View source for Amman

{{Short description|Capital and largest city in population of Jordan}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|عمان|the country with the same spelling in Arabic|Oman}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Amman
| native_name        = {{nobold|عَمَّان}}
| native_name_lang   = ar
| settlement_type    = Capital city
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border             = infobox
| perrow             = 1/2/2/1
| total_width        = 270
| align              = center
| caption_align      = center
| image1             = New Abdali 2024.png
| caption1           = [[New Abdali]]
| image2             = King Abdullah I Mosque with Our Lady Church (cropped).jpg
| caption2           = [[King Abdullah I Mosque]] and [[Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Jordan)|Virgin Mary Church]]
| image3             = Amman Roman Theater 1.jpg
| caption3           = [[Roman Theatre (Amman)|Roman Theater]] and the [[Hashemite Plaza]]
| image4             = من آثار جبل القلعة 2.jpg
| caption4           = [[Umayyad Palace]]
| image5             = Temple of Hercules - Amman citadel.jpg
| caption5           = [[Temple of Hercules (Amman)|Temple of Hercules]]
| image6             = Abdoun Bridge (7).jpg
| caption6           = [[Abdoun Bridge]]
}}
| image_seal         = Ammanlogo.png
| seal_alt           = Logo
| nicknames          = {{unbulleted list|The White Pigeon|The City of Stairs}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wGCGLEO-Vs8C&pg=PA36|title=The Cities Book: A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World|isbn=978-1-74179-887-6|page=36|author=Trent Holden, Anna Metcalfe|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications|year=2009|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518195053/https://books.google.com/books?id=wGCGLEO-Vs8C&pg=PA36|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=StFood>{{cite web|title=Amman's Street Food|url=http://beamman.com/food-/175-amman-street-food|access-date=26 September 2015|work=BeAmman.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926043908/http://beamman.com/food-/175-amman-street-food|archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>
| image_map          = خريطة مدينة عمان.png
| pushpin_map        = Jordan#Mediterranean east#Asia
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| coordinates        = {{Coord|31|56|59|N|35|55|58|E|region:JO-AM_type:city(4300000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Jordan}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Governorates of Jordan|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Amman Governorate]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 
| established_title2 = [[Greater Amman Municipality|Municipality]]
| established_date2  = 1909
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Amman|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Yousef Shawarbeh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/new-amman-mayor-pledges-fair-and-responsible%E2%80%99-governance|title=New Amman mayor pledges 'fair and responsible' governance|date=21 August 2017|website=jodantimes.com|access-date=23 October 2018|archive-date=11 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811055857/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/new-amman-mayor-pledges-fair-and-responsible%E2%80%99-governance|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://globalparliamentofmayors.org/new-member-yousef-al-shawarbeh-amman-jordan/|title=New Member: Yousef Al-Shawarbeh – Amman, Jordan|date=June 2018|website=globalparliamentofmayors.org|access-date=29 December 2018|archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224023821/https://globalparliamentofmayors.org/new-member-yousef-al-shawarbeh-amman-jordan/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 1680
| elevation_min_m    = 700
| population_total   = 4,061,150
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = 
| population_density_km2 = 2380
| weighted_population_density_km2 = 23200
| population_demonym = Ammani
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = Postal code
| postal_code        = 11110-17198
| area_code          = +962(6)
| area_code_type     = 
| iso_code           = 
| website            = {{URL|http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/gam/index.asp|ammancity.gov.jo}}
| footnotes          = 
| elevation_max_m    = 1100
| timezone           = 
| utc_offset         = +3
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Amman.svg
}}

'''Amman''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ə|ˈ|m|ɑː|n}} {{respell|ə|MAHN}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ɑː|ˈ|m|ɑː|n}} {{respell|ah|MAHN}}; {{lang-ar|عَمَّان|ʿAmmān}}, {{IPA|ar|ʕaˈmːaːn|pron}})<ref name="Lipiński">{{cite book |last=Lipiński |first=Edward |date=2006 |title=On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age: Historical and Topographical Researches |publisher=Peeters Publishers |page=295 |isbn=978-9042917989}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Parpola |first=Simo |date=1970 |title=Neo-Assyrian Toponyms |url=https://archive.org/details/neoassyriantopon0000parp |location=Kevaeler |publisher=Butzon & Bercker |page=76 |isbn=}}</ref> is the capital and the largest city of [[Jordan]], and the country's economic, political, and cultural center.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.arabianbusiness.com/revealed--20-cities-uae-residents-visit-most-590870.html |title= Revealed: the 20 cities UAE residents visit most |publisher= Arabian Business Publishing Ltd |date= 1 May 2015 |access-date= 21 September 2015 |archive-date= 26 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150926153303/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/revealed--20-cities-uae-residents-visit-most-590870.html |url-status= live }}</ref> With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's [[primate city]] and is the [[List of largest cities in the Levant region by population|largest city]] in the [[Levant]] region, the [[list of largest cities in the Arab world|fifth-largest city]] in the [[Arab world]], and the [[list of largest metropolitan areas of the Middle East|tenth-largest metropolitan area]] in the [[Middle East]].<ref name=RefC>{{cite news |title= Population Estimates for The End of 2021 |date= January 2022 |publisher= Department of Statistics (DoS) |url= http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/DataBank/Population_Estimares/PopulationEstimatesbyLocality.pdf |url-status= live |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 28 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128180409/http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/DataBank/Population_Estimares/PopulationEstimatesbyLocality.pdf }}</ref>

The earliest evidence of settlement in Amman dates to the 8th millennium BC in [[Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)|'Ain Ghazal]], where the world's [[ʿAin Ghazal statues|oldest statues of the human form]] have been unearthed. The city was known as ''Rabat Aman'' during the second millennium BC, serving as the capital of the [[Ammon|Ammonite Kingdom]] that was centered at the [[Amman Citadel]]. In the 3rd century BC, the city was renamed ''Philadelphia'' and became one of the ten Greco-Roman cities of the [[Decapolis]]. Following [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] rule, the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] renamed the city Amman in the 7th century AD. Throughout most of the Islamic era, the city alternated between periods of devastation and abandonment and periods of relative prosperity as the center of the [[Balqa (region)|Balqa]] region. Amman was largely abandoned from the 15th century until 1878, when the [[Ottoman Empire]] authorities began settling [[Circassians]] there, witnessing growth after the 1904 inauguration of the [[Hejaz railway]] that passed through it and the establishment of its first municipal council in 1909.<ref name=Ref12/> 

The city witnessed rapid growth after its designation as [[Emirate of Transjordan|Transjordan]]'s capital in 1921, receiving migrations from different Jordanian and Levantine cities, and later several successive waves of refugees: [[Palestinians]] in 1948 and 1967; Iraqis in 1990 and 2003; and Syrians since 2011. It was initially built on [[List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills|seven hills]], but now spans over 19 hills combining 22 areas,<ref name=Ref12>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA35| title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia| isbn=978-1-57607-919-5| page=35| year=2007| author1=Michael Dumper| author2=Bruce E. Stanley| publisher=ABC-CLIO| access-date=23 September 2015| archive-date=18 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518200604/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA35| url-status=live}}</ref> which are administered by the [[Greater Amman Municipality]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/aqel-biltaji-appointed-amman-mayor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930055247/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/aqel-biltaji-appointed-amman-mayor |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 September 2015 |title=Aqel Biltaji appointed as Amman mayor |work=The Jordan Times |date=8 September 2013 |access-date=21 September 2015 }}</ref> Areas of Amman have gained their names from either the hills (''jabal'') or the valleys (''wadi'') they occupy, such as [[Jabal al-Luweibdeh]] and Wadi Abdoun.<ref name=Ref12/> East Amman is predominantly filled with historic sites that frequently host cultural activities, while West Amman is more modern and serves as the economic center of the city.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/west-amman-furnished-apartments-cashing-tourist-influx| title=West Amman furnished apartments cashing in on tour| date=12 August 2014| work=The Jordan Times| access-date=21 September 2015| first=Omar |last=Obeidat |archive-date=4 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072858/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/west-amman-furnished-apartments-cashing-tourist-influx| url-status=live}}</ref>

Approximately one million visitors arrived in Amman in 2018, which made it the [[List of cities by international visitors|89th most-visited city]] in the world and the 12th most-visited Arab city. Amman has a relatively fast growing economy<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride/2014/12/31/how-a-startup-from-amman-grew-to-1b-views-on-youtube/| title=How a Startup from the Arab World Grabs 1B Views on YouTube| access-date=29 September 2015| date=31 December 2014| work=Forbes |first=Elizabeth |last=MacBride | archive-date=29 July 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729115629/https://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride/2014/12/31/how-a-startup-from-amman-grew-to-1b-views-on-youtube/| url-status=live}}</ref> and it is ranked as a Beta− [[global city]] by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |website=Globalization and World Cities – Research Network |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Moreover, it was named one of the Middle East and North Africa's best cities according to economic, labor, environmental, and socio-cultural factors.<ref>{{cite news| title=Abu Dhab duke City' in MENA region| author=IANS/WAM| newspaper=sify news| date=26 November 2010| url=http://sify.com/news/abu-dhabi-voted-best-city-in-mena-region-news-international-kl0wuhjcbdc.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130082450/http://sify.com/news/abu-dhabi-voted-best-city-in-mena-region-news-international-kl0wuhjcbdc.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=30 November 2010| access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> The city is among the most popular locations in the [[Arab world]] for [[multinational corporation]]s to set up their regional offices, alongside [[Doha]] and only behind [[Dubai]].<ref name=dunia>{{cite web |title= Amman Favored by MNCs as New Regional Hub |publisher= Dunia Frontier Consultants, Doha |date= 25 January 2012 |url= http://duniafrontier.com/research/doha-amman |access-date= 28 November 2012 |archive-date=11 March 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130311164305/http://duniafrontier.com/research/doha-amman |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is served by the [[Amman Bus]], the [[Amman Bus Rapid Transit]] and the [[Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit]] public transportation systems.

