Modern Amman is home to an estimated 2.5 million people, or 40 per cent of Jordan’s total population. The city has grown from its initial seven hills to sprawl across more than 40 in endless waves of sandstone houses and tentacle-like roads that have a disconcerting tendency to veer off in unexpected directions.
It has sheltered several civilizations and borne many names: it was Rabbath Ammon to the Ammonites in the 13th century BC and to the Persians and the Greeks, Philadelphia to the Nabataeans and Romans, and Amman for the Ghassanids, multiple Caliphates, Ciracassians, Ottomans, and modern Jordanians and Palestinians.
The ruins of Philadelphia and Amman are still visible in the Citadel, a collection of ruined temples, defenses and a palace which crown the highest hill in Amman, Jebel al-Qala’a. A huge Roman theatre, large enough to seat 6,000 people, is cut into another hillside below.
This gallery contains a selection of photos only; to see more, visit our Flickr site.
