Amman
Amman (Arabic عمان ʿAmmān), the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan, is a city of more than 1.2 million inhabitants, and is the commercial, industrial and administrative centre of Jordan.
History
Amman had throughout history several civilizations that inhabited it.
The first one recorded is at the Neolithic period, around 6500 BC.
Where archaeological discoveries in Ain Ghazal, in eastern Amman,
shown evidence not only of a settled life then but also the growth of artistic work, which is considered as one of the most developed civilizations at that time.
In the 13th century BC Amman was called Rabbath Ammon or Rabat Amon by the Ammonites (רבת עמון, Standard Hebrew Rabbat ʿAmmon, Tiberian Hebrew Rabbaṯ ʿAmmôn). It was later conquered by the Assyrians followed by the Persians, and then the Greeks who called it Philadelphia (Greek Φιλαδελφια). In the 1st century BC Philadelphia came under Roman control and joined the Decapolis - a league of ten cities.
In 324 AD, Christianity became the religion of the empire and Philadelphia became the seat of bishopric.
This was the start of the Byzantine era.
It got its present name Amman in the Ghassanian era,
and flourished under the Ummayads and the Abbasids.
Then it was destroyed by the many earthquakes and disasters
until 1887 which marks the settlement of the Circassians.
In 1921 Prince Abdullah chose Amman as seat of his new government and then later as the Capital of the Kingdom of Jordan. Amman stayed a small city until 1948, when the population has grown steadily as a result of the influx of Palestinian refugees.
Residential areas have spread out from the centre of the city to the surrounding hills.
Amman Today
Now it is a modern city, where Muslims and Christians live together.
It holds both modern-style buildings in newly built areas in west Amman,
and the old Souk (a colorful traditional market) in downtown. It is 45 minutes by car from the spot where Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan.
See also
