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13 OUTSTANDING Things to do in Amman, Jordan For history and culture

view of amman's hillsides covered in buildings

Oh Gosh. I wish I had more time in Amman, Jordan. I knew at first glance out my Uber window at the hills covered in limestone desert buildings that I was gong to love this place.

No actually. The love started before that with my airport transfer ride with Khalid. During our 40-minute drive he taught me a lot about the history and culture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (through a fun game format)  You can read more about that here.

We talked about Jordanian food, lifestyle, geography and religion, politics – two topics they typically say not to talk about, but this was a judgement free conversation for learning and understanding.

Amman, Jordan

Khalid brought Amman to life as we navigated through the wadis and up and down the hills – or mountains as Khalid calls them – there are now over 20 of them in a city that long ago was build on seven hills just like Rome.

Amman is known as the City of Seven Hills, in reference to its history of Roman rule.

With a population of 4.5 million, the capital, Amman is Jordan’s largest city. It is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities with a history spanning nine millennia!

You’ll discover a fascinating mix of old and new neighborhoods made up of crumbling ruins, limestone desert buildings, and modern skyscrapers.

people standing at fruit stand in amman jordan

Amman is the kind of city I could get lost in, stopping to recalibrate in beautiful, LOCAL coffee shops, like Rumi Café below, while engaging with the warm, friendly locals.

There are many things to do in Amman, including the nearby top attractions of the Citadel and Jerash, both ancient Greco Roman cities.

I had two days exploring Jordan’s Capital City at the beginning of my Jordan Escape tour by Globus.

1. Visit Citadel Hill

ancient ruins of the citadel with three plaques showing the three names of amman
The gates to the Citadel showing the three names of Amman

One of the most popular things to do in Amman is the Citadel, the ancient site of Rabbath-Ammon, the original name of Amman. Its considered one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places.

As it sits on the highest hill (Jabal al-Qal’a) in Amman, you’ll probably see the columns of the Temple of Hercules as you move about the city.

crumbling columns of Temple of Hercules Citadel with the hills of amman covered in buildings in the background
Temple of Hercules

The Temple of Hercules is the Citadel’s main attraction and will dominate your view as you walk through the city gates. (see more in this Reel)

At the foot of the temple columns lies the remains of what they believe was an enormous Statue of Hercules that collapsed during an earthquake.

The size of the remaining three fingers…

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