Amman

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Amman

Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann (Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
???? ?Amman), is the capital city of the Hashemite

Hashemite

Hashemite is the Latinate version of the Arabic: ????? and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim, or "clan of Hashim ibn Abd Manaf", a clan within the larger Quraish tribe....
Kingdom of Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants (2008 estimate), and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is also the largest city in Jordan. It is the capital city of Amman Governorate

Amman Governorate

Officially known as Muhafazat al-Asima , Amman Governorate is one of the governorates - locally known as muhafazat - in Jordan. This governorate's capital is the City of Amman, which is Jordan's capital as well....
. It sits atop seven hills, which are represented by the seven pronged star depicted on the Jordanian flag.

ng its long history, Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations.

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Encyclopedia

Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann (Arabic

Arabic language

Hashemite

Jordan

Amman Governorate

History

During its long history, Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations. The first civilization on record is during the Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic period was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 Before the Christian Era in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age....
period, around 8500 BC, when archaeological discoveries in 'Ain Ghazal

'Ain Ghazal

Ain Ghazal is a Neolithic site located in North-Eastern Jordan, on the outskirts of Amman. It dates as far back as 7250 BC, and was inhabited until 5000 BC....
, located in eastern Amman, showed evidence of not only a settled life but also the growth of artistic work, which suggests that a well-developed civilization inhabited the city at that time. In the 13th century BC Amman was called Rabbath Ammon or Rabat Amon by the Ammon

Ammon

Ammon or Ammonites , also referred to in the Bible as the "children of Ammon," were a people living east of the Jordan river whose origin the Old Testament traces to an illegitimate son of Lot , the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, as with the Moabites....
ites (?????? ?????????, Standard Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
Rabbat ?Ammon, Tiberian Hebrew

Tiberian vocalization

Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct but very well documented oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew language, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was given written form by Masoretes scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias, in the early Middle Ages, beginning in the 8th century....
Rabba? ?Ammôn). It was later conquered by the Assyrians

Assyrian people

The Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people are an ethnic group whose origins lie in the Fertile Crescent, their Assyrian/Syriac homeland today being divided between Northern Iraq, Syria, Western Iran, and Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia....
, followed by the Persians

Persian people

Persian identity, at least in terms of language, is traced to the ancient Indo-Iranians , who arrived in parts of Greater Iran circa 2000-1500 BCE....
, and then the Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
. Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Ptolemy II Philadelphus , was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BC to 246 BC. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice I of Egypt, and was educated by Philitas of Cos....
, the Hellenic ruler of Egypt, renamed it Philadelphia. The city became part of the Nabataean

Nabataeans

The Nabataeans were an ancient Semitic people, Arabs of southern Jordan, Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea....
kingdom until 106 AD when Philadelphia came under Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
control and joined the Decapolis

Decapolis

The Decapolis was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan, Israel, and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status....
.

In 326 AD, Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
became the religion

Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
of the empire and Philadelphia became the seat of a bishopric

Diocese

In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglicanism, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bi...
during the beginning of the Byzantine

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
era. One of the churches of this period can be seen on the city's Citadel. Philadelphia was renamed Amman during the Ghassanian

Ghassanids

The Ghassanids were a group of South Arabian Christian tribes that emigrated in the early 3rd century from Yemen to the Hauran in southern Syria, Jordan and the Holy Land where they intermarried with Hellenized Ancient Rome settlers and Greek-speaking Early Christian communities....
era, and flourished under the Caliphate

Caliphate

The caliphate represented the political leadership of the Muslim ummah in classical and medieval Islamic history and juristic theory. The head of state's position is based on the notion of a successor to the Prophets of Islam Muhammad's political authority....
s (with nearby capital) of the Umayyads (in Damascus

Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
) and the Abbasid

Abbasid

The Abbasid Caliphate was the third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The Caliphate is one of the high points of Islam, and at the time Muslim civilization, together with that of Byzantium, China and India, was the most developed part of the world....
s (in Baghdad

Baghdad

Baghdad is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous. With a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq, and the second largest city in the Arab World....
). It was then destroyed by several earthquakes and natural disasters and remained a small village and a pile of ruins until the Circassians

Circassians

Circassians is a term derived from the Turkic languages Cherkess and is not the self-designation of any people. It has sometimes been applied indiscriminately to all the peoples of the North Caucasus, including the Mamluks....
settlement in 1887. The tide changed when the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
decided to build the Hejaz railway

Hejaz railway

|}The Hejaz Railway was a narrow gauge railway that ran from Damascus to Medina, through the Hejaz region of Arabia, with Jezreel Valley railway, on the Mediterranean Sea....
, linking Damascus and Medina

Medina

Medina is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad....
, facilitating both the annual hajj

Hajj

The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca . It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so....
pilgrimage and permanent trade, putting Amman, a major station, back on the commercial map.

