Discovering Jordan through Amman
Ancient Roman ruins rise above the city in Amman, Jordan. Photo taken on February 13, 2023.
On the morning of February 12, the World Odyssey docked at its third port of call: Aqaba, Jordan. Before Semester at Sea, I had barely even heard of Jordan, much less thought about visiting. As I admired Aqaba, a cluster of white and tan buildings snuggled on a mountainside, I felt immense excitement to explore.
I’m surprised that I was unfamiliar with Jordan because it’s home to many famous cultural staples, which I learned from our inter-port lecturers a few days before arrival. Petra, a wonder of the world, is in the heart of the Wadi Musa mountain range. Among the most beautiful deserts in the world, Wadi Rum stretches for miles near Aqaba’s outskirts. The famous Dead Sea, whose salinity is so high that one can float atop the water, is roughly an hour from Amman, the Capitol of Jordan. Jordan is home to Mount Nebo, where Moses was shown the Promised Land and the Baptism sight of Jesus Christ, near the Jordan River and the Israel border.
Welcome to Amman, the Capitol of Jordan
Bright and early on February 13 (4:00 a.m. to be exact), I hopped on a bus with four friends and drove to Amman. The drive was roughly four hours, and I slept most of the ride. However, when I wasn’t sleeping, I loved staring at the mountains we drove by. For me, mountains invoke a feeling of home and comfort, so I always love finding mountains in ports.
Driving by mountains on the way to Amman. Photo taken on February 13, 2023.
When we arrived in Amman, I was struck by how different the city was from Aqaba. Amman is significantly more extensive and more populated than Aqaba. The city is characterized by two types of urban landscapes: downtown is a mass of towering buildings whose glossy windows mirror the outside landscape. Uptown consisted of shorter beige buildings crammed together on the sides of the mountains. It reminded me of the building blocks I used to build cities with when I was younger.
We grabbed breakfast and coffee at a café in a local mall. In nearly every port I visit, we always visit a mall in the country. Of course, I love sightseeing and trying new activities in each country, but at the same time, it’s nice to visit malls for a sense of familiarity to the states. It’s a sort of “haven” from the culture shock of each country, as I learned in global studies. Of all the amazing countries I’ve visited, I can safely say that Jordan has been the most “other-worldly” place. It’s crazy how different it is from anywhere else I’ve gone, and maybe you’ll get this sense, too, as you see my next posts.
Exploring the Ruins
After breakfast and shopping, we taxied to the sight of the Amman Roman ruins, which included the Amman Citadel.
Among the ruins is the Roman Temple of Hercules, built by ancient Romans. Visitors can see the last hand of the Hercules statue at the temple. The Romans conquered Jordan in 63BCE and formed the Decapolis League from the ten towns they overtook. It’s likely the ruins were old temples, theatre, palaces, homes, bathing rooms, and other structures.
Other remains include crumbling pillars, beige-colored stone bricks with grass seeping through the cracks, and inscriptions on the stone dating to 160 CE. Mountain goats freely roam in the ruins and munch on grass. At the edges of the ruins are fantastic views of an ancient Roman amphitheater and the city of Amman.
Although I could have spent much more time exploring Amman, my group and I had other places to visit. So, I sufficed by admiring Amman from the car window as we taxied to our next destination.
Source: https://www.touristjordan.com/top-3-roman-ruins-jordan/
