Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan, spread over many hills in the north of the country. It is famous for its ancient past as Rabbath Ammon and Roman Philadelphia, for the Amman Citadel and the 2nd-century Roman Theatre, and for its lively downtown and cafe streets.
People settled here as early as about 7000 BC at Ain Ghazal. The city became the Ammonite capital in the Iron Age, a Roman city named Philadelphia, and later an Umayyad center, before it was largely abandoned. Circassian settlers revived it in 1878, and it grew quickly after becoming the capital of Transjordan in 1921.
Today the Citadel, the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace look down on the Roman Theatre, the Nymphaeum and the Grand Husseini Mosque in the old downtown. The Jordan Museum, the blue-domed King Abdullah I Mosque and the cafes of Rainbow Street fill another day. Spring and autumn are the best seasons.
The Amman Citadel crowns Jabal al-Qal'a above downtown Amman and is among the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, once the capital of the Ammonite kingdom. Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad ruins share the hill with a small museum. Come near sunset for the best views over the city.
The Temple of Hercules on the Amman Citadel was built when Geminius Marcianus governed Roman Arabia in AD 161 to 166. Its surviving columns frame wide views over Amman, and fragments of a giant marble statue, including a huge stone hand and elbow, lie nearby. Bring a camera for the views.
The Umayyad Palace on the Amman Citadel was built by the Umayyad rulers in the first half of the 8th century and was damaged by an earthquake in 749. Its domed entrance hall has been restored, and a large round cistern and a colonnaded street survive nearby. Allow an hour to explore the ruins.
The Roman Theatre in downtown Amman is a 6,000-seat theatre cut into a hillside in the 2nd century, when the city was Philadelphia, and honors Emperor Antoninus Pius. Its steep rows still carry sound well, and concerts are held here. Small folklore and popular tradition museums sit in its wings.
The Nymphaeum in downtown Amman is a 2nd-century Roman public fountain that once held a pool of about 600 square meters, three meters deep, beside a stream that has since dried up. Its tall carved niches stand at the corner of Quraysh and Ibn al-Atheer streets, near the Roman Theatre.
Hashemite Plaza is a 20,000-square-meter public square in downtown Amman, renewed in 2014, with fountains, gardens and cafes on the site of the Roman forum. The Roman Theatre and the Odeon flank it, and it hosts events such as the Amman Book Festival. Join local families here on warm evenings.
The Grand Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman stands on the site of a 7th-century Umayyad mosque and was rebuilt in 1924 by Emir Abdullah, who named it after his father, Sharif Hussein. Its stone facade and small plaza face busy markets. It is one of the main landmarks of the old downtown.
The Odeon in downtown Amman is a small 2nd-century Roman theatre on the east side of Hashemite Plaza, built in the same era as the Roman Theatre and the Nymphaeum. Far more intimate than its big neighbor, it is thought to have been roofed for concerts. Visit it together with the Roman Theatre.
The King Abdullah I Mosque in the Abdali area of Amman was built between 1982 and 1989 and is capped by a blue mosaic dome under which 3,000 worshippers can pray. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times; men need long trousers, and women can borrow a hooded gown for free at the entrance.
Abu Darwish Mosque stands on Jabal al-Ashrafieh, one of the highest points in Amman, and is famous for its black and white stone in an old Damascene style. A Circassian resident, Hajj Mustafa Hassan Sharkas, known as Abu Darwish, built it in 1961. It can be seen from across the city.
The Raghadan Flagpole rises 126.8 meters in the royal compound of Raghadan Palace in Amman and briefly held the record as the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world after King Abdullah II raised its flag in 2003. The flag measures 60 by 30 meters and can be seen from up to 20 km away.
The Cave of the Seven Sleepers in ar-Rajib, on the eastern edge of Amman, is linked by many to the story of the young men who slept for centuries, told in the Qur'an's Surah al-Kahf. Excavated in the 1960s, the rock-cut cave holds sarcophagi beside the remains of a church and a mosque.
The Jordan Museum in the Ras al-Ein district of Amman opened in 2014 and is the largest museum in Jordan. Its highlights are the 9,000-year-old Ain Ghazal statues, among the oldest human figures ever made, and part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the Copper Scroll. Allow at least two hours.
The Royal Automobile Museum in Amman, next to Al Hussein Public Parks, opened in 2003 as the first public car museum in the Arab region. It shows royal and historic vehicles from the 1916 cars of Sharif Hussein bin Ali to modern sports cars, plus the rover used in the film The Martian.
The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Jabal al-Luweibdeh, Amman, opened in 1980 and holds more than 2,000 works by over 800 artists from 59 countries, with a focus on Asia and Africa. Its renovated buildings won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007. Pair it with a walk in Luweibdeh.
Rainbow Street runs east from the First Circle through Jabal Amman, one of the oldest quarters of Amman, lined with cafes, rooftop restaurants, craft shops and old stone villas. The Wild Jordan Center and Souk Jara are close by. Come in the evening, when the street is busiest and the views open up.
No reviews yet. Been to Amman? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Amman? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Daniel Case, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Trldp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dudva, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Bjorgen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Raya Sharbain, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mahmood Salam, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Aseel Ahmad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Anark75, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Daniel Case, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Daniel Case, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Fallaner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Shannon Hobbs, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Laith sorour, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Mohammad hajeer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Bjorgen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Tarawneh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: لا روسا, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Gislus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jean Housen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jeanhousen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jean Housen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Medullaoblongata Projekt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ken and Nyetta, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Avery Jensen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Avery Jensen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mohammad hajeer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ankur Panchbudhe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Iainsimpsonstewart, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: D-Stanley, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jerzy Strzelecki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: young shanahan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: andryn2006, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Tarawneh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: David Bjorgen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Graham, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rania al-Bahara, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: JoTB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Bashar Tabbah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bashar Tabbah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bashar Tabbah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mohammad hajeer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Hosse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Hosse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rami Tarawneh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Freedom's Falcon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rami Tarawneh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rami Tarawneh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Producer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Producer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: بلال الدويك, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