In 1921, Abdullah I

Abdullah I of Jordan

Abdullah I bin al-Hussein, King of Jordan was born in Mecca, Ottoman Empire, as ??? ???? ????? ?? ??????, to Sherif Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, later King of Hejaz, and his first wife Abdiya bint Abdullah....
chose Amman as seat of government for his newly-created state, the Emirate

Emirate

An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Arab Monarch styled emir....
of Transjordan

Transjordan

The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman Empire territory incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine in 1921 as an autonomous political division under Abdullah I of Jordan....
, and later as the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As there was no palatial building, he started his reign from the station, with his office in a train car. Amman remained a small city until 1948, when the population expanded considerably due to an influx of Palestinian refugee

Palestinian refugee

Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are people or their descendants, predominantly Arabs, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine that the United Nations decided should be the territory of the State of Israel....
s from what is now Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. Amman has experienced exceptionally rapid development since 1952 under the leadership of two Hashemite Kings, Hussein of Jordan

Hussein of Jordan

Hussein bin Talal was the List of Kings of Jordan of Jordan from the abdication of his father, Talal of Jordan, in 1952, until his death. Hussein guided his country in the context of the Cold War, and through four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict, balancing the pressures of Arab nationalism, the burdens of sheltering a large Palestinian peo...
and Abdullah II of Jordan

Abdullah II of Jordan

Abdullah II bin al-Hussein is the current List of Kings of Jordan of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father Hussein of Jordan....
.

In 1970, Amman was the site of major clashes between the Palestine Liberation Organization

Palestine Liberation Organization

The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization regarded by the Arab League since October 1974 as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."...
(PLO) and the Jordanian army

Royal Jordanian Land Force

Thee Royal Jordanian Land Force is part of the Jordanian Armed Forces ....
. Everything around the Royal Palace sustained heavy damage from shelling. Most of Amman suffered great damage from PLO rockets and the Jordanian army's shells.

The city's population continues to expand at a dizzying pace (fueled by refugees escaping the wartime events in the Disputed Territories and Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
). The city received refugees from these countries on a number of occasions. The first wave of Palestinian

Palestinian people

Palestinian people or Palestinians , also commonly rendered as Palestinian Arabs are terms commonly used to refer to the Arab population with family origins in Palestine....
refugees arrived from Israel in 1948. A second wave after the Six-Day War

Six-Day War

In the Six-Day War of June 5-10, 1967, Israel defeated the armies of the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In Arabic, the war is called ....
in 1967. A third wave of Palestinian and Jordanian and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
ns, working as domestic worker

Domestic worker

A domestic worker, domestic, servingman, servingwoman, or servant is one who works, and often also lives, within the employer's household....
s, refugees arrived in Amman from Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west....
after the Gulf War

Gulf War

"Persian Gulf War" and "First Gulf War" redirect here. For other uses, see Persian Gulf War .The Persian Gulf War was a United Nations-authorized military conflict between Iraq and a Coalition of Gulf War from 34 nations commissioned with expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait of Kuwait in August 1990....
of 1991. The first wave of Iraqi refugees settled in the city after the first Gulf War, with a second wave also arriving after the 2003 invasion of Iraq

2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by United Kingdom forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark....
. During the last 10 years the number of new buildings within the city has increased dramatically with new districts of the city being founded at a very rapid pace (particularly so in West Amman), straining the very scarce water supplies of Jordan as a whole, and exposing Amman to the hazards of rapid expansion in the absence of careful municipal planning.

On November 9, 2005, coordinated explosions

2005 Amman bombings

The 2005 Amman bombings were a series of coordinated bomb attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan, Jordan, on November 9, 2005. The attacks killed 60 people and injured 115 others....
rocked three hotels in Amman, resulting in the death of 60 people and the injury of 115 others. Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is an international Sunni Islam Islamist Extremism movement founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989/early 1990....
claimed responsibility responsibility for the act, which was carried out despite the fact that the birthplace of since-killed Al Qaeda terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

'Abu Musab al-Zarqawi' ) , born 'Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh' was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a militant training camp in Afghanistan....
, is the town of Zarqa

Zarqa

Zarqa is a city in Jordan located to the northeast of Amman. At 792,665 inhabitants , comprising 15.5% of Jordan's population, it is the country's second largest city....
, less than from Amman. The sheer brutality of the attacks, which targeted, amongst other things, a wedding party being held at one of the hotels, caused widespread revulsion across the widest range of Jordanians. Large protests and vigils

Vigils

Vigils is a term for Night Hours in ancient Christianity. See Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Matins, and Lauds for more information. A Vigil is a night spent in prayer....
followed in the wake of the attacks.

Geography

Amman is located in a hilly area of north-western Jordan, and is at an elevation of 1029 meters above sea level(highest point)to 773 meters above sea level(lowest point). The city was originally built on seven hills

List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills

City of Seven Hills usually refers to Rome. There are many other cities claimed to be built on seven hills or less then seven.* Amman, Jordan* Asunci?n, Paraguay...
, but it now spans an area of over nineteen hills (each known as a jabal or "mountain"). Many of Amman's districts derive their names from the name of the mountain they are built on.

Because of the cooling effects of its location on a plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
, Amman enjoys a Mediterranean climate

Mediterranean climate

A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide....
and four seasons of excellent weather as compared to other places in the region. Summer temperatures range from - , but with very low humidity

Humidity

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in a Air parcel of air to the saturated vapor pressure of water vapor at a prescribed temperature....
and frequent breezes. Spring and fall temperatures are extremely pleasant and mild. The winter sees nighttime temperatures frequently near , and snow

Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
is known in Amman, as a matter of fact it usually snows a couple of times per year. The yearly average number of days with rain is 15-95 and with snow it is 3-15. It typically will not rain heavily from June to the beginning of September but light rain will be pesent at that time of the year. But lately it is starting to snow in April and the beginning of May. In fact about half the quantity of rain Amman and Jordan received in 2006 fell in April,and recentley snow sometimes fall in April, and that is very unusual for that time of year.