==Etymology==
Amman derives its name from the ancient people of the [[Ammon]]ites, whose capital the city had been since the 13th century BC. The Ammonites named it ''Rabat ʿAmmān'' (𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍),<ref name="Lipiński"/> with the term ''Rabat'' meaning the "Capital" or the "King's Quarters". In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the town is referred to as {{Lang|hbo-latn|Rabbaṯ Bənē ʿAmmōn}} ({{Lang|hbo|רַבַּת בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן}}) or simply {{Lang|hbo-latn|Rabbā}} ({{Lang|hbo|רַבָּה}}),<ref>{{cite web |title=BDB, רַבָּה 1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/BDB%2C_%D7%A8%D6%B7%D7%91%D6%B8%D6%BC%D7%94.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> and it appears in English translations as "Rabbath Ammon". [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]], the Macedonian ruler of the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]] who reigned from 283 to 246 BC, renamed the city "Philadelphia" ({{lang-grc|Φιλαδέλφεια}}; literally: "[[Philia|brotherly love]]"), after himself, after occupying it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mansaf.org/catholic/misdar.htm|access-date=22 September 2015|title=MISDAR|work=mansaf.org|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923060813/http://www.mansaf.org/catholic/misdar.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> By the Islamic era, the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] restored its ancient semitic name and called it Amman in the 7th century AD.<ref name=about>{{cite web| url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/gam/about.asp| title=About GAM => History| work=Greater Amman Municipality| access-date=22 September 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002102003/http://ammancity.gov.jo/en/gam/about.asp| archive-date=2 October 2015}}</ref>

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Amman}}

===Neolithic period===
{{Main|Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)}}
[[File:20100923 amman37.JPG|thumb|left|The [[ʿAin Ghazal statues]] on display at the [[Jordan Archaeological Museum]], which are considered to be the oldest large-scale human statues ever found.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/l/lime_plaster_statues.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912010835/https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/l/lime_plaster_statues.aspx|archive-date=12 September 2015 | title=Lime Plaster statues| work=British Museum| publisher=Trustees of the British Museum| access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>]]

The [[Neolithic]] site of [[Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)|ʿAin Ghazal]] today lies in the outskirts of Amman. At its height, around 7000 BC (9000 years ago), it had an area of {{convert|15|ha|abbr=off|sp=us}} and was inhabited by ca. 3000 people (four to five times the population of contemporary [[Tell es-Sultan|Jericho]]). At that time, the site was a typical [[aceramic]] [[Neolithic]] village. Its houses were rectangular mud-bricked buildings that included a main square living room, whose walls were made up of lime plaster.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prehistoric Settlements of the Middle East|url=http://docslide.us/documents/prehistoric-settlements-of-the-middle-east.html|access-date=22 September 2015|work=bhavika1990|date=8 November 2014|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925132728/http://docslide.us/documents/prehistoric-settlements-of-the-middle-east.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The site was discovered in 1974 as construction workers were working on a road crossing the area. By 1982, when the excavations started, around {{convert|600|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} of road ran through the site. Despite the damage brought by urban expansion, the remains of ʿAin Ghazal provided a wealth of information.<ref name=gard/>

ʿAin Ghazal is well known for a set of small human statues found in 1983, when local archeologists stumbled upon the edge of a large pit containing them.<ref>{{cite book| editor1-first = Chris | editor1-last = Scarre | title = The Human Past | publisher = Thames & Hudson | year = 2005 | page = 222}}</ref> These statues are human figures made with white plaster, with painted eyes. Thirty-two figures were found in two caches, fifteen of them full figures, fifteen busts, and two fragmentary heads. Three of the busts depicted two-headed characters, the significance of which is not clear.<ref name=gard>{{cite book | first1=Fred S. | last1=Kleiner | last2=Mamiya | first2=Christin J. | year=2006 | title=Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective: Volume 1 | edition=Twelfth | publisher=Wadsworth Publishing | location=[[Belmont, California]] | isbn=0-495-00479-0 | pages=11–2
}}</ref>

===Iron Age: the Ammonites===
{{Main|Ammon}}
[[File:Rujm Al-Malfouf.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rujm Al-Malfouf]], Ammonite watch tower built around 1000 BC, currently located in a [[Jabal Amman|residential area]]]]

In the 13th century BC, Amman was the capital of the [[Ammon|Ammonite Kingdom]], and became known as "Rabat Amman". Rabat Amman provided several natural resources to the region, including sandstone and limestone, along with a productive agricultural sector that made it a vital location along the [[King's Highway (ancient)|King's Highway]], the ancient trade route connecting [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] with [[Mesopotamia]], [[Syria (region)|Syria]] and [[Anatolia]]. As with the [[Edomites]] and [[Moabites]], trade along this route gave the Ammonites considerable revenue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_testament.html|access-date=10 October 2015|title=The Old Testament Kingdoms of Jordan|work=kinghussein.gov.jo|archive-date=6 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506015442/http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_testament.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Milcom]] is named in the [[Hebrew Bible]] as the [[national god]] of Rabat Amman. Another ancient [[deity]], [[Moloch]], usually associated with the use of children as offerings, is also mentioned in the Bible as a god of the Ammonites, but this is probably a mistake for Milcom. However, excavations by archeologists near [[Amman Civil Airport]] uncovered a temple, which included an altar containing many human bone fragments. The bones showed evidence of burning, which led to the assumption that the altar functioned as a [[pyre]] and used for [[human sacrifice]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/2014/08/temple-human-sacrifice-amman-jordan| access-date=22 September 2015| title=Temple of Human Sacrifice: Amman Jordan| work=Randy McCracken| date=22 August 2014| archive-date=1 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001143535/http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/2014/08/temple-human-sacrifice-amman-jordan/| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/first-person-human-sacrifice-to-an-ammonite-god/| title=First Person: Human Sacrifice to an Ammonite God?| work=Hershel Shanks| publisher=Biblical Archaeology Review| date=September–October 2014| access-date=24 November 2022| archive-date=24 November 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124042928/https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/first-person-human-sacrifice-to-an-ammonite-god/| url-status=live}}</ref>

Amman is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, the Ammonite king [[Hanun]] allied with [[Hadadezer ben Rehob|Hadadezer]], king of [[Zobah|Aram-Zobah]], against the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Kingdom of Israel]]. During the war, [[Joab]], the captain of King [[David]]'s army, laid siege to Rabbah, Hanun's royal capital, and destroyed it ({{Bibleverse|2 Samuel|12:26-28|KJV}}, {{Bibleverse|1 Chronicles|20:1-2|KJV}}). David took a great quantity of plunder from the city, including the king's crown, and brought it to his capital, [[Jerusalem]] ({{Bibleverse|2 Samuel|12:29-31|KJV}}). Hanun's brother, [[Shobi]], was made king in his place, and became a loyal vassal of David ({{Bibleverse|2 Samuel|17:27|KJV}}). Hundreds of years later, the prophet [[Jeremiah]] foresaw the coming destruction and final desolation of the city ({{Bibleverse|Jeremiah|49:2|KJV}}).<ref>Horn, S. H. (1973). The Crown of the King of the Ammonites. ''Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)'', ''11''(2), 3.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hammond |first=Philip C. |date=1 December 1960 |title=An Ammonite Stamp Seal from 'Amman |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/1355646 |journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research |volume=160 |issue=160 |pages=38–41 |doi=10.2307/1355646 |jstor=1355646 |s2cid=163202864 |issn=0003-097X |access-date=23 January 2023 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124021940/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/1355646 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several Ammonite ruins across Amman exist, such as [[Rujm Al-Malfouf]] and some parts of the [[Amman Citadel]]. The ruins of Rujm Al-Malfouf consist of a stone watchtower used to ensure the protection of their capital and several store rooms to the east.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.livius.org/articles/place/rujm-al-malfouf/| title=Rujm al-Malfouf| access-date=22 September 2015| year=2009| publisher=Livius.org| archive-date=25 July 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725233829/https://www.livius.org/articles/place/rujm-al-malfouf/| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/services/histdetails.asp?id=5| title=Rujom Al Malfouf (Al Malfouf heap of stones / Tower)| access-date=22 September 2015| publisher=Greater Amman Municipality| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923060715/http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/services/histdetails.asp?id=5| archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> The city was later conquered by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]], followed by the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonians]] and the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Persians]].<ref name="KHh"/>

===Classical period ===
[[File:Temple of Hercules - Amman citadel.jpg|thumb|[[Temple of Hercules (Amman)|Temple of Hercules]] at the [[Amman Citadel]] (Jabal Al-Qalaa)]]

Conquest of the [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]] by [[Alexander the Great]] firmly consolidated the influence of [[Hellenism (Greek culture)|Hellenistic culture]].<ref name="KHh">{{cite web| url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_hellenistic.html| title=The Hellenistic Period| access-date=22 September 2015| work=kinghussein.gov.jo| archive-date=1 July 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701042013/http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_hellenistic.html| url-status=live}}</ref> The Greeks founded new cities in the area of modern-day Jordan, including [[Umm Qays]], [[Jerash]] and Amman. [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]], the Macedonian ruler of Egypt, who occupied and rebuilt the city, named it "Philadelphia" ({{lang-grc|Φιλαδέλφεια}}), evoking "brotherly love" in [[Greek language|Greek]]. The name was given as an adulation to his own nickname, Philadelphus.<ref name=Cohen2006>{{cite book|author= Cohen, Getzel M. |title=The Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RqdPcxuNthcC&pg=PA268 |date=3 October 2006 |publisher= University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-93102-2|page=268|access-date=29 October 2015|archive-date=21 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521211950/https://books.google.com/books?id=RqdPcxuNthcC&pg=PA268|url-status=live}}</ref>

One of the most original monuments in Jordan, and perhaps in the [[Hellenistic period]] in the Near East, is the village of [[Iraq al-Amir]] in the valley of [[Wadi Al-Seer]], southwest of Amman, which is home to [[Qasr al-Abd]] ('Castle of the Slave'). Other nearby ruins include a village, an isolated house and a fountain, all of which are barely visible today due to the damage brought by a major earthquake that hit the region in the year 362.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fsoipziOWpYC&pg=PA98| isbn=978-0-19-967072-7| page=98| author=Kropp, Andreas J. M.| publisher=OUP, Oxford| date=27 June 2013| title=Images and Monuments of Near Eastern Dynasts, 100 BC – AD 100| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=18 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518201432/https://books.google.com/books?id=fsoipziOWpYC&pg=PA98| url-status=live}}</ref> Qasr al-Abd is believed to have been built by Hyrcanus of Jerusalem, who was the head of the powerful [[Jews|Jewish]] [[Tobiads|Tobiad]] family. Shortly after he began the construction of that large building, in {{circa|170}}-168 BC, upon returning from a military campaign in Egypt, Antiochus IV conquered [[Jerusalem]], ransacked the [[Second Temple]] where the treasure of Hyrcanus was kept, and appeared determined to attack Hyrcanus. Upon hearing this, Hyrcanus committed suicide,<ref name=ifpo>{{cite book|url=http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/4894?lang=en|title=The Hellenistic Age – (323 – 30 BC)|author=de l'Institut français du Proche-Orient|series=Contemporain publications|date=11 June 2014|pages=134–141|publisher=Presses de l'Ifpo|isbn=9782351594384|access-date=22 September 2015|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923061820/http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/4894?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> leaving his palace in Philadelphia uncompleted.<ref name=ifpo/> The Tobiads fought the Arab [[Nabateans]] for twenty years until they lost the city to them. After losing Philadelphia, the Tobiad family disappears from written sources.<ref name=DOA>{{cite web |title= The History of a Land |publisher= Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Department of Antiquities (DoA) |url= http://www.doa.gov.jo/En/inside.php?src=sublinks&SlID=5024&MlID=8 |access-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923215527/http://www.doa.gov.jo/En/inside.php?src=sublinks&SlID=5024&MlID=8 |archive-date= 23 September 2015 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

