First exploration July 5

We set out via tourist bus to explore some areas of Amman.


We saw the Roman Theatre in the downtown area. It could hold up to 6,000 spectators. It dates from the 2nd century. The steps were very steep.





This is a view of the Citadel from the Theatre with a telephoto lense. It is more than a mile away as the crow flies, but the streets of Amman are winding with very steep hills.







We visited some small art galleries in two houses. We visited the Citadel which is on hill overlooking downtown. It is a very interesting site. It is an interesting archaeological site with ruins of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, the Romans, Byzantine, and early Islamic remains built on top of each other. There is archaeological digging still underway to the left see a wall being uncovered.






Roman columns at the Citadel.









The mosque that is being restored is on top of a site if I remember correctly was the site for a Roman temple pre-Christian and post-Christian. The civilizations build on top of each other reusing stones from previous societies.





The inside of the mosque under restoration.




This an early Christian church that was built on the site of the Citadel.



After a lunch with Mesa and Maza which was delicious. We visited a souq that was all jewelry mostly gold which is reputed to be of high quality and at good prices. There were 20 shops like this one. Eventhough each shop has a million dollars worth of gold behind simple glass, they have no problems with thefts because everyone would pursue a robber.


We also visited the King Abdullah Mosque.