Amman

Amman is a very clean, modern city with almost all the buildings having a uniform color due to the limestone used in the building’s facade. On the highest hill sits the Citadel which dates back to the Bronze Age. Over thousands of years it has been rebuilt many times due to its strategic position. Within its walls are the remains of a Roman Temple of Hercules, Umayyad Palace, Byzantium Basilica, and the National Archeological Museum. The museum is small, but its exhibits are unique and well labeled in English. There are some of the Dead Sea scrolls, 6000 year old skulls from Jericho, three of the Ain Ghazal statues which date to 6500 BCE and are some of the world’s earliest sculptures. A short distance from the base of the Citadel is a 2nd century CE Roman Theater which was restored in 1957. It has a small museum attached with contemporary clothing and artifacts. Concerts and other events are held there throughout the year.