[[File:Amman Amphitheater 03.JPG|thumb|left|[[Roman theater (Amman)|The Roman Theatre]], built around AD 100, and the modern [[Hashemite Plaza]]]]

The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] conquered much of the [[Levant]] in 63 BC, inaugurating a period of Roman rule that lasted for four centuries. In the northern modern-day Jordan, the Greek cities of Philadelphia (Amman), [[Jerash|Gerasa]], [[Umm Qays|Gedara]], [[Pella]] and [[Irbid|Arbila]] joined with other cities in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and [[Syria]]; [[Beit She'an|Scythopolis]], [[Hippos, Israel|Hippos]], [[Capitolias]], [[Qanawat|Canatha]] and [[Damascus]] to form the [[Decapolis|Decapolis League]], a confederation linked by bonds of economic and cultural interest.<ref name=DOA/> Philadelphia became a point along a road stretching from [[Aqaba|Ailah]] to Damascus that was built by Emperor [[Trajan]] in AD 106. This provided an economic boost for the city in a short period of time.<ref name=KH>{{cite web| url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism1.html| title=Touristic Sites - Amman | work=kinghussein.gov.jo| access-date=16 October 2015| archive-date=15 January 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115010437/http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism1.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

Roman rule in Jordan left several ruins across the country, some of which exist in Amman, such as the [[Temple of Hercules (Amman)|Temple of Hercules]] at the [[Amman Citadel]], the [[Roman theater (Amman)|Roman Theatre]], the [[Odeon theater (Amman)|Odeon]], and the [[Nymphaeum (Amman)|Nymphaeum]]. The two theaters and the [[nymphaeum]] fountain were built during the reign of Emperor [[Antoninus Pius]] around AD 161. The theatre was the larger venue of the two and had a capacity for 6,000 attendees. It was oriented north and built into the hillside, to protect the audience from the sun. To the northeast of the theatre was a small [[Odeon (building)|odeon]]. Built at roughly the same time as the theatre, the Odeon had 500 seats and is still in use today for music concerts. Archaeologists speculate that the structure was originally covered with a wooden roof to shield the audience from the weather. The Nymphaeum is situated southwest of the Odeon and served as Philadelphia's chief fountain. The Nymphaeum is believed to have contained a {{convert|600|m2|sp=us}} pool which was {{convert|3|m|sp=us}} deep and was continuously refilled with water.<ref name=KH/> During the late [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period in the seventh century, several bishops and churches were based in the city.<ref name=KH/>

===Islamic era (7th–15th centuries)===
{{see also|Desert castles}}
[[File:Umayyad Palace020.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Umayyad Palace]] on top of the Amman Citadel, built around 700 AD]]
In the 630s, the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] conquered the region from the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], beginning the Islamic era in the Levant. Philadelphia was renamed "Amman" by the Muslims and became part of the district of [[Jund Dimashq]]. A large part of the population already spoke [[Arabic]], which facilitated integration into the [[caliphate]], as well as several conversions to [[Islam]]. Under the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] caliphs who began their rule in 661 AD, numerous [[desert castle]]s were established as a means to govern the desert area of modern-day Jordan, several of which are still well-preserved. Amman had already been functioning as an administrative centre. The Umayyads built a large palace on the [[Amman Citadel]] hill, known today as the [[Umayyad Palace]]. Amman was later destroyed by several earthquakes and natural disasters, including a particularly severe earthquake in 747. The Umayyads were [[Abbasid Revolution|overthrown]] by the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasids]] three years later.<ref name=DOA/>

Amman's importance declined by the mid-8th century after damage caused by several earthquakes rendered it uninhabitable.<ref name=Ifpo>{{cite book |chapter=The Exclusion of Amman from Jordanian National Identity |title=Cities, Urban Practices and Nation Building in Jordan |series=Cahiers de l'Ifpo Nr. 6 |author=Ali Kassay |editor=Myriam Ababsa |editor2=Rami Farouk Daher |year=2011 |location=Beirut |publisher=Presses de l'Ifpo |pages=256–271 |isbn=9782351591826 |url=http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/1748?lang=en |access-date=25 December 2015 |archive-date=26 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226111837/http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/1748?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Excavations among the collapsed layer of the Umayyad Palace have revealed remains of [[kiln]]s from the time of the Abbasids (750–969) and the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] (969–1099).<ref name=Arce>{{cite journal |title=Early Islamic lime kilns from the Near East. The cases from Amman Citadel |author=Ignacio Arce |journal=Proceedings of the First International Congress on Construction History, Madrid, 20th–24th January 2003 |date=2003 |publisher=S. Huerta |location=Madrid |pages=213–224 |url=http://www.sedhc.es/biblioteca/actas/CIHC1_022_Arce%20I.pdf |access-date=26 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085959/http://www.sedhc.es/biblioteca/actas/CIHC1_022_Arce%20I.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the late 9th century, Amman was noted as the "capital" of the [[Balqa (region)|Balqa]] by geographer [[al-Yaqubi]].<ref name=Strange391>Le Strange 1896, p. 391.</ref> Likewise, in 985, the [[Jerusalem]]ite historian [[al-Muqaddasi]] described Amman as the capital of Balqa,<ref name=Strange391/> and that it was a town in the desert fringe of Syria surrounded by villages and cornfields and was a regional source of lambs, grain and honey.<ref name="Le Strange 1896, p. 15 and p. 18">Le Strange 1896, p. 15 and p. 18.</ref> Its inhabitants he reports, at the time, were [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslims]].<ref name="Le Strange 1896, p. 15 and p. 18"/> Furthermore, al-Muqaddasi describes Amman as a "harbor of the desert" where Arab Bedouin would take refuge, and that its citadel, which overlooked the town, contained a small mosque.<ref name=Strange392>Le Strange 1896, p. 392.</ref>

[[File:Z Ottoman Ten arches Amman 2.jpg|thumb|left|Ottoman ten-arches bridge, built in 1910 near Amman as part of the [[Hejaz railway]]]]

The occupation of the Citadel Hill by the [[Crusades|Crusader]] [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] is so far based only on interpretations of Crusader sources. [[William of Tyre]] writes in his ''Historia'' that in 1161 [[Philip of Milly]] received the castle of Ahamant, which is seen to refer to Amman, as part of the lordship of [[Oultrejordain]].<ref name=Barber>[[Malcolm Barber|Barber, Malcolm]] (2003) "The career of Philip of Nablus in the kingdom of Jerusalem", in ''The Experience of Crusading, vol. 2: Defining the Crusader Kingdom'', eds. Peter Edbury and Jonathan Phillips, Cambridge University Press</ref> In 1166 Philip joined the [[Military order (monastic society)|military order]] of the [[Knights Templar]], passing on to them a significant part of his [[fief]] including the castle of Ahamant<ref>{{cite book|last=Barber|first=Malcolm|title=The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uFtzINjLAoC&pg=PA86|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-60473-5|page=86|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518204458/https://books.google.com/books?id=3uFtzINjLAoC&pg=PA86|url-status=live}}</ref> or "Haman", as it is named in the deed of confirmation issued by King [[Amalric I of Jerusalem|Amalric]].<ref name=Pringle>{{cite book |chapter='Amman (P4) |title=Secular Buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: An Archaeological Gazetteer |author=Denys Pringle |year=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=112–113 |isbn=9780521102636 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC&pg=PA152 |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518201421/https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC&pg=PA152 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1170, Amman was in [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] hands.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johns|first1=Jeremy|editor1-last=Rogan|editor1-first=Eugene L.|editor2-last=Tell|editor2-first=Tariq|title=Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan|date=1994|publisher=British Academic Press|location=London|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh1_ernmsnwC&pg=PA12|chapter=''The Long Durée'': State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries|page=12|isbn=9781850438298|access-date=7 September 2016|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102122154/https://books.google.com/books?id=lh1_ernmsnwC&pg=PA12|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Ayyubid Watchtower (Amman)|remains of a watch tower]] on Citadel Hill, first attributed to the Crusaders, now are preferentially dated to the [[Ayyubid]] period, leaving it to further research to find the location of the Crusader castle.<ref name=Pringle/> During the Ayyubid period, the Damascene geographer [[al-Dimashqi (geographer)|al-Dimashqi]] wrote that Amman was part of the province of [[al-Karak]], although "only ruins" remained of the town.<ref>Le Strange 1896, p. 41.</ref>

During the [[Mamluk Egypt|Mamluk]] era (late 13th–early 16th centuries), the region of Amman was a part of Wilayat Balqa, the southernmost district of Mamlakat Dimashq (Damascus Province).<ref>Walker 2015, p. 119.</ref> The capital of the district in the first half of the 14th century was the minor administrative post of [[Hisban]], which had a considerably smaller garrison than the other administrative centers in Transjordan, namely [[Ajlun]] and al-Karak.<ref>Walker 2015, pp. 119–120.</ref> In 1321, the geographer [[Abu'l Fida]], recorded that Amman was "a very ancient town" with fertile soil and surrounded by agricultural fields.<ref name=Strange392/> For unclear, though likely financial reasons, in 1356, the capital of Balqa was transferred from Hisban to Amman, which was considered a ''madina'' (city).<ref name=Walker120>Walker 2015, p. 120.</ref> In 1357, Emir [[Sirghitmish]] bought Amman in its entirety, most likely to use revenues from the city to help fund the [[Madrasa of Sarghatmish|Madrasa of Sirghitmish]], which he built in [[Cairo]] that same year.<ref name=Walker120/> After his purchase of the city, Sirghitmish transferred the courts, administrative bureaucracy, markets and most of the inhabitants of Hisban to Amman.<ref name=Walker120/> Moreover, he financed new building works in the city.<ref name=Walker120/>