Amman Governorate

Officially known as Muhafazat al-Asima (Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
?????? ???????, English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
translation: The Capital Governorate), Amman Governorate is one of the governorates - locally known as muhafazat - in Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
. This governorate's capital is the City of Amman

Amman

Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the Capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan....
, which is Jordan's capital as well. Amman is divided into 7 nahias:

Amman
Al-Jiza
Al-Mwwqqar
Na'oor
Sahab
Sahab

Sahab is a city in the Kingdom of Jordan, south east of the capital Amman. Sahab is well-known for its Industrial Estate, the Islamic Cemetery, and Kahf of Raqeem site mentioned in the Qur'an ....
Um al-Basatin
Wadi al-Sayr

Districts

The following is a list of districts that make up the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM):

	District Name
1	Al Abdali Al Abdali Al Abdali is one of the five districts of the Municipality of Greater Amman. It covers an area of in the heart of Amman. A population of 120,000 includes the neighborhoods of Shmeisani, Sports City district, Jabal al Hussein, and Jabal Luweibdeh....
2	Abu Nseir
3	Al Nusr
4	Al Qweismeh, Al Jweideh, Abu ‘Alanda and Al Raqim
5	Al Yarmouk
6	Al-Jezah
7	Al-Mowaqar
8	Al-Mqabalain
9	Badr
10	Badr Al Jadeeda
11	Basman
12
13	Jbeiha
14	Khraibet Essouq
15	Marj Al Hamam
16	Marka Marka Marka may refer to:The currency marka, see Bosnia and Herzegovina konvertibilna marka.A part of Oslo, see Marka, Oslo.*Marka language...
17	Medina
18	Nawoor (Na'our)
19	Ohud
20	Ras Al-ain
21	Sahab Sahab Sahab is a city in the Kingdom of Jordan, south east of the capital Amman. Sahab is well-known for its Industrial Estate, the Islamic Cemetery, and Kahf of Raqeem site mentioned in the Qur'an ....
22	Shafa Badran
23	Sweileh
24	Tariq
25	Tla’ Al ‘Ali
26	Wadi Al Seer Wadi Al Seer Wadi Al Seer is a town approximately southwest of the Jordanian capital Amman. Literally "Valley of Orchards", the town is native to the Circassians who settled the area in 1878....
27	Zahran

Transportation

The city's largest airport, Queen Alia International Airport

Queen Alia International Airport

Queen Alia International Airport is an airport situated in Zizya area, 20 miles south of Amman, the capital city of Jordan. The airport has three terminals: two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal....
, situated about 30 minutes south of Amman, is the major international airport

International airport

An international airport is an airport typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle international flights to and from other countries....
for Jordan and the hub

Airline hub

An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a Spoke-hub distribution paradigm, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations....
for Royal Jordanian

Royal Jordanian

Flag carrier

A flag carrier refers to a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that is locally registered in a given country. They may be state-run, state-owned or state-designated companies or organisations with preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government....
. The airport has three terminals

Airport terminal

An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from airplanes....
, two passenger and one cargo, and in 2007 handled between 4 to 5 million passengers. The airport is undergoing expansion, including a new terminal costing $600M, that will allow the airport to handle over 9 million passengers. A new rail line being constructed will connect Queen Alia International with Raghadan, Mahatta, and Zarqa

Zarqa

Zarqa is a city in Jordan located to the northeast of Amman. At 792,665 inhabitants , comprising 15.5% of Jordan's population, it is the country's second largest city....
. Taxis and buses serve the airport 24/7.

Marka International Airport

Marka International Airport

Marka International Airport is a one-terminal airport situated in East Amman, Jordan. It was the home hub of Royal Jordanian Airlines, the national flag carrier, until Queen Alia International Airport was opened in 1983....
is a one-terminal airport that serves primarily domestic and nearby international routes and the military.

The recently constructed Abdoun Bridge

Abdoun Bridge

Wadi Abdoun Bridge in Amman, Jordan, is the only cable-stayed bridge in the country. It crosses Wadi Abdoun. The building of the bridge commenced on 14 December 2002 and it was opened on 14 December 2006....
spans Wadi Abdoun

Wadi Abdoun

Wadi Abdoun is a 'wadi' in Amman, Jordan. The wadi separates the two neighbourhoods of Jabal Amman and Abdoun. The Abdoun Bridge spans the valley, connecting the 4th Circle and Abdoun Circle on either side....
, and connects the 4th Circle to Abdoun Circle. It is considered one of Amman's many landmarks,it is the first suspended bridge made,that has a curve.

The Hejaz railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways . Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth....
, built in the early 20th century, was used primarily for pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance; often a considerable distance is traveled....
s to reach the holy cities of Mecca

Mecca

Mecca , also spelled Makkah , Makka is a city in Saudi Arabia. Home to the Masjid al-Haram, it is the holy city in Islam and plays an important role in the faith....
and Medina, but now the rail line is basically used by tourists

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
. There are new projects that are being built to add more railines in the Kingdom, most of which will go through Amman.

There are plans to construct a metro line in Amman. The first phase would connect University of Jordan Street with Raghadan. Then from Raghadan to Airport Road. The project would cost more than half a billion dollars.

