Sightseeing in Amman - what to see. Complete travel guide

Amman is an amazingly attractive city, which harmoniously combines old traditions of the antiquity and modern lifestyle. The history of this city has started over ten thousand years ago. At that time this place was known as Rabat Amon and was the capital city of Amon princedom. A bit later the city was conquered and ruled by the Romans and Amman was considered the territory of Palestine, and then a part of the Byzantine Empire. The Arabians conquered Amman in the beginning of the 7th century and for a long time after this the city was in recession. Only in the 16th century Amman started showing some signs of economic and political growth.

The 20th century is often called the period of prosperity of this region, as during this time the city attracts thousands of travellers, who are eager to see the unique sights and sacred places of Amman. Ballad district is one of historic regions of Amman. Here you can see an ancient Citadel, which is built on a hill. The ruins of Hercules temple are located nearby. Walk down the hill and you will see the Roman amphitheater, which is now used as a building for the Jordan Folklore Museum. The halls of this museum store large collections of traditional costumes, household devices, and musical instruments. Almost next to the amphitheater is located another cultural sight – the Jordan Museum of National Traditions. The museum exhibits a rare collection of mosaics brought to the museum from Madaba and Jerash.

The local Archeological Museum is a great place to find many interesting facts about the life of first citizens of Amman and see valuable artifacts from that era. The Governor’s Palace is one of the most notable sights from the Byzantine Empire times. This luxury building is also located in the old part of the city. All modern districts are traditionally called “Western Amman” and this part of the city may attract tourists with its market square, which is often used to hold trade fairs and interesting performances. Here are also located several restaurants, interesting shops and souvenir outlets. This is also the best place for evening walks. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In Amman you can see some beautiful mosques, one of which is considered to be King Abdullah Mosque. This one was built in 1989, and it impresses visitors with its big scale; its walls it can accommodate up to 10,000 worshipers at once. Today there are 2 museums operating in the mosque - the Royal Museum and the Museum of Islam. King Abdullah’s Mosque is a popular tourist destination also because of the fact that it is the only mosque in the city, which is open for visitors of any religion. 

For those fond of unusual attractions, it is certainly worth visiting the Royal Automobile Museum. King Huseyn loved beautiful cars, and he managed to collect an impressive amount of them, which today can be seen by everyone. The museum features more than 70 models of cars and motorcycles, and among the exhibits presented here there are quite a few older rare models. Visitors to the museum will be happy to learn that it is possible to even sit down and take pictures in some of the cars presented. 

In the near vicinity of the city many interesting ancient attractions are present, among which Ahl al Kahf necropolis deserves special attention. For local residents it remains a sacred place, the necropolis was founded in ancient caves. A lot of curious stories are connected with it, and many interesting artefacts were found during the archaeological research. 

For those who love nature, sights worth visiting are located in the immediate vicinity of the city - in the Mujib Nature Reserve. It was founded in 1987 and occupies the valley of Wadi Mujib and the nearby territory. In the reserve there are over 400 species of plants, including some rare ones. The reserve has become home to more than 10 kinds of animals and there are more than 150 species of birds too. 

A fascinating Numismatic Museum is also there in Amman, where you can see more than 2200 coins from various periods of time. According to historical data, the first coin in the Middle East was made back in the 4th century BC; today ancient Nabataean coins in the museum may be seen, as well as the types of coins related to the early Arab-Islamic period.