Ownership of Amman following Sirghitmish's death in 1358 passed to successive generations of his descendants until 1395, when his descendants sold it to Emir Baydamur al-Khwarazmi, the ''na'ib as-saltana'' (viceroy) of Damascus.<ref name=Walker120/> Afterward, part of Amman's cultivable lands were sold to Emir Sudun al-Shaykhuni (died 1396), the ''na'ib as-saltana'' of Egypt.<ref>Walker 2015, pp. 120–121.</ref> The increasingly frequent division and sale of the city and lands of Amman to different owners signalled declining revenues coming from Amman, while at the same time, Hisban was restored as the major city of the Balqa in the 15th century.<ref>Walker 2015, p. 121.</ref> From then until 1878, Amman was an abandoned site periodically used to shelter seasonal farmers who cultivated arable lands in its vicinity and by Bedouin tribes who used its pastures and water.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite book |title=Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East |series=The Contemporary Middle East (Book 5) |author=Dawn Chatty |year=2010 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=116–117 |isbn=9780521817929 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8OsgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518204153/https://books.google.com/books?id=8OsgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=McEvedy>{{cite book |title=Cities of the Classical World: An Atlas and Gazetteer of 120 Centres of Ancient Civilization |author=Colin McEvedy |year=2011 |location=London |publisher=Allen Lane/Penguin Books |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZowqTafiacC&pg=PT37 |isbn=9780141967639 |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518201422/https://books.google.com/books?id=VZowqTafiacC&pg=PT37 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Ottoman Empire]] annexed the region of Amman in 1516, but for much of the Ottoman period, [[al-Salt]] functioned as the virtual political center of Transjordan.<ref name=Hamed/>

===Modern era (1878–present)===
{{multiple image
| footer            = The historical center of Amman, showing the Roman ruins in 1878 immediately before its modern resettlement (left), and the same area in 2015 (right)
| image1            = Amman, Vue générale du théâtre et de l'Odeon.jpg
| width1            = 175
| image2            = View of Amman and amphitheatre from Citadel Hill.jpg
| width2            = 209
| align             = left
}}

Amman began to be resettled in 1878, when several hundred Muslim [[Circassians]] arrived following their expulsion from the formerly Ottoman Balkans.<ref name=Hamed>{{Cite journal|last=Hamed-Troyansky|first=Vladimir|date=2017|title=Circassians and the Making of Amman, 1878–1914|journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies|volume=49|issue=4|pages=605–623|doi=10.1017/S0020743817000617|s2cid=165801425}}</ref> Between 1878 and 1910, tens of thousands of Circassians had relocated to [[Ottoman Syria]] after being displaced by the [[Russian Empire]] during the events of the [[Russo-Circassian War]].<ref name=Rogan2002>{{cite book| author=Eugene L. Rogan| title=Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire: Transjordan, 1850–1921| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMAbXGQDmDYC&pg=PA73| date=11 April 2002| publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]| isbn=978-0-521-89223-0| page=73| access-date=29 October 2015| archive-date=29 April 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429084437/https://books.google.com/books?id=AMAbXGQDmDYC&pg=PA73| url-status=live}}</ref> The Ottoman authorities directed the [[Circassians in Jordan|Circassian]], who were mainly of peasant stock, to settle in Amman, and distributed arable land among them. Their settlement was a partial manifestation of the Ottoman statesman [[Kamil Pasha]]'s project to establish a [[vilayet]] centered in Amman, which, along with other sites in its vicinity, would become Circassian-populated townships guaranteeing the security of the Damascus–[[Medina]] highway.<ref name=Hanania2>Hanania 2018, p. 2.</ref> The first Circassian settlers, who belonged to the [[Shapsug]] dialect group,<ref name=Hanania3>Hanania 2018, p. 3.</ref> lived near Amman's Roman theater and incorporated its stones into the houses they built.<ref name=Hamed/> The English traveller [[Laurence Oliphant (author)|Laurence Oliphant]] noted in his 1879 visit that most of the original Circassian settlers had left Amman by then, with about 150 remaining.<ref name=Hanania3/> They were joined by Circassians from the [[Kabardia]]n and [[Abzakh]] groups in 1880–1892.<ref name=Hanania3/>

[[File:Map of Amman from the Survey of Palestine 1889 (as surveyed in 1881).jpg|thumb|right|The first scientific map of Amman, 1881. The British surveyors noted that: "The Circassian colony established by the Sultan at Amman about 1879 [is] neither prosperous nor likely to become so".<ref>[[PEF Survey of Palestine]], [https://archive.org/details/surveyofeasternp00conduoft Survey of Eastern Palestine] (1889), pages 29 and 291</ref>]]

Until 1900 settlement was concentrated in the valley and slopes of the Amman stream and settlers built mud-brick houses with wooden roofs.<ref name=Hanania3/> The French Dominican priest [[Marie-Joseph Lagrange]] commented in 1890 about Amman: "A mosque, the ancient bridges, all that jumbled with the houses of the Circassians gives Amman a remarkable physiognomy".<ref name=Hanania3/> The new village became a ''[[nahiye]]'' (subdistrict) center of the ''[[kaza]]'' of al-Salt in the [[Karak Sanjak]] established in 1894.<ref name=Hanania3/> By 1908 Amman contained 800 houses divided between three main quarters, Shapsug, Kabartai and Abzakh, each called after the Circassian groupings which respectively settled there, a number of mosques, open-air markets, shops, bakeries, mills, a textile factory, a post and telegraph office and a government compound ([[Saray (building)|saraya]]).<ref name=Hanania3/> [[Kurds|Kurdish]] settlers formed their own quarter called "al-Akrad" after them, while a number of townspeople from nearby al-Salt and [[al-Fuheis]], seeking to avoid high taxes and conscription or attracted by financial incentives, and traders from [[Najd]] and [[Morocco]], had also moved to the town.<ref>Hanania 2018, pp. 3–4.</ref>

The city's demographics changed dramatically after the Ottoman government's decision to construct the [[Hejaz Railway]], which linked Damascus and Medina, and facilitated the annual [[Hajj]] pilgrimage and trade. Operational in central Transjordan since 1903, the [[Hejaz Railway]] helped to transform Amman from a small village into a major commercial hub in the region. Circassian entrepreneurship, facilitated by the railway, helped to attract investment from merchants from Damascus, Nablus, and Jerusalem, many of whom moved to Amman in the 1900s and 1910s.<ref name=Hamed/> Amman's first municipal council was established in 1909, and Circassian [[Ismael Babouk]] was elected as its mayor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/deputy-mayor-amman-inaugurates-%E2%80%9Cdocumenting-amman%E2%80%9D-conference|title=Deputy Mayor of Amman Inaugurates "Documenting Amman" Conference|work=Bawaba|access-date=30 January 2019|date=30 July 2009|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130162104/https://www.albawaba.com/news/deputy-mayor-amman-inaugurates-%E2%80%9Cdocumenting-amman%E2%80%9D-conference|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:רבת עמון - מראה-JNF001650.jpeg|thumb|Amman 1928]]

The [[First Battle of Amman|First]] and [[Second Battle of Amman]] were part of the [[Middle Eastern theater of World War I|Middle Eastern theatre]] of [[World War I]] and the [[Arab Revolt]], taking place in 1918. Amman had a strategic location along the Hejaz Railway; its capture by British forces and the [[Sharifian Army|Hashemite Arab army]] facilitated the British advance towards [[Damascus]].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2YqjfHLyyj8C&pg=PA98| title=Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History| author1=Spencer C. Tucker| author2=Priscilla Mary Roberts| year=2005| publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]| isbn=978-1-85109-420-2| page=98| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=18 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518225250/https://books.google.com/books?id=2YqjfHLyyj8C&pg=PA98| url-status=live}}</ref> The second battle was won by the British, resulting in the establishment of the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate]].

In 1921, the Hashemite emir and later king [[Abdullah I of Jordan|Abdullah I]] designated Amman instead of al-Salt to be the capital of the newly created state, the [[Emirate of Transjordan]], which became the [[Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]] in 1950. Its function as the capital of the country attracted immigrants from different Levantine areas, particularly from al-Salt, a nearby city that had been the largest urban settlement east of the [[Jordan River]] at the time. The early settlers who came from [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] were overwhelmingly from [[Nablus]], from which many of al-Salt's inhabitants had originated. They were joined by other immigrants from Damascus. Amman later attracted people from the southern part of the country, particularly al-Karak and [[Madaba]]. The city's population was around 10,000 in the 1930s.<ref name=HistoryP>{{cite book |author1=Reem Khamis-Dakwar |author2=Karen Froud |date=2014 |title=Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXVI: Papers from the annual symposium on Arabic Linguistics. New York, 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctjLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |page=31 |isbn=978-9027269683 |access-date=15 April 2015 |archive-date=25 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725233244/https://books.google.com/books?id=ctjLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The British report from 1933 shows around 1,700 Circassians living in Amman.<ref>Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Palestine and Trans-Jordan for the year 1933, Colonial No. 94, His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1934, p. 305.</ref> Yet the community was far from insulated. Local urban and nomadic communities formed alliances with the Circassians, some of which are still present today. This cemented the status of Circassians in the re-established city.<ref name=Hamed/>

[[File:Sprt City Amman.JPG|thumb|Amman in 1985]]
[[File:Jamal Abdul Nasser Circle Amman Jordan.jpg|thumb|Amman in 2013]]

Jordan gained its independence in 1946 and Amman was designated the country's capital. Amman received many refugees during wartime events in nearby countries, beginning with the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]. A second wave arrived after the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967. In 1970, Amman was a [[Battle of Amman (1970)|battlefield]] during the conflict between the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) and the [[Royal Jordanian Army|Jordanian Army]] known as [[Black September in Jordan|Black September]]. The Jordanian Army defeated the PLO in 1971, and the latter were expelled to [[Lebanon]].<ref name=JWT>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordanwildernesstours.com/amman.htm| title=Amman| access-date=22 September 2015| work=Jordan Wild Tours| archive-date=26 October 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025059/http://www.jordanwildernesstours.com/amman.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> The first wave of Iraqi refugees settled in the city after the 1991 [[Gulf War]], with a second wave occurring in the aftermath of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].

