Amman/History of Amman

Amman is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is geographically straddled between seven hills and historically sits astride many centuries. It is endowed with the artistic beautifulness of the historical remnants of ancient civilizations with the modern buildings and houses that are built artistically on the hills of the city, cuddling the light blue sky in the early morning and steals your eyes for the magic of sunset; with the sun hiding behind the hills.

Amman is built on seven hills, or “jabals”, each of which defines more or less a neighborhood. Most of these hills –or “jabals” once had a traffic circle, and although most of these have now been replaced by traffic lights, Amman’s geography is often described in reference to the eight circles which form the spine of the city. First Circle is located near downtown, and the series extends westward through Eighth Circle.

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.

Talking about Amman’s population, it 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. The population of the city is of 2,525,000 inhabitants (2008 estimate) with an area of 1,680 km2 (648.7 SQ MI). Temperatures in Amman, however, range from 5.0 to 32.85 (Celcius). Regarding the used languages in the country; Arabic is considered to be the first language, and English language is to be as a second language, French is to be the third.

It is also considered to embrace both religions; Islam and Christianity. Honking horns give way to the beautiful call to prayers which echoes from the stately minarets which grace the city, and the melodious ringing of bells of churches resonating in the air, spreading blesses and love for God calling for the prayers.

In the commercial heart of the city, the splendid profusion of gleaming white houses built artistically around Amman, it is appealing to visit the down town that is centered in the middle of the city which is called “al balad”. Of course, it will not be considered a visit to Jordan if you do not walk in the balad and look around at the bustling markets—known in Arabic as “souqs”— and the kabab stalls, cafés and endless markets and shops. With the remains of civilizations and ages long past, it is worth to see the hand made carpets, beautifully woven and colorful. Also the sand bottles given away as unique souvenirs, not to forget the various collections of hand made crafts and gifts made with love to the country and its visitors.

Moving back to the history of Amman, it has served as the modern and ancient capital of Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a 1994 excavation uncovering homes and towers believed to have been built during the Stone Age, circa 7000 BCE. There are many Biblical references to the city, which by about 1200 BCE had become the Ammonite capital of Rabbath-Ammon. The Ammonites fought numerous wars with Saul, David and others.

The history of Amman between the end of its Biblical references (around 585 BCE) and the time of the Ptolemies is unclear. We do know that the city was renamed Philadelphia after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus in the third century BCE. After coming under Seleucid and Nabatean rule, Philadelphia was taken by the Roman vassal King Herod in 30 BCE. The city became part of the Decapolis League, a loose alliance of ten Roman-ruled cities including Jerash, Gadara (present-day Umm Qais), Pella, Arbila (Irbid) and others. Under the Roman rule, Philadelphia was re-planned and re-constructed in typically grand Roman style with a colonnaded street, baths, an amphitheater and impressive public buildings.

During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian bishop, and several expansive churches were built. The city declined somewhat during the late Byzantine years, and was overrun by the Persian Sassanians in 614 CE. Their rule was short-lived, however, collapsing before the Arabian armies of Islam around the year 635. The name of the city then returned to its Semitic origin of Ammon, or "Amman." It remained an important stop on the caravan routes for many years, but eventually trade patterns shifted and dried up the lifeblood of Amman. The city declined to little more than a provincial village for many centuries.

Amman’s "modern" history began in the late 19th century, when the Ottomans re-settled a colony of Circassian emigrants there in 1878. Many of their descendants still reside in Amman. During that time and the early decades of the 20th century, the neighboring city of Salt was more important as a regional administrative and political center. However, after the Great Arab Revolt secured the state of Transjordan, Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein made Amman his capital in 1921.

The greatest charm of Amman, however, is found in the hospitality of its residents. Visitors to Amman—and the rest of Jordan, for that matter—are continually surprised by the genuine warmth with which they are greeted. "Welcome to Jordan" is a phrase visitors will not soon forget.