Amman has a extensive highway

Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
system that links every part of the city to one another. Its highways also link nearby cities such as Zarqa and Madaba

Madaba

File:Madaba Jerusalem Mosaic.jpgMadaba, ?????, is the capital city of Madaba Governorate of Jordan , which has a population of about 60,000....
. The Amman-Zarqa highway becomes very congested with commuters

Commuting

Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. Institutions that have few dormitory or near-campus student housing are called commuter schools in the United States....
at rush hour

Rush hour

File:2ndAvenueSubwayStationBottleneck.jpgA rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is worst....
which is why a new commuter rail line is being constructed. Amman also has an extensive bus system. There are pedestrian tunnels that bring pedestrians from one side of a highway to another.

There are eight circles, or roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is a type of road junction at which traffic enters a one-way stream around a central island. In the United States it is commonly known as a "rotary" or a "traffic circle", but sometimes is technically called a modern roundabout, in order to emphasize the distinction from the older, very much larger type of traffic circl...
s, that span and connect West Amman. However, the city lacks an operable rail or metro system

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, subway, underground, elevated railway or metro system is an railway electrification system public transport rail transport in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separation from other traffic....
which causes severe congestion

Traffic congestion

Traffic congestion is a condition on networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased Queueing theory....
, especially in old Amman, where its narrow streets cannot handle many people. To add to the congestion, all the Kingdom's highways pass through Amman, further increasing traffic in the capital.

By land, the city has frequent bus connections to other cities in Jordan, as well as to major cities in neighboring countries; the latter are also served by service taxis. Internal transport is served by a number of bus routes and taxis. Service taxis, which most often operate on fixed routes, are readily available and inexpensive. The two main bus and taxi stations are Abdali (near the King Abdullah Mosque

King Abdullah I Mosque

The King Abdullah I Mosque, built between 1982 and 1989 in Amman, Jordan. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer....
, the Parliament

Parliament of Jordan

The 1952 Constitution provided for the establishment of the bicameral Jordanian National Assembly: "Majlis al-Umma." The Legislature consists of two houses: the Assembly of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies ....
and Palace of Justice) and the newly built Raghadan Central Bus Station (near the Roman Amphitheater in downtown). The city can suffer from considerable traffic congestion at peak hours, especially during summer months when affluent vacationers from the Gulf region

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Historically and commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes Persian Gulf naming dispute referred to as the Arabian Gulf by certain Arab countries or simply The Gulf, although nei...
summer in Amman to take advantage of its relatively mild weather.

Economy

Amman is a regional hub in communications, transportation, medical tourism

Medical tourism

Medical tourism is a term initially coined by Travel agency and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtain health care....
, education, and investment. Amman is aggressively positioning itself as a hub for business, and new projects are continually transforming the city's skyline. Following the 2003 Iraq War, all business dealings with Iraq flow through Amman in some way. Its airport, Queen Alia International Airport

Queen Alia International Airport

Queen Alia International Airport is an airport situated in Zizya area, 20 miles south of Amman, the capital city of Jordan. The airport has three terminals: two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal....
, is the hub of the national carrier, Royal Jordanian

Royal Jordanian

Royal Jordanian Airlines is an airline based in Amman Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan....
, which is a major airline in the region. Amman is a major tourist gateway in the country because most of the country's foreign tourists arrive in Jordan through Amman. Amman is currently experiencing rapid growth in many different areas, with large growth seen in the real estate

Real estate

Real estate is a law term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location., construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of multitasking....
, banking, finance

Finance

The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
and business

Business

A business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide good s and/or Service to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalism economies, most being privately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners....
sectors. Numerous skyscrapers are under construction as the city municipality recently lifted the ban of buildings taller than 4 stories and allocated designated areas for high rises. All major highways of Jordan cross in Amman making the capital busy with freight trucks, buses and cars passing through the city.

Amman has both a modern and historic touch. East Amman is the older part of the capital where single family dwellings on the hill side and small shops and bazaars in the wadis, or valleys, dominate East Amman's layout. Old Amman is filled with souk

Souk

A souq is a commercial quarter in an Arab or Berber city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city. It may also refer to the weekly market in some smaller towns where neutrality from tribal conflicts would be declared to permit the exchange of surplus goods....
s, or bazaar

Bazaar

File:Railway Road by Ajaz Anwar.jpgA bazaar , , is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold....
s, small shops, and single family dwellings all. Several industrial cities are being developed near Amman, most important being Al-Mushatta, poised at turning this once sleepy village into a global economic powerhouse.

West Amman, however, is less densely populated and more scenic. It is also the more prosperous part of Amman, with much of the city's economic activity being centered in West Amman. Parks and wide boulevards with towering apartments and office buildings dominate the scenery. Most of the city's 5-star

Star (classification)

Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels....
and 4-star hotels are located in West Amman. Important districts include Shmeisani and Abdali, the main economic centers of Amman, Abdoun, the up-scale residential district, and Jabal Amman

Jabal Amman

Jabal Amman is one of the seven hills that originally made up Amman, Jordan. Today, Jabal Amman is near the old Downtown Amman area....
, one of Amman's historic districts. A large contrast exists between the more affluent districts of West Amman and the more middle and working class districts of East Amman.

Amman has a very large expatriate population because of its reputation as a haven for refugees seeking political asylum. Iraqis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Armenians, Circassions, and Chechens are among the many different expatriate populations currently residing in Amman. Egyptians, Syrians, and South East Asians also reside in vast numbers that work as domestic or civil servants. Many Westerners currently reside in Amman as many international organizations and diplomatic missions have regional offices in Amman.