On 9 November 2005, [[Al-Qaeda]] under [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]'s leadership launched [[2005 Amman bombings|coordinated explosions]] in three hotel lobbies in Amman, resulting in 60 deaths and 115 injured. The bombings, which targeted civilians, caused widespread outrage among Jordanians.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3eZK7cm6pjoC&pg=PA228| title=Arab-Israeli Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric Wars| author=Anthony H. Cordesman| publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]| date=2006| isbn=978-0-275-99186-9| page=228| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=18 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018104403/https://books.google.com/books?id=3eZK7cm6pjoC&pg=PA228| url-status=live}}</ref> Jordan's security as a whole was dramatically improved after the attack, and no major terrorist attacks have been reported since then.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.addustour.com/sn/962321/ |title=تـفـجيـرات عمـان.. حدث أليم لم ينل من إرادة الأردنيين |work=Addustor |publisher=Addustor newspaper |language=ar |access-date=23 September 2015 |date=9 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923173807/http://www.addustour.com/sn/962321/ |archive-date=23 September 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jfranews.com.jo/more-96531-1-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%202005%20%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%AA%20%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%20%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86%20%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1%20%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%B8%D8%A9%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%87%20%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8| title=تفجيرات عمان 2005 دفعت بالأردن ليكون أكثر يقظة في تصديه للإرهاب| access-date=23 September 2015| language=ar| date=9 November 2014| work=JFRA News| archive-date=26 August 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826094157/http://www.jfranews.com.jo/more-96531-1-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%202005%20%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%AA%20%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%20%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86%20%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1%20%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%B8%D8%A9%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%87%20%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8| url-status=live}}</ref> Most recently a wave of [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrian refugees]] have arrived in the city during the ongoing [[Syrian Civil War]] which began in 2011. Amman was a principal destination for refugees for the security and prosperity it offered.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/09/18/jordan-s-refugee-crisis/ihwc| title=Jordan's Refugee Crisis| access-date=23 September 2015| date=21 September 2015| publisher=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]| author=Alexandra Francis| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923193733/http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/09/18/jordan-s-refugee-crisis/ihwc| url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 2010s, the city has experienced an economic, cultural and urban boom. The large growth in population has significantly increased the need for new accommodation, and new districts of the city were established at a quick pace. This strained Jordan's scarce water supply and exposed Amman to the dangers of quick expansion without careful municipal planning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nordregio.org/amman-one-of-the-fastest-grown-cities-in-the-world-is-moving-towards-sustainable-city-planning/|title=Amman, one of the fastest grown cities in the world, is moving towards sustainable city planning|date=17 January 2019|accessdate=7 January 2023|work=Nordregio|archive-date=16 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116014216/https://www.nordregio.org/amman-one-of-the-fastest-grown-cities-in-the-world-is-moving-towards-sustainable-city-planning/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
Amman is situated on the [[Transjordan (region)|East Bank Plateau]], an upland characterized by three major [[wadi]]s which run through it.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Ham| first1=Anthony| last2=Greenway| first2=Paul| title=Jordan| publisher=Lonely Planet| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5x2pJuvWeOQC&pg=PA19| page=19| year=2003| isbn=9781740591652| access-date=24 September 2015| archive-date=13 July 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713085723/https://books.google.com/books?id=5x2pJuvWeOQC&pg=PA19| url-status=live}}</ref> Originally, the city had been [[List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills|built on seven hills]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Donagan| first=Zechariah| title=Mountains Before the Temple| publisher=[[Xulon Press]]| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6vg_qlJyo7AC&pg=PA236| page=236| year=2009| isbn=978-1615795307| access-date=24 September 2015| archive-date=29 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529082110/https://books.google.com/books?id=6vg_qlJyo7AC&pg=PA236| url-status=live}}</ref> Amman's terrain is typified by its [[Al-Joufa Mountain|mountains]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Bou| first=Jean| title=Light Horse: A History of Australia's Mounted Arm| publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1F1tDIeEWwC&pg=PT159| page=159| year=2009| isbn=9781107276307| access-date=24 September 2015| archive-date=8 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508153817/https://books.google.com/books?id=m1F1tDIeEWwC&pg=PT159| url-status=live}}</ref> The most important areas in the city are named after the hills or mountains they lie on.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cityscape.jo/page/about-jordan| title=About Jordan| publisher=Cityscape| access-date=23 September 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085655/http://www.cityscape.jo/page/about-jordan| archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> The area's elevation ranges from {{convert|abbr=on|700 to 1100|m}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aswaqamman.com/books/ammanhights.htm | title=ارتفاعات مناطق عمان الكبرى عن سطح البحر – ارتفاع محافظات المملكة الاردنية عن سطح البحر | work=Aswaq Amman | language=ar | access-date=24 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126135551/http://www.aswaqamman.com/books/ammanhights.htm | archive-date=26 January 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Al-Salt]] and [[al-Zarqa]] are located to the northwest and northeast, respectively, [[Madaba]] is located to the west, and [[al-Karak]] and [[Ma'an]] are to Amman's southwest and southeast, respectively. One of the only remaining springs in Amman now supplies the [[Zarqa River]] with water.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/basins/jordan/index.stm| title=Jordan Basim-Geography, population and climate| access-date=24 September 2015| work=Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations| publisher=FAO| year=2009| archive-date=24 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151255/http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/basins/jordan/index.stm| url-status=live}}</ref> Trees found in Amman include [[Pinus halepensis|Aleppo pine]], [[Cupressus sempervirens|Mediterranean cypress]] and [[Juniperus phoenicea|Phoenician juniper]].<ref name=Cordova>{{cite book |author=Cordova, Carlos E. |title=Millennial Landscape Change in Jordan: Geoarchaeology and Cultural Ecology |year=2007 |publisher=University of Arizona Press |isbn=978-0-8165-2554-6 |pages=47–55 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1eWaveyEIlcC&pg=PA47 |access-date=22 January 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171018104647/https://books.google.com/books?id=1eWaveyEIlcC&pg=PA47 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
[[File:Amman snow 2022.jpg|thumb|Satellite imagery of Amman after a snowstorm on 30 January, 2022. A clear example of climate contrasts between its west and east districts due to elevation.]]

Amman exhibits a variety of climatic conditions across its districts, primarily due to variations in [[elevation]] and the [[rain shadow]] effect.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ظل المطر.. ما هي هذه الظاهرة وكيف تحدث؟ |url=https://www.arabiaweather.com/content/%D8%B8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%8A-%D9%87%D8%B0%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB%D8%9F |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.arabiaweather.com |language=ar}}</ref> The western more elevated districts, located on the windward side facing the moist air coming from the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=ظل المطر.. ما هي هذه الظاهرة وكيف تحدث؟ |url=https://www.arabiaweather.com/content/%D8%B8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%8A-%D9%87%D8%B0%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB%D8%9F |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.arabiaweather.com |language=ar}}</ref> experience a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: Csa), thus getting cool winters, and hot summers that sometimes exceed 35°C (95°F). In addition, rainfall exceeds the [[potential evapotranspiration]] during the wetter months, and occasionally falling as snow. 

In contrast, the eastern districts are situated on the leeward side, where much of the moisture is lost, and with lower elevation,<ref name=":0" /> resulting in a [[semi-arid climate]] (Köppen: BSh, bordering on BSk). These areas experience milder winters, receive about half the rainfall compared to their western counterparts, and have less chances of snowfall.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ما هي أكثر مناطق عمّان تميزاً بالثلوج؟ |url=https://www.arabiaweather.com/content/%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%82-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%91%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%9F |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=www.arabiaweather.com |language=ar}}</ref> Summers are even hotter, with temperatures that can exceed 40 °C (104°F) during heatwaves.

Rainfall in Amman varies significantly; the western districts receive over 350 mm (13.8 in), peaking at more than 500 mm (20 in), while the eastern districts get around or less than 250 mm.<ref name=":1" /> The rainy season extends from November to April. Fog is a prevalent feature, particularly during the colder months from late fall to early spring. The western districts often experience upslope/orographic fog during storms, as warm moist air rises from the Jordan Valley. Conversely, the eastern districts are more likely to encounter radiation fog on clear, calm nights.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ما هي أكثر المناطق المعروفة بالأردن والعالم بتشكّل الضباب؟ |url=https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%91%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%9F |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=www.arabiaweather.com |language=ar}}</ref>

