Amman, Jordan
April 18-20, 2023
Amman, is the capital of Jordan and while founded in 7000 B.C its ruins coexist with the modern world around it today. The city of Amman is built on steep hills making it not the best to explore by walking around. Looking at a map it may look like a straight shot, but google maps dose not show you all the hills!
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Driving around the city automatically makes you realize you are in a different place then in the States, and even Mexico. A city law enforces that that all houses that are built have to be in the same sandy color palette. When on top of the hill at the Citadel this is an amazing place to see this.
Arabic
Hi- ahlaan
Please- law samaht
Thank you- shkran lak
The Roman Citadel
Sitting on top of one of the seven original hills of Amman the Citadel, this hill has evidence of inhabitance as far back as the Stone Age. Sometime after 1200 BCE, the hill became the capital to the kingdoms of Ammon, later to be under the influence of many other empires including the Romans during the 1st century. After the Umayyads in the 7th century came a period of decline tell about 1878 when the local Bedouins lived among the rubble and ruins. Even with this gap the Citadel of Amman is considered to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited places.
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Getting there
On top of the hill has limited parking, if you are staying in town for the day I recommend taking the bus or hiring a ride. We arrived at 8:30 in the morning, and found parking in the few spots available. Then we waited to tell the gates opened at 9:00, admission was covered by our Jordan pass without it the tickets were $3 JD
Offering Ruins from several civilizations so
close to each other the Citadel is still home
to the Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace,
a Byzantine church, and an Ayyubid watchtower.
In 1951 the Jordan Archaeological Museum was
added to the hill where artifacts from all over the
hillside have been housed since.
Shopping
Going to the shops in Ammon if the prices are not marked then it is expected to bargain with them on the price. Most people say to start by offering 30% less and go from there. ( I suck at bargaining but that is me.)
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When entering most shops we were offered tea, coffee, or water. Culturally it is considered very rude to not accept an offer from someone when they try to give you something. This being said at check out at two different shops we went to we were offered gifts when checking out as well as bracelets and other little trinkets.
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Just like any other time we travel, we like to try and keep the money local, in many countries Jordan included tourism is their lifeblood. So try to buy and eat locally from mom-and-pop shops as much as possible.