New projects and proposals in and around the city include:

The Abdali Downtown project: this new development in the heart of Amman is among the largest projects under construction in the kingdom, and is a mixed-use development consisting of retail, outdoor shopping and restaurants, residential and office buildings. The master plan includes a large public green park, along with an outdoor pedestrian strip . The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2010.
The construction of the American University of Jordan.
The construction of the Jordan Gate Towers
Jordan Gate Towers

Jordan Gate Towers is a high class commercial and residential project currently under construction in Amman, Jordan.They are located in west Amman, close to the 6th Circle....
near the 6th Circle
6th Circle

The 6th Circle is the sixth of eight roundabouts in Amman, Jordan which connect the seven Ammanian hills, called "the jabals" by English-speaking visitors, after the Arabic jabal meaning hill or mountain....
, which is nearly completed, is being funded by Bahrain
Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, in , , literally Kingdom of the Two Seas).Bahrain is an Arabic island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa regime....
i and Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. The two identical skyscrapers will house office buildings.
Bonyan city, which will consist of 5 new skyscraper
Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition nor height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper....
s that will house apartments and offices
The Heights Tower, consisting of 35 floors, will house apartments and it is currently under construction.
Sky Tower, a residential
Residential area

Within a urban area there is a tendency for land uses to aggregate. A residential area is a land use in which the predominant use is housing.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas....
tower consisting of 30 floors, is under construction.
Amman Financial Tower, consisting of 56 floors, has been approved for construction.
Betina City consists of 3 central skyscrapers, a mega-mall, a suspended river, and 3 additional towers.
The Limitless Towers, two identical 65 floor buildings connected by a pedestrian walkway that will house the world's highest swimming pool. This twin tower project will be built in Abdoun.
The Abdoun suspended bridge, which spans Wadi Abdoun. This recently completed project reduces congestion in Wadi Abdoun
Wadi Abdoun

Wadi Abdoun is a 'wadi' in Amman, Jordan. The wadi separates the two neighbourhoods of Jabal Amman and Abdoun. The Abdoun Bridge spans the valley, connecting the 4th Circle and Abdoun Circle on either side....
and creates a new highway link between West and South Amman.
The expansion of Queen Alia International Airport.
The Jordan Twin Towers, which are to be constructed by the Nuqul Group
Nuqul Group

Nuqul Group , established in 1952, is a Conglomerate of 30 companies and one of the Middle East's leading industrial groups. It brings together more than 5,500 employees and exports its products to over 45 exports markets worldwide....
, and will be 34 stories high. Expected to be complete by 2008.
The Andalucian Village, being constructed near Amman. This project will include over 600 villas, and consists of many facilities such as spas, fitness and health centers, swimming pools, and a recreation area to be completed by 2008. 64% of the village have already been sold.
A proposed Amman World Trade Center, which will consist of 33 floors.
A massive new Royal Jordanian headquarters

These projects, along with the boom in the Jordanian real estate market and the construction of numerous other projects, are resulting in a huge boom in terms of development, both in the city of Amman and in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as a whole.

Cost of Living

Prices have skyrocketed in the past 5 years. Amman was ranked by the Economic Intelligence Organization to be the most expensive city in the Arab World, even ahead of places like Dubai

Dubai

Beirut

Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
. Real estate has skyrocketed due to a number of Wealthy Iraqis resettling in Amman. Real estate continues to be the dominating investment sector in Amman.

East and West

East Amman is the historic city center. Eastern Amman is more traditional and older than the newer West. Small shops and single family houses are dominant in East Amman's landscape. East Amman is the hub for the capital's historic sites and cultural activities. East Amman has a strong [Arabic] and [Islamic] character however its inhabitants are very tolerant of foreigners.

West Amman is the very modern, stylish extension of Amman. Malls, shopping centers, expensive hotels, nightclubs, bars, and international restaurants mark West Amman as one of the most liberal and modern cities in the region competing with places like Beirut

Beirut

Dubai

Dubai is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates and the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates . It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula....
. Elegant tree lined boulevards with villas and expensive apartment and office buildings dominate the city's character. Massive new high rise projects are transforming the capital into a regional business hub.

Culture

Amman is one of the most liberal cities in the Middle East. Amman is also one of the more westernized cities in the region ahead of places like Cairo or Damascus. Its culture and arts scene is thriving. Its freedom of worship is a long standing tradition of Jordan. The Jordanian media is also one of the most unrestricted in the region. Jordan has no laws forcing women or men to dress in a particular way. Women are not required to wear the veil. However, Appropriate attire is expected around places of worship of both the Islamic and Christian faiths. Amman is home to many diverse religious sects making up the two primary religions of Jordan, Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
and Christianity. Numerous mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, ? . The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque ,...
s and churches dot the capital. The most famous mosque of Amman is the King Abduallah I Mosque which can house almost 3,000 people. Most of the people in Jordan are Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
s, 85% and 15% Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
s.

Numerous cultural centers can be found throughout Amman, most notably the Al Hussein Cultural Center which contains over 30,000 books and plans to double that number, 30 computer sets, an electronic library and specialized libraries. Numerous IT and library centers can be found throughout the city.

