Amman - The White City

The ruins at the Citadel
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We leave Petra this morning but there’s no hurry. Our car will come by at around noon which gives Missy enough time to check out the hotel’s pool and gives me some time to explore the ornate public areas of the hotel. This is quite a beautiful hotel – easily the finest in Petra. Actually the hotel is situated just outside the official city gates of Petra in a smaller town called Wadi Musa (or the valley of Moses). The main street is mostly lined with guest houses, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Jordan is renowned for its intricate mosaic works and we have seen some amazing pieces in our hotel. It is also known for its exquisite furniture – dark wood inlaid with ivory and other precious stones. I’ve spent the past hour just wandering around the lobby, the restaurants, the roof garden and admiring the craftsmanship.

The lobby of the Movenpic hotel in Petra
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Soon it’s time to go and we are on our way to Amman airport to pick up our flight that will return us to Cairo. We stop enroute at a local visitor stop (like an Dhabba in India) where we eat some local food and shop for souvenirs.  Once in Amman, we have enough time to cruise around the various neighbourhoods in Amman and also visit the Citadel, the palace of the Ummaiyads and get a view of the city’s early amphitheatre. Jordan has many influences – thanks to its many rulers – the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Crusaders and then Islam. All of these influences are readily evident in the city’s monuments.

The outstanding whiteness is the result of the white stones of the country used in construction-rough hewn, smooth or lightly veined, and even polished white marble.

King Abdulla Mosque
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Amman is the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, formerly the Ammonite capital city of Rabat-Ammon, and later the Graeco - Roman city called Philadelphia.

Originally spread over seven hills like Rome, Amman now covers at least nineteen hills. It is a city of contrasts, a mixture of ancient and modern. Often referred to as “the white city", Amman’s houses are a great canvas of overlapping beiges, ochre and whites.

The outstanding whiteness is the result of the white stones of the country used in construction-rough hewn, smooth or lightly veined, and even polished white marble.

The Roman Amphitheatre
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The city has a population of almost two million although our guide seemed to think it’s easily over three million if you account for all the Iraqis that have arrived into Jordan in the last five years or so. In terms of cultural norms, the wearing of a burqa or hijab is more of a familial matter than a matter dictated by religion or state. So, it’s not uncommon for a woman that has never used her hijab as a single woman to be married into a home that observes strict compliance with the hijab (and vice versa)

The Umayyad Palace
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The city is actually more modern than historical. Of historical interest are the Citadel and the 5,000 seat Roman Amphitheatre which is at the foot of the Citadel.

Alongside the Citadel is the Umayyad palace which is currently undergoing restoration. The Umayyads ruled an impressive empire, based in Damascus and stretching from Iraq to Spain. Many of the great mosques of the Middle East were built during their era. After the fall of their empire, they would set up their kingdom in exile in Grenada, Spain - and to some extent maintain their influence on Spain and North Africa until their expulsion in 1492. That’s probably why the Spanish authorities are funding the restoration.

Arial view of the City
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One other site we stopped to look at was the King Abdullah Mosque (made famous in the first Gulf War by CNN) which, built in 1990, is an example of modern Islamic architecture. After that, we just drove around the city and looked at the buildings, the houses and generally checked out all the modern architecture juxtaposed against historic monuments and traditional people.

Soon we were at the Queen Alia International airport and it was time to board our flight back to Cairo.