Highlights - Essential Info - Itineraries - History
Amman & Jerash
Amman, like Rome, was built on seven hills (jebels), but it has grown so much that today it spreads over nineteen. Overall, and compared to other ancient cities of the Orient, Amman is a modern and very westernised city, however the Balad (‘City Centre’ or ‘Downtown’) comprises the old and more traditional parts of the city.
The Citadel or Jebel al-Qala’a is the highest point of Amman and the site where the first inhabitants lived. It used to be a fortress and numerous excavations show Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic remains. The most impressive series of buildings to see is the Umayyad Palace complex with its audience hall, a Byzantine Church and the Temple of Hercules with its columns visible from around the city.
The Roman Theatre is an impressive monument that dates from 151 AD and was built to sit 6000 people. The theatre has been partially rebuilt and is still being used for performances today. The Archeological Museum, in the grounds of the Citadel, houses an excellent collection of antiquities of Jordan dating from prehistoric times to the 15th Century. The Folklore Museum is housed within the Roman Theatre complex and exhibits a collection of items illustrating Jordanian life.
Jerash is remarkable for its long chain of human occupation (for as many as 6500 years). Remains from Neolithic times have been found, as well as Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad and others, although its golden age was during Roman rule with the arrival of Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Jerash was a member of the Decapolis, a dynamic commercial league of ten Graeco-Roman cities, today it is one of the best preserved provincial cities of the Roman Empire.
Our preferred hotels include:
Four Seasons Hotel Amman
Marriott Hotel Amman
Kempinski Hotel Amman