The Al al-Bayt Institute Building located in the Al Hussein Public Parks points to the importance that the Hashemites give to the role of the Institute in Islamic life. Moreover, it is in line with the vision expressed by the Late King Hussein as far as the enrichment of man’s life with all sorts of knowledge. Care was taken to emphasize the Islamic character of the project: internally, the theme is unity of elements, leading to an inner courtyard; the use of cellars, arches in roofing, and proportionality, breakage of continuity of entrances as an element of creating anticipation, in addition to the use of wood and metal in overlapping fashion whereby, in the end, a distinctly Islamic style is reflected. Externally, a viewer looking at the external façade will note the extensive use of arches and Islamic oriels which give the building a reflection from the inside out, as well as a particularity that differs from the urban texture, not only as a religious or cultural function but as a school of all Islamic architectural elements.

The Cultural Village in the Al Hussein Public parks aims at introducing our heritage and Jordanian culture to visitor through a set of handicrafts created by a group of professional artisans and innovative institutions. The project consists of a main square surrounded by shops and galleries. On the eastern side of the village there is a coffee shop and two restaurants with a view overlooking the city.

There are numerous museums in Amman including the Royal Automobile Museum, the Jordan Archaeological Museum, Jordan Museum of Popular Tradition, the Jordan Folklore Museum, Souk jara, and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.

The Automobile Museum houses and exhibits the Late King’s collection of automobiles. The design of the building comes across as a mass merging into the surrounding environment and blends with it through the artificial planted hills which rise beyond the building’s walls.

The Jordan Archaeological Museum is located at the Citadel and houses it houses archaeological treasures from across the country like pottery, jewellery, ancient tools, etc. It also houses The Dead Sea bronze scrolls and plaster statues from Ain Ghazal, one of the world's oldest settlements.

The Jordan Museum of Popular Tradition and the Jordan Folklore Museum exhibit Jordanian handicrafts, clothing, embroidery, musical instruments,a goat hair Bedouin tent furnished with traditional objects, as well as a collection of mosaics from Madaba and other Byzantine churches across the country

The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts exhibits Jordanian art as well as art from across the region and the world. The museum in Jabal Lubweideh houses art even from Europe and America as well.

Media

Many Jordanian newspapers and news stations are situated in Amman. Amman is also a popular entry point for journalists entering the region to broadcast breaking news from volatile nations like Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

The Jordan Media City, established in 2001, is the first of its kind in the region and plans to make Jordan the regional hub of communications. It now transmits over 120 channels and still grows. Most channels are not Jordanian based, and the government still possess restrictions on Jordanian based channels which makes it hard to open new Jordanian TV channels. Although not as popular as Beirut

Beirut

Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
, many Jordanian singers work out of Amman.

Tourism

Amman has a very high percentege of tourist visiting the city. Much of Amman's tourism is focused in the older downtown area, which is centered around the old souk (a colorful traditional market) and the King Hussein Mosque. The downtown area (known locally as the Balad) has been completely dwarfed by the sprawling urban areas that surround it. Despite the changes, much remains of its old character. For those seeking the atmosphere of the Old City, it is best to venture to the district east of Jabal Amman

Jabal Amman

Jabal Amman is one of the seven hills that originally made up Amman, Jordan. Today, Jabal Amman is near the old Downtown Amman area....
. There, in the bustle of daily life, you can explore the capital's greatest souks, fine museums, ancient constructions, monuments, and cultural sites.

The Citadel hill of Amman

Citadel Hill, Amman

Jabal al-Qal'a, also called Citadel Hill is a historic area near the center of downtown Amman, Jordan. Known in Arabic as Jabal al-Qal'a, ??? ?????? , the L-shaped hill is one of the seven jabals that originally made up Amman....
, known as Jabal el Qala, has been inhabited for centuries, important as a military and religious site. It dates back to Roman and Byzantine times, and later work was carried out in the early Islamic era. Remains unearthed at the northern and eastern ends of the Citadel, possibly date back to the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is, with respect to a given prehistory, the period in that society when the most advanced metalworking included smelting copper and tin from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper and tin ores, creating a bronze alloy by melting those metals together, and casting them into bronze artifact s....
. The Citadel also is home to the Temple of Hercules which is said to have been constructed under the Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was Roman Emperor from 161 to his death in 180. He was the last of the "Five Good Emperors", and is also considered one of the most important stoicism philosophy....
who reigned from 161-180 AD, is similar to the Temple of Artemis

Temple of Artemis

The Temple of Artemis , also known less precisely as Temple of Diana , was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed? in its most famous phase? around 550 BC at Ephesus under the Achaemenid Empire of the Persian Empire....
in Ephesus

Ephesus

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, in the region known as Ionia during the period known as Classical Greece. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League....
.

Since Amman resembles Rome, as it is situated on seven hills, the city was a favorite place for Roman soldiers and officials. Behind the Roman forum

Forum (Roman)

The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Ancient Rome city.A gathering place of great social significance, it was often the scene of diverse activities, including political discussions, meetings, et cetera....
stands a Roman theatre

Roman theater (Jordan)

The Ancient Rome Theatre is an ancient theater built by the Roman Empire when it included the land of Jordan. It is now a popular touristic attraction in Amman, Jordan....
— the largest theatre in Jordan — with room for 6,000 spectators. Thought to have been built between 138 and 161 AD by the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius

Antoninus Pius

Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus , generally known in English as Antoninus Pius was Roman Emperors from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors and a member of the Aurelii....
, it is constructed into the side of the mountain and is still used for sports displays and cultural events.