[[Snow|Snowfall]] occurs semi-annually, particularly in January and February, with the likelihood of accumulation increasing with elevation. On average, significant [[Winter storm|snowstorms]] occur every 3–5 years, though the higher western districts may see such events every 1–2 years. Exceptionally large-scale snowstorms occur approximately once every decade.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=هل تكرار "عاصفة اليكسا" مُحتمل في الشتاء القادم؟ |url=https://www.arabiaweather.com/content/%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B3%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%8F%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%9F |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.arabiaweather.com |language=ar}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = East Amman, Amman Civil Airport, elevation: 779 m or 2555 ft (1989-2018 normals)
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan record high C = 23
| Feb record high C = 27.3
| Mar record high C = 32.6
| Apr record high C = 37
| May record high C = 38.7
| Jun record high C = 40.8
| Jul record high C = 43.5
| Aug record high C = 43.7
| Sep record high C = 40
| Oct record high C = 37.6
| Nov record high C = 31
| Dec record high C = 27.5
| year record high C = 
| Jan high C = 12.6
| Feb high C = 14.2
| Mar high C = 18.1
| Apr high C = 23.6
| May high C = 28.1
| Jun high C = 31.1
| Jul high C = 32.7
| Aug high C = 32.8
| Sep high C = 30.9
| Oct high C = 27.2
| Nov high C = 20.3
| Dec high C = 14.8
| Jan mean C = 8.4
| Feb mean C = 9.6
| Mar mean C = 12.9
| Apr mean C = 17.4
| May mean C = 21.6
| Jun mean C = 24.8
| Jul mean C = 26.8
| Aug mean C = 26.7
| Sep mean C = 24.7
| Oct mean C = 21.3
| Nov mean C = 15.2
| Dec mean C = 10.4
| Jan low C = 4.2
| Feb low C = 5
| Mar low C = 7.6
| Apr low C = 11.2
| May low C = 15.1
| Jun low C = 18.5
| Jul low C = 20.8
| Aug low C = 20.6
| Sep low C = 18.5
| Oct low C = 15.4
| Nov low C = 10.1
| Dec low C = 5.9
| year high C = 
| year low C = 
| year high F = 
| year low F = 
| Jan record low C = -7.5
| Feb record low C = -6.5
| Mar record low C = -3
| Apr record low C = -3
| May record low C = 3.9
| Jun record low C = 8.9
| Jul record low C = 11
| Aug record low C = 11
| Sep record low C = 10
| Oct record low C = 5
| Nov record low C = 0
| Dec record low C = -2.6
| year record low C = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 66
| Feb precipitation mm = 57.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 30.5
| Apr precipitation mm = 8.2
| May precipitation mm = 3
| Jun precipitation mm = 0.1
| Jul precipitation mm = 0
| Aug precipitation mm = 0
| Sep precipitation mm = 0.1
| Oct precipitation mm = 5.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 20.7
| Dec precipitation mm = 46.3
| year precipitation mm = 238.5
| Jan precipitation days = 11.0
| Feb precipitation days = 10.9
| Mar precipitation days = 8
| Apr precipitation days = 4
| May precipitation days = 1
| Jun precipitation days = 0.1
| Jul precipitation days = 0
| Aug precipitation days = 0
| Sep precipitation days = 0.1
| Oct precipitation days = 2.3
| Nov precipitation days = 5.3
| Dec precipitation days = 8.4
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan humidity = 73.6
| Feb humidity = 69.9
| Mar humidity = 62.3
| Apr humidity = 49.8
| May humidity = 43.0
| Jun humidity = 42.8
| Jul humidity = 44.6
| Aug humidity = 49.5
| Sep humidity = 54.2
| Oct humidity = 55.7
| Nov humidity = 61.8
| Dec humidity = 70.7
| source 1 = Jordan Meteorological Department
| source = Jordan Meteorological Department <ref>http://jometeo.gov.jo/%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9</ref>
}}{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = West Amman, University of Jordan, elevation: 1000 m or 3280 ft (1989-2018 normals)
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan high C = 11.2
| Feb high C = 12.8
| Mar high C = 16.7
| Apr high C = 22.2
| May high C = 26.7
| Jun high C = 29.7
| Jul high C = 31.3
| Aug high C = 31.4
| Sep high C = 29.5
| Oct high C = 25.8
| Nov high C = 18.9
| Dec high C = 13.4
| Jan mean C = 7.0
| Feb mean C = 8.2
| Mar mean C = 11.5
| Apr mean C = 16.0
| May mean C = 20.2
| Jun mean C = 23.4
| Jul mean C = 25.4
| Aug mean C = 25.3
| Sep mean C = 23.3
| Oct mean C = 19.9
| Nov mean C = 13.8
| Dec mean C = 9.0
| Jan low C = 2.8
| Feb low C = 3.6
| Mar low C = 6.2
| Apr low C = 9.8
| May low C = 13.7
| Jun low C = 17.1
| Jul low C = 19.4
| Aug low C = 19.2
| Sep low C = 17.1
| Oct low C = 14.1
| Nov low C = 8.7
| Dec low C = 4.5
| year high C = 
| year low C = 
| year high F = 
| year low F = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 144.5
| Feb precipitation mm = 126.8
| Mar precipitation mm = 66.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 18
| May precipitation mm = 6.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 0.2
| Jul precipitation mm = 0
| Aug precipitation mm = 0
| Sep precipitation mm = 0.2
| Oct precipitation mm = 11.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 45.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 101.4
| year precipitation mm = 522
| source 1 = Jordan Meteorological Department
| source = Jordan Meteorological Department <ref>http://jometeo.gov.jo/%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9</ref>
}}
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|+[[Ultraviolet index]]<ref>[https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/jordan/amman-climate#uv_index Average UV index Amman, Jordan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518194602/https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/jordan/amman-climate#uv_index |date=18 May 2020 }} – weather-atlas.com</ref>
|-
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!Year
|-
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|3
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|5
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|7
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|9
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"|10
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|12
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"|12
|style="background:#6b49c8;color:#000000;"| 11
|style="background:#d8001d;color:#000000;"| 9
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|6
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|4
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|3
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|7.5
|}

==Local government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Amman}}

Amman is governed by a 41-member city council elected in four-year term direct elections. All Jordanian citizens above 18 years old are eligible to vote in the municipal elections. However, the mayor is appointed by the king and not through elections.<ref name=about/> In 1909 a city council was established in Amman by Circassian [[Ismael Babouk]] who became the first-ever mayor of the capital, and in 1914 Amman's first city district center was founded.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/ar/gam/council.asp| title=GAM council| access-date=23 September 2015| publisher=Greater Amman Municipality| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002043553/http://ammancity.gov.jo/ar/gam/council.asp| archive-date=2 October 2015}}</ref>

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has been investing in making the city a better place, through a number of initiatives. Green Amman 2020 was initiated in 2014, aiming to turn the city to a [[environmentally friendly|green metropolis]] by 2020. According to official statistics, only 2.5% of Amman is [[urban open space|green space]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/opinion/editorial/greener-amman| title=For a greener Amman| access-date=23 September 2015| date=9 September 2015| work=[[The Jordan Times]]| archive-date=25 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104013/http://www.jordantimes.com/opinion/editorial/greener-amman| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015 GAM and Zain Jordan started operating free-of-charge Wi-Fi services at 15 locations, including [[Wakalat Street]], [[Rainbow Street]], [[The Hashemite Plaza]], [[Ashrafiyah, Amman|Ashrafieh]] Cultural Complex, Zaha Cultural Center, Al Hussein Cultural Center, [[Al Hussein Public Parks]] and others.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-have-free-wi-fi-service-15-selected-locations| title=Amman to have free Wi-Fi service in 15 selected locations| access-date=23 September 2015| date=25 May 2015| work=The Jordan Times |first=Muath |last=Freij | archive-date=25 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925105142/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-have-free-wi-fi-service-15-selected-locations| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
[[Jordan]] is divided into twelve administrative divisions, each called a governorate. [[Amman Governorate]] divides into nine [[Nahias of Jordan|districts]], five of which are divided into sub-districts. The Greater Amman Municipality has 22 areas which are further divided into neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moi.gov.jo/arabic/pages/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9.aspx |title=نظام التقسيمات الادارية رقم(46)لسنة2000 وتعديلاته(1) |access-date=25 September 2015 |year=2000 |publisher=moi.gov.jo |language=ar |work=Ministry of Interiors Jordan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926111544/http://moi.gov.jo/arabic/pages/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9.aspx |archive-date=26 September 2015 }}</ref>

The city is administered as the Greater Amman Municipality and covers 22 areas which include:<ref name=ammancity>{{cite web |url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/interactive/districts.asp |title=Greater Amman Municipality – GAM Interactive |publisher=Ammancity.gov.jo |access-date=24 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109003357/http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/interactive/districts.asp |archive-date=9 January 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Population of the Kingdom by Administrative Divisions, According to the General Census of Population and Housing result 2015 |url=http://web.dos.gov.jo/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/No_of_pop_depand_on_GOV.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605041844/http://web.dos.gov.jo/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/No_of_pop_depand_on_GOV.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2016 |access-date=13 May 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Districts of Amman Numbered.png|frameless|right|upright=1.35]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number !! Area !! Area (km2) !! Population (2015) !! Number !! Area !! Area (km2) !! Population (2015) 
|-
| 1 || [[Madinah area|Al-Madinah]] ||align=center| 3.1 ||align=center| 34,988 || 12 || [[Khrebet Al-Souk, Jawa and Yadoudah area|Kherbet Al-Souk]] ||align=center| 0.5 ||align=center| 186,158
|-
| 2 || [[Basman district|Basman]] ||align=center| 13.4 ||align=center| 373,981 || 13 || Al-Mgablein ||align=center| 23 ||align=center| 99,738 
|- 
| 3 || [[Marka, Jordan|Marka]] ||align=center| 23 ||align=center| 148,100 || 14 || [[Wadi Al-Seer]] ||align=center| 80 ||align=center| 241,830 
|-
| 4 || [[Nasr area|Al-Nasr]] ||align=center| 28.4 ||align=center| 258,829 || 15 || [[Bader Al-Jadeedah area|Badr Al-Jadeedah]]|| align="center" | 19 ||align=center| 17,891
|-
| 5 || [[Yarmouk area|Al-Yarmouk]] ||align=center| 5.5 ||align=center| 180,773 || 16 || [[Sweileh]] ||align=center| 20 ||align=center| 151,016
|-
| 6 || [[Ras Al-Ein area|Ras Al-Ein]]|| align="center" | 6.8 ||align=center| 138,024 || 17 || [[Tla' Al-Ali, Umm Al-Summaq and Khalda area|Tla' Al-Ali]]|| align="center" | 19.8 ||align=center| 251,000
|- 
| 7 || [[Bader area|Bader]] ||align=center| 10.1 ||align=center| 229,308 || 18 || [[Jubeiha]] ||align=center| 25.9 ||align=center| 197,160
|-
| 8 || [[Zahran district|Zahran]] ||align=center| 13.8 ||align=center| 107,529 || 19 || [[Shafa Badran area|Shafa Badran]]|| align="center" | 45 ||align=center| 72,315
|-
| 9 || [[Al-Abdali]] ||align=center| 15 ||align=center| 165,333 || 20 || [[Abu Nseir area|Abu Nseir]] ||align=center| 50 ||align=center| 72,489
|-
| 10 || [[Tariq area|Tariq]]|| align="center" | 25 ||align=center| 175,194 || 21 || [[Uhod area|Uhod]] ||align=center| 250 ||align=center| 40,000
|-
| 11 || [[Qweismeh, Abu Alanda, Jweideh and Rujeib area|Qweismeh]] ||align=center| 45.9 ||align=center| 296,763 || 22 || [[Marj Al-Hamam]] ||align=center| 53 ||align=center| 82,788
|}

==Economy==
===Banking sector===
The [[bank]]ing sector is one of the principal foundations of Jordan's economy. Despite the unrest and economic difficulties in the Arab world resulting from the [[Arab Spring]] uprisings, Jordan's banking sector maintained its growth in 2014. The sector consists of 25 banks, 15 of which are listed on the [[Amman Stock Exchange]]. Amman is the base city for the international [[Arab Bank]], one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, serving clients in more than 600 branches in 30 countries on five continents. Arab Bank represents 28% of the Amman Stock Exchange and is the highest-ranked institution by [[market capitalization]] on the exchange.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.awraq.com/uploads/research/b7e73be8b70e8bd319cbf637c046d178e431ccdb.pdf| title=Jordan Banking Sector Brief| access-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305065843/http://www.awraq.com/uploads/research/b7e73be8b70e8bd319cbf637c046d178e431ccdb.pdf| archive-date=5 March 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tourism===

