Jordan » Introduction of Amman

Amman is the modern and ancient capital of Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations and ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans' workshops. Everywhere there is evidence of the city’s much older past.

Due to the city’s modern-day prosperity and temperate climate, almost half of Jordan’s population is concentrated in the Amman area. The people of Amman are multi-cultural, multi-denominational, well educated and extremely hospitable. Amman's modern history began in the late 19th Century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants in 1878.

In Greco-Roman times in the 3rd century BC, the City was renamed Philadelphia (Greek for "The Brotherhood Love") after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphia (283-246 BC). The Under the influence of the Roman culture, Philadelphia was reconstructed in typically grand Roman style with colonnaded streets, baths, an Amphitheater, and impressive public buildings.

There is an older "downtown" area around the ancient, beautifully restored Roman Amphitheater, but there is no one main business center or hotel district in Amman. Offices and hotels are scattered randomly across the entire sprawling city.

The city is an interesting, lively base for exploring northern and central Jordan. Independent travelers will, of necessity, spend time here making touring arrangements. Amman has fabulous (and very affordable) Middle Eastern restaurants as well as interesting local craft cooperatives and shops to visit.