Amman is also home to some of the grandest mosques in the Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, although they compare less favorably to the ones to be found in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
. The newest of these is the enormous King Abdullah I Mosque

King Abdullah I Mosque

The King Abdullah I Mosque, built between 1982 and 1989 in Amman, Jordan. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer....
, built between 1982 and 1989. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome

Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer. The most unusual mosque in Amman is the Abu Darweesh Mosque atop Jabal Ashrafieh (the highest point in the city). It is covered with an extraordinary black and white checkered pattern and is unique to Jordan. It is striking and visible from quite some distance. In contrast, the interior is totally free of the black and white scheme. Instead, there are light colored walls and Persian carpets. This religious building was erected by one of Amman's Circassian immigrants.

Amman is also home to many jewelers and souvenir shops for citizens and tourists alike. Most of Amman is well paved and nicely renovated. A new phase in Eastern Amman, the oldest part of the city, will repaint and renovate broken down building and build kiosks and street maps all over to the city to make touring Amman much easier for tourists. Amman is also a major destination for foreign students seeking study in Arabic. Amman's world-class hospitals are frequent destinations for those who seek medical treatment.

There are numerous nightclubs and bars across the city especially in West Amman.

A new construction phase in Abdali will transform downtown Amman into a more desirable place for investment. The new development is mostly for business purposes and the rest are residential hi-rises and shopping centers. Office buildings and a new boulevard containing easy access to malls, restaurants, hotels, and residential buildings. This $1.5 billion construction plan should be completed by 2010.

Unfortunately, a lone deranged gunman attacked Western tourists during a guided trip to the downtown Roman theatre in September 2006, shooting five of them, one fatally. The man was immediately apprehended, and claimed to have acted in response to the fighting between Israel and Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
during the prior months. Despite this attack, tourism in Amman continues on a daily basis, and the city's tourist locations are generally well-policed. Given Jordan's location in a region that sees frequent conflict and violence, by statistics and by general mood, Amman remains a safe and interesting place to visit. For example, despite this killing, there is little or no violent or petty crime in Amman, especially against visitors, who uniformly report feeling safe at all hours in practically all locations in the city.

Shopping

Shopping is continually becoming more popular in Jordanian culture and is very notable in the past five years, with huge mega malls

Shopping mall

File:Nordstrom wing , Pentagon City Mall.jpgA shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings which contain retail units, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit....
across Amman popping up such as Mecca Mall

Mecca Mall

Mecca Mall MeccaMall is one of the biggest shopping malls in the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is located in Mecca Street, and this is the reason the mall was named Mecca Mall....
, Abdoun Mall, Amman Mall, City Mall

City Mall, Jordan

City Mall is one of the biggest shopping malls in the Jordanian capital, Amman. Which includes a range of international fashion brands, restaurants, coffee shops, 10 screen Cineplex and a family entertainment zone, distributed over four levels....
, Plaza Mall, and Al Baraka Mall. Amman's retail sector is booming as the city is becoming a hub for Western travelers in the Levant

Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
.

Wakalat Street is Amman's first pedestrian-only street. It is one Amman's most vibrant and popular shopping districts.

Amman's newest shopping malls carry label names, which help attract tourists.

Nearby places of interest

Amman is conveniently located for many Jordanian attractions favoured by tourists. It is a mere 45 minute trip by car to several interesting locations:

The Baptism Site (Al-Maghtas in Arabic) on the Jordan River
Jordan River

The Jordan River is a river in Southwest Asia which flows into the Dead Sea. It is considered to be one of the world's most sacred rivers. It is 251 kilometers long....
where Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
is believed to have been baptized by
Baptism of Jesus

In the synoptic gospels, Jesus is baptism by John the Baptist. In these accounts, John preaches repentance before the coming judgment, baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and the imminent arrival of one far greater than him....
John the Baptist
John the Baptist

John the Baptist was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel....
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (Jordan)

Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 meters above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the Jordan river....
where, according to the Bible
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
, Moses
Moses

Moses is a Hebrew Bible Hebrews religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, to whom the Mosaic authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew , he is the most important prophet in Judaism, and also an important prophet of Christianity, Islam, the Bah?'? Faith, Rastafari movement, Chrislam and many ot...
is supposed to have died
The unique ultra saline waters of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea

For the Brian Keene book of the same name, see Dead Sea The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east....
, home to many first-rate resorts
Jerash
Jerash

Jerash, the Gerasa of Antiquity, is the capital and largest city of Jerash Governorate , which is situated in the north of Jordan, 48 km north of the capital Amman towards Syria....
, a city of the Decapolis and considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
cities in the Near East
The Hellenistic
Hellenistic civilization

File:Diadochen1.pngHellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Ancient Greece influence in the Classical Antiquity from 323 BC to about 146 BC ....
ruin of Qasr al Abd
Qasr al Abd

Qasr al Abd is a large ruin in western Jordan dating from approximately 200BC, and standing in the valley of Wadi Seer, approximately 17 kilometres west of Amman, close to the village of Iraq al Amir....
, in the near-by valley of Wadi Al Seer
Wadi Al Seer

Wadi Al Seer is a town approximately southwest of the Jordanian capital Amman. Literally "Valley of Orchards", the town is native to the Circassians who settled the area in 1878....
Petra
Petra

