The Balad

The Emperor and Empress!
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Today we went went down to the Balad, or downtown Souk (Marketplace).  Amman, which was named Philadelphia during the Roman Empire.  We paid a guide to take us around this Roman amphitheater.  It was built 200 years after Christ.  It is the largest in Jordan, seating 7,000, and is still used for summer concerts and outdoor events!  It was made entirely out of marble which had to be brought in as Jordan has no marble quarries.  There is a secret passageway underneath the amphitheater which the guide let me walk through.  We went to a Bedouin museum and learned about some of the traditional inhabitants of the area.  After the amphitheater, we went to the little shops around the busy area.  We went to a Hookah shop and a couple of spice shops.  We bought coffee from a street vendor, they sell three different kinds: no sugar, a little sugar and a lot of sugar! The hustle and bustle of the busy downtown was a very different feeling than that of this quiet neighborhood we live in!

We bought coffee from a street vendor; they sell three different kinds: no sugar, a little sugar and a lot of sugar!