern
shops and office buildings. The impressive Hussein Sports City
is the main site housing sports, cultural events and national
festivities. Overlooking the Hussein Sports City is the Palace
of Culture building which was built to resemble a Bedouin tent,
and the Royal Cultural Centre. The Sports City complex houses
the Martyrs' Memorial and in it the military museum of Amman. As
for art lovers, the Jordan National Art Gallery and the Dar Al
Funoun, both situated in Jabal Al-Weibdeh, are important stops.
Other sites found around Amman are the following: The Cave of
the Seven Sleepers: Myriad tombs with ornately sculpted covers
are found at the site. On the northern outskirts of Amman the
remains of a prehistoric Neolithic settlement have been
unearthed. The site located near Ain Ghazal, dates back to 7200
BC.
Queismeh:
A village in the south-east corner of Amman, is the site
of substantial Roman Crypt.
Qasr Al-Abed:
Qasr Al-Abed(The Castle of the slave), where enormous
ruins are found about 10 Kilometers (six miles) down the valley
from the actual village of Wadi El-Seer. As you drive back up
the valley, about 500 meters (550 yards) from the Qasr, there is
a group of caves cut from the rock, known as Iraq Al-Amir, (the
Caves of the Prince). The caves, eleven in total, are arranged
in two ranks at the actual cliff face and are thought to have
been hewn by hand. |
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