Petra is an Archaeology site in the Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a Depression among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah , the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, two hours from Aqaba, is one of the most breathtaking places in the world (one of the 7 wonders of the world)
The beaches at Aqaba
Aqaba

Aqaba is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan. It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport....
, a shipping port and Jordan's only access to the Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
. Just about three of four hours from Amman by car or away. You can also take a plane on Royal Jordanian from Queen Alia Airport to King Hussein International Airport (Aqaba Airport). The primarily industrial character of the town is mitigated by the fact that it is set between sprawling mountain ranges and boasts some of the finest coral reef
Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s in the region.
The unique geological rock formations of Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southwest Jordan. It is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic language root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'....
. The colorful rocks are best viewed at sunset and located a half hour away from Petra. Wadi Rum has connections with T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British people soldier renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18....
; consequently the movie Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 in film UK epic film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Austrian Sam Spiegel , from a script by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson ....
filmed there for a number of scenes.
Iraq Al Amir :Iraq Al Amir is situated in a lush, secluded wadi 24 km to the southwest of Amman. The area is generally known for Qasr Al-Abd (palace of the Slave), an impressive and unique building which dates from the first quarter of the 2nd century BC. Originally two stories high and constructed of megalithic stones weighing from 15-25 tons each, it is the most striking Hellenistic monument that has survived on either side of the Jordan River

Picture Gallery

Sister cities

Amman's sister cities

Town twinning

Town twinning, also known as sister cities, is a concept whereby towns or city in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links between their inhabitants....
are:

Muscat

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the Capital and largest city of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Muscat . As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797....
, Oman

Oman

Oman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
(1986) Jeddah

Jeddah

Jeddah is a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh....
, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
(1988) Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
(1988) Rabat

Rabat

Rabat , population 2 million , is the Capital of the Morocco. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Sal?-Zemmour-Zaer region.The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg....
, Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
(1988) Islamabad

Islamabad

Islamabad is the Capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan. The Rawalpindi/Islamabad List of most populous metropolitan areas in Pakistan is the third largest in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants, 1.5 million in Islamabad and three million in Rawalpindi....
, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
(1989) Baghdad

Baghdad

Iraq

Yemen

Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east....
(1989) Beijing

Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
, China

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
(1990) Ankara

Ankara

Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and the country's List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of cities in Turkey after Istanbul....
, Turkey

Turkey

Khartoum

Khartoum is the Capital of Sudan and of Khartoum . It is located at the confluence point of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia....
, Sudan

Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
(1993) Nalchik

Nalchik

Nalchik is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in the Caucasus region of southern Russia and capital of the Kabardino-Balkaria. The city is situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains....
, Russia

Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
(1994) Miami

Miami, Florida

Miami is a global city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the most populous county in Florida....
, United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
(1995) Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city of Qatar. With a population of 400,051 according to the 2005 census, it is located in the Ad Dawhah municipality on the Persian Gulf....
, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , officially the State of Qatar , is an Arab emirate in Southwest Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula....
(1995) Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
, Turkey

Turkey

São Paulo

S?o Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul and Mexico City is among the four largest metropolitan regions of the world....
, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, (1997) Algiers

Algiers

Algiers Nicknamed El-Bahdja or Alger la Blanche for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea....
, Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
(1998)

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
(1999) Nouakchott

Nouakchott

Nouakchott is the Capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania....
, Mauritania

Mauritania

Mauritania , officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, by Senegal on the southwest, by Mali on the east and southeast, by Algeria on the northeast, and by the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara on the northwest....
(1999) Tunis

Tunis

Tunis is the Capital of the Tunisian Republic and also the Tunis Governorate, with a population of 1 200,000 in 2008 and over 3,980,500 in the municipal area....
, Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
(1999) Sofia

Sofia

Sofia , is the Capital and largest city of the Bulgaria, with 2,5 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country....
, Bulgaria

Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
(2000) Beirut

Beirut

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
(2000) Pretoria

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three Capital , serving as the Executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislature capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital....
, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
(2002) Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa is the capital city of Honduras and is also the country's largest city. Tegucigalpa is also the capital of Honduras's Francisco Moraz?n, Honduras....
, Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras ....
(2002) Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, United States

United States

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
(2005) Milan

Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
(2005) Calabria

Calabria

Calabria , is a Regions of Italy in Southern Italy Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea....
, Italy

Italy

Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the Capital and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,065 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 419,030 people in the Sarajevo Canton ....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country on the Balkans peninsula of South Eastern Europe with an area of 51,129 square kilometres . Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the south, Bosnia and Herzegovina is Landlocked#Nearly landlocked, except for 26 kilometres of the Adriatic Sea coas...
(2005) Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
, Russia

Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
(2005) Central Governorate

Central Governorate

The Central Governorate is one of the five governorates of Bahrain. It includes parts of the municipalities of Al Wusta Region , Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Madinat 'Isa, Sitrah and A'ali....
, Bahrain

Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, in , , literally Kingdom of the Two Seas).Bahrain is an Arabic island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa regime....
(2006) Bishkek

Bishkek

Bishkek is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative center of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan....
, Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and People's Republic of China to the east....
(2006)

Amman

History

Geography

Amman Governorate

Districts

Transportation

Economy

Cost of Living

East and West

Culture

Media

Tourism

Shopping

Nearby places of interest

Picture Gallery

Sister cities

See also

External links