Amman is the 4th most visited Arab city and the ninth highest recipient of international visitor spending. Roughly 1.8&nbsp;million tourists visited Amman in 2011 and spent over $1.3&nbsp;billion in the city.<ref>{{cite web | author=MasterCard Worldwide | url=http://www.slideshare.net/MasterCardNews/global-destination-cities-index-slideshare-final | title=MasterCard Worldwide's Global Destination Cities Index | publisher=Slideshare.net | access-date=28 November 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718210425/http://www.slideshare.net/MasterCardNews/global-destination-cities-index-slideshare-final | archive-date=18 July 2012 }}</ref> The expansion of [[Queen Alia International Airport]] is an example of the Greater Amman Municipality's heavy investment in the city's infrastructure. The recent construction of a public transportation system and a national railway, and the expansion of roads, are intended to ease the traffic generated by the millions of annual visitors to the city.<ref name=capacity>{{cite news |last=Maslen |first=Richard |date=27 March 2013 |title=New Terminal Opening Boosts Queen Alia Airport's Capacity |url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/190852/new-terminal-opening-boosts-queen-alia-airports-capacity-/ |newspaper=Routesonline |location=Manchester, United Kingdom |publisher=[[UBM Information]] Ltd |access-date=4 February 2014 |archive-date=23 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423044547/http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/190852/new-terminal-opening-boosts-queen-alia-airports-capacity-/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Amman, and Jordan in general, is the Middle East's hub for [[medical tourism]]. Jordan receives the most medical tourists in the region and the fifth highest in the world. Amman receives 250,000 foreign patients a year and over $1&nbsp;billion annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jordantimes.com/jordan-remains-medical-tourism-hub-despite-regional-unrest |title=Jordan remains medical tourism hub despite regional unrest |newspaper=[[The Jordan Times]] |date=18 March 2012 |access-date=28 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203034646/http://jordantimes.com/jordan-remains-medical-tourism-hub-despite-regional-unrest |archive-date=3 December 2012 }}</ref>

===Business===
Amman is introducing itself as a business hub. The city's skyline is being continuously transformed through the emergence of new projects. A significant portion of business flowed into Amman following the 2003 [[Iraq War]]. Jordan's main airport, [[Queen Alia International Airport]], is located south of Amman and is the hub for the country's national carrier [[Royal Jordanian]], a major airline in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/archive/2010/august/i_bca01.pdf|title=Royal Jordanian was the first airline in the Middle East to order the 787 Dreamliner|publisher=Boeing|access-date=30 September 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063036/http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/archive/2010/august/i_bca01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The airline is headquartered in [[Zahran district]]. [[Rubicon Group Holding]] and [[Maktoob]], two major regional information technology companies, are based in Amman, along with major international corporations such as [[Hikma Pharmaceuticals]], one of the Middle East's largest pharmaceutical companies, and [[Aramex]], the Middle East's largest logistics and transportation company.<ref name=IraqBiz>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/03/16/erbil-ranked-5th-for-foreign-direct-investment/ |title=Erbil Ranked 5th for Foreign Direct Investment |publisher=Iraq Business News |date=16 March 2011 |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=1 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001192438/http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/03/16/erbil-ranked-5th-for-foreign-direct-investment/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Hussein Hachem |url=http://www.busmanagementme.com/article/aramex-middle-easts-biggest-courier-firm/ |title=Aramex MEA: the Middle East's biggest courier firm&nbsp;– Lead Features&nbsp;– Business Management Middle East &#124; GDS Publishing |publisher=Busmanagementme.com |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=13 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513205610/http://www.busmanagementme.com/article/aramex-middle-easts-biggest-courier-firm/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a report by Dunia Frontier Consultants, Amman, along with [[Doha]], [[Qatar]] and [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], are the favored hubs for multinational corporations operating in the Middle East and North Africa region.<ref name=dunia/> In ''FDI'' magazine, Amman was chosen as the Middle Eastern city with the most potential to be a leader in foreign direct investment in the region.<ref name=IraqBiz/> Furthermore, several of the world's largest investment banks have offices in Amman including [[Standard Chartered]], [[Société Générale]], and [[Citibank]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prlog.org/10313193-courier-companies-of-the-world.html |title=Courier Companies of the World |publisher=PRLog |date=18 August 2009 |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=23 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723095551/http://www.prlog.org/10313193-courier-companies-of-the-world.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical population of Amman
|type        = none
|align       = right
|width       = 15em
|state       = none
|shading     = off
|pop_name    = Historical population
|percentages = on
|footnote    =
|source      =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Amman.aspx|title=Amman|access-date=21 September 2015|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923055949/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Amman.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtown.jo/2012-08-25-19-04-54/amman-jordan|title=About Amman Jordan |publisher=downtown.jo|access-date=23 September 2015|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923061723/http://www.downtown.jo/2012-08-25-19-04-54/amman-jordan|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=about/>
|7250 BC |3000
|1879 |500
|1906 |5000
|1930 |10000
|1940 |20000
|1952 |108000
|1979 |848587
|1999 |1864500 
|2004 |2315600 
|2010 |2842629
|2015 |4007526
}}
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Largest groups of Arab foreign residents<ref>{{cite web|title=٩.٥ ملايين عدد السكان في الأردن|url=http://www.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleno=257572|work=Ammon News|access-date=22 January 2016|date=22 January 2016|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131081628/http://www.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleno=257572|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! Nationality || Population (2015)
|-
|{{flag|Syria}} || 435,578
|-
|{{flag|Egypt}} || 390,631 
|-
|{{flag|Palestine}} || 308,091
|-
|{{flag|Iraq}} || 121,893
|-
|{{flag|Yemen}} || 27,109
|-
|{{flag|Libya}} || 21,649
|-
|Other|| 147,742
|-
|}
The population of Amman reached 4,007,526 in 2015; the city contains about 42% of Jordan's entire population.<ref name=RefC/> It has a land area of {{convert|648.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} which yields a population density of about {{convert|2380|PD/km2|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.permaculturenews.org/files/ipc10/Lancaster_Water_Harvesting_Jordan-9-2011.pdf| title=Turning Drains into Sponges and Water Scarcity into Water Abundance| work=Brad Lancaster| publisher=permaculturenews.org| access-date=30 September 2015| archive-date=4 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032505/http://www.permaculturenews.org/files/ipc10/Lancaster_Water_Harvesting_Jordan-9-2011.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> The population of Amman has risen exponentially with the successive waves of immigrants and refugees arriving throughout the 20th century. From a population of roughly 1,000 in 1890, Amman grew to around 1,000,000 inhabitants in 1990, primarily as a result of immigration, but also due to the high birthrate in the city.<ref name=DS34>Dumper and Stanley, p. 34.</ref> Amman had been abandoned for centuries until hundreds of [[Circassians]] settled it in the 19th century. Today, about 40,000 Circassians live in Amman and its vicinity.<ref>Albala, p. 267.</ref> After Amman became a major hub along the [[Hejaz Railway]] in 1914, many Muslim and Christian merchant families from al-Salt immigrated to the city.<ref>Richmond, p. 124.</ref> A large proportion of Amman's inhabitants have [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] roots (urban or rural origin), and the two main demographic groups in the city today are Arabs of Palestinian or Jordanian descent. Other ethnic groups comprise about 2% of the population. There are no official statistics about the proportion of people of Palestinian or Jordanian descent.<ref>Dakwar, pp. 31–32.</ref>

New arrivals consisting of Jordanians from the north and south of the country and immigrants from Palestine had increased the city's population from 30,000 in 1930 to 60,000 in 1947.<ref name=Suleiman101>Suleiman, p. 101.</ref> About 10,000 Palestinians, mostly from [[Safed]], [[Haifa]] and [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], migrated to the city for economic opportunities before the [[1948 Palestine war|1948 war]].<ref name=Plascov33/> Many of the immigrants from al-Salt from that time were originally from [[Nablus]].<ref>Dakwar, p. 31.</ref> The 1948 war caused an exodus of urban Muslim and Christian Palestinian refugees, mostly from [[Jaffa]], [[Ramla]] and [[Lod|Lydda]], to Amman,<ref name=Plascov33>Plascov, p. 33.</ref> whose population swelled to 110,000.<ref name=Suleiman101/> With Jordan's capture of the [[West Bank]] during the war, many Palestinians from that area steadily migrated to Amman between 1950 and 1966, before another mass wave of Palestinian refugees from the West Bank moved to the city during the [[Six-Day War|1967 War]]. By 1970, the population had swelled to an estimated 550,000.<ref name=Suleiman101/> A further 200,000 Palestinians arrived after their expulsion from Kuwait during the 1991 [[Gulf War]]. Several large [[Palestinian refugee camp]]s exist around the center of Amman.<ref name=DS35>Dumper and Stanley, p. 35.</ref>

Because Amman lacks a deep-rooted native population, the city does not have a distinct Arabic [[dialect]], although recently such a dialect utilizing the various Jordanian and Palestinian dialects, has been forming.<ref>Owens, p. 260.</ref> The children of immigrants in the city are also increasingly referring to themselves as "Ammani", unlike much of the first-generation inhabitants who identify more with their respective places of origin.<ref>Jones, p. 64.</ref>

===Religion===
Amman has a mostly [[Sunni Muslim]] population, and the city contains numerous [[mosque]]s.<ref>Ring, Salkin and LaBoda, p. 65.</ref> Among the main mosques is the large [[King Abdullah I Mosque]], built between 1982 and 1989. It is capped by a blue mosaic [[dome]] beneath which 3,000 Muslims may offer prayer. The Abu Darweesh Mosque, noted for its checkered black-and-white pattern, has an architectural style that is unique to Jordan.<ref name=JTravel>{{cite web |title= Amman – a modern city built on the sands of time |publisher= jordantoursandtravel.com |work= Jordan Travel |url= http://www.jordantoursandtravel.com/amman.html |access-date= 22 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030150/http://www.jordantoursandtravel.com/amman.html |archive-date= 4 March 2016 |url-status= dead}}</ref> The mosque is situated on [[Ashrafiyah, Amman|Jabal Ashrafieh]], the highest point in the city. The mosque's interior is marked by light-colored walls and Persian carpets. During the 2004 Amman Message conference, edicts from various clergy-members afforded the following schools of thought as garnering collective recognition: [[Hanafi]], [[Hanbali]], [[Maliki]], Shafi'i, Ja'fari, Zahiri, Zaydi, [[Ibadi]], tassawuf-related [[Sufism]], [[Muwahhidism]] and [[Salafism]].<ref>Global Security Watch—Jordan – Page 134, W. Andrew Terrill – 2010</ref> Amman also has a small [[Druze]] community.<ref>{{cite book| author=U.S. Senate: Committee on Foreign Relations| title=Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, 2004| publisher=[[Government Printing Office]]| year=2005| page=563| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=04dlwzB2SvcC&pg=PA563| isbn=978-0-16-072552-4| access-date=23 September 2015| archive-date=18 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518232337/https://books.google.com/books?id=04dlwzB2SvcC&pg=PA563| url-status=live}}</ref>

