Amman

Culturally and geographically far from the desert, Amman is the capital city of Jordan and a wonderful mix of old and new. Like Athens or Rome (though to be fair, not quite as impressive), the modern city encompasses ancient ruins, in Amman’s case the Citadel and Roman amphitheater and odeon.  The Citadel is elevated and provides an epic outlook point onto the modern city, and one can well understand why this point was chosen as a religious focal point in ancient times.  The Citadel’s ruins span centuries, and here you will find not only Roman ruins, but also remains from Byzantine and Umayyad eras.  The Citadel hill is also home to the small but impressive Archaeological Museum whose exhibits range from prehistoric times to the fifteenth century and include both practical and artistic items such as glass, pottery, jewelry, and they also have a copy of the Ain Ghazal statues, among the oldest statues ever made by human civilization (the original is at the Jordan Museum).

In addition to the ancient sites, a tour of Amman takes in the modern city too with a guided walk down town through the bazaars and the Gold market, stopping along the way to sample the delicious Middle Eastern street food.

As Jordan’s capital city, Amman offers a wide range of accommodation options including excellent luxury five star hotels.