Large numbers of [[Christianity in Jordan|Christians]] from throughout Jordan, particularly from al-Salt, have moved to Amman. Nearby [[Fuheis]] is a predominantly [[Arab Christians|Christian]] town located to the northwest of the city.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Miller| first=Duane Alexander| title=The Episcopal Church in Jordan: Identity, Liturgy, and Mission| journal=[[Journal of Anglican Studies]]| date=November 2011| volume=9| issue=2| pages=134–153| url=https://www.academia.edu/1482555| access-date=16 November 2012| doi=10.1017/S1740355309990271| s2cid=144069423| archive-date=13 July 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713085729/https://www.academia.edu/1482555| url-status=live}}</ref> A small [[Armenian Catholic]] community of around 70 families is present in the city.<ref>Kildani, p. 678.</ref> [[Ecclesiastical court]]s for matters of personal status are also located in Amman. A total of 16 historic churches are located in [[Umm ar-Rasas]] ruins in [[Al-Jeezah]] district; the site is believed to have initially served as [[Roman Empire|Roman]] fortified military camps which gradually became a town around the 5th century AD. It has not been completely excavated. It was influenced by several civilizations including the Romans, Byzantines and Muslims. The site contains some well-preserved mosaic floors, particularly the mosaic floor of the Church of Saint Stephen.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1093/| title=Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)| access-date=6 October 2015| year=2004| publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Center| work=unesco.org| archive-date=2 January 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102191504/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1093/| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Cityscape==
[[File:Amman panorama 2024.png|thumb|467x467px|Amman Panorama from Jabal Al-Ashrafyeh]]
[[Downtown Amman]], the city center area (known in Arabic as ''Al-Balad''), has been dwarfed by the sprawling urban area that surrounds it. Despite the changes, much remains of its old character. [[Jabal Amman]] is a tourist attraction in old Amman, where the city's largest souks, museums, ancient constructions, monuments, and cultural sites are found. Jabal Amman also contains the famous [[Rainbow Street]] and the cultural [[Souk Jara]] market.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Newly Stylish Amman Asserts Itself |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22next.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 November 2009 |accessdate=20 January 2023 |last=Ferren |first=Andrew |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007023427/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22next.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Architecture===
[[File:View of the New Abdali from the northeast, Amman, 2024.jpg|thumb|New Abdali]]
Residential buildings are limited to four stories above street level and if possible another four stories below, according to the [[Greater Amman Municipality]] regulations. The buildings are covered with thick white or beige limestone or sandstone.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.csbe.org/publications-and-resources/articles-and-lectures-on-architectural-issues/stone-as-wall-paper-the-evolution-of-stone-as-a-sheathing-material-in-twentieth-century-amman/the-use-of-stone-in-amman-by-may-shaer/| access-date=23 September 2015| title=Stone as Wall Paper: The Evolution of Stone as a Sheathing Material in Twentieth-Century Amman| publisher=CSBE| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085707/http://www.csbe.org/publications-and-resources/articles-and-lectures-on-architectural-issues/stone-as-wall-paper-the-evolution-of-stone-as-a-sheathing-material-in-twentieth-century-amman/the-use-of-stone-in-amman-by-may-shaer/| archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> The buildings usually have balconies on each floor, with the exception of the ground floor, which has a front and back yard. Some buildings make use of [[Mangalore tiles]] on the roofs or on the roof of covered porches. Hotels, towers and commercial buildings are either covered by stone, plastic or glass.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mohammed Subaihi |title=فوضى التنظيم والأبنية في عمان |newspaper=[[Al Ra'i (Jordanian newspaper)|Al Ra'i]] |url=http://www.alrai.com/article/612950.html |date=22 October 2013 |access-date=23 September 2015 |language=ar |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221173526/http://alrai.com/article/612950.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===High-rise construction and towers===
{{see also|List of tallest buildings in Amman}}
[[File:Jordan Gate 6-2024.jpg|thumb|Jordan Gate]]
[[Zahran district]] in west Amman is the location of the [[Jordan Gate]], which is a [[High-class|high class]] [[Commerce|commercial]] and [[Residential area|residential]] [[project]] currently [[Construction|under construction]] in the [[Wadi Al-Seer]] district of Amman, Jordan, it consists of two [[Tower block|high-rise]] [[building]]s connected by a multi-[[storey]] [[podium]].<ref name=Gate>{{cite web| url=http://www.systemair.com/Templates/Pages/Article.aspx?show=1320&id=1105&epslanguage=ru-RU| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001181726/http://www.systemair.com/Templates/Pages/Article.aspx?show=1320&id=1105&epslanguage=ru-RU| url-status=dead| archive-date=1 October 2015| title=Jordan Gate Towers, Amman| access-date=30 September 2015| publisher=systemair AB| work=systemair.com}}</ref>

[[New Abdali]] district hosts a [[Abdali Mall|mall]], a [[boulevard]] along with several hotels, commercial and residential towers. Valued at more than US$5 billion with two main phases, the district created a new visible center for Amman and act as the major business district for the city.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.abdali.jo/index.php?r=site/page&id=4| access-date=23 September 2015| publisher=Abdali PSC| title=About the Abdali Project| archive-date=25 February 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225192243/https://abdali.jo/index.php?r=site%2Fpage&id=4| url-status=live}}</ref>

The first phase, estimated at more than JD2.4 billion, and receiving about 20 million visitors annually, contains seven Itowers extending over an area of 1.03 million square metres. It attracts about 500 companies operating in 27 sectors, and provided a total of 15,000 job opportunities by 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-14 |title=King briefed on expansion plans for Abdali project |url=https://jordantimes.com/news/local/king-briefed-expansion-plans-abdali-project |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Jordan Times |language=en}}</ref>

A second phase was announced in May 2024, which will cover an area of 1.2 million square meters and is anticipated to create over 3,000 job opportunities each year, were outlined in the statement. This phase involves the construction of a multi-use conference center with a capacity for 25,000 people, as well as two towers that will include hotels, residential apartments, commercial centers, and advanced medical facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=King briefed on expansion plans for Abdali project |url=https://jordantimes.com/news/local/king-briefed-expansion-plans-abdali-project#google_vignette}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Museums===
{{See also|Category:Museums in Amman}}
[[File:Jordan Museum.JPG|thumb|right|The Jordan Museum, located near downtown]]

The largest museum in Jordan is [[The Jordan Museum]]. It contains much of the valuable archeological findings in the country,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/scrolling-through-the-millennia-at-the-new-jordan-museum-in-amman| title=Scrolling through the millennia at the new Jordan Museum in Amman| access-date=2015-09-25| date=2014-03-13| work=The National| archive-date=26 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926083840/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/scrolling-through-the-millennia-at-the-new-jordan-museum-in-amman| url-status=live}}</ref> including some of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], the Neolithic limestone statues of [[Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)|'Ain Ghazal]], and a copy of the [[Mesha Stele]]. Other museums include [[the Duke's Diwan]], [[Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts]], [[Jordan Archaeological Museum]], [[The Children's Museum Jordan]], [[The Martyrs' Memorial and Museum]], the [[Royal Automobile Museum]], the [[Prophet Mohammad Museum]], the [[Museum of Parliamentary Life]], the [[Jordan Folklore Museum]], and museums at the [[University of Jordan]].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KcGcDdi20SwC&pg=PA35| title=Jordan| isbn=978-1-84162-398-6| page=35| publisher=Bradt Travel Guides| year=2012| author=Carole French| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=14 January 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114084308/https://books.google.com/books?id=KcGcDdi20SwC&pg=PA35| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Lifestyle===

Amman is considered one of the most liberal cities in the [[Arab world]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.historyofjordan.com/jordan2/jh/collection.php?album=%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86| title=Amman| work=History of Jordan| access-date=25 September 2015| archive-date=5 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305104650/http://www.historyofjordan.com/jordan2/jh/collection.php?album=%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86| url-status=live}}</ref> The city has become one of the most popular destinations for expatriates and college students who seek to live, study, or work in the [[Middle East]] or the Arab world in general.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.amideast.org/abroad/programs/jordan/why-jordan-why-amman| title=Why Jordan? Why Amman?| access-date=25 September 2015| publisher=amideast.org| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026030523/https://www.amideast.org/abroad/programs/jordan/why-jordan-why-amman| archive-date=26 October 2018| url-status=dead}}</ref> The city's culinary scene has changed from its [[shawerma|shawarma]] stands and [[falafel]] joints to embrace many popular international restaurants and fast-food outlets such as [[Asian fusion]] restaurants, French [[bistro]]s and Italian [[trattoria]]s. The city has become famous for its fine dining scene among Western expatriates and [[Persian Gulf]] tourists.<ref name=NYTtrav>{{cite news |work= The New York Times |title=A Newly Stylish Amman Asserts Itself |first=Andrew |last=Ferren |date=22 November 2009 |url= http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22next.html |access-date= 30 March 2010 |archive-date=27 November 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091127181056/http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22next.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Souk Jara 4 Jul 2008 (7).JPG|thumb|Souk Jara is one of the most famous outdoor markets managed by the Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA).]]

Large [[shopping mall]]s were built during the 2000s in Amman, including the [[Mecca Mall]], Abdoun Mall, [[City Mall (Amman)|City Mall]], Al-Baraka Mall, Taj Mall, Zara Shopping Center, Avenue Mall, and [[Abdali Mall]] in Al Abdali.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KcGcDdi20SwC&pg=PA108| title=Jordan| page=108| author=Carole French| publisher=Bradt| year=2012| isbn=9781841623986| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=18 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518201155/https://books.google.com/books?id=KcGcDdi20SwC&pg=PA108| url-status=live}}</ref> [[Wakalat Street]] ("Agencies Street") is Amman's first pedestrian-only street and carries a lot of name-label clothes. The [[Sweifieh]] area is considered to be the main shopping district of Amman.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://islahnews.net/209994.html| title=اعادة دراسة واقع شارع الوكالات| access-date=25 September 2015| date=3 October 2013| work=Islah News| publisher=islahnews.net| language=ar| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709054705/http://islahnews.net/209994.html| archive-date=9 July 2019| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nightclubs, music bars and [[Hookah lounge|shisha lounges]] are present across Amman, changing the city's old image as the conservative capital of the kingdom. This burgeoning new nightlife scene is shaped by Jordan's young population.<ref>{{cite news| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215215544/http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/amman-bustles-with-nightlife-shedding-old-image-1913627.html| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/amman-bustles-with-nightlife-shedding-old-image-1913627.html| title= Amman bustles with nightlife, shedding old image |newspaper= [[The Independent]] |archive-date=15 December 2013 | url-status=dead| access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> In addition to the wide range of drinking and dancing venues on the social circuit of the city's affluent crowd, Amman hosts cultural entertainment events, including the annual Amman Summer Festival. [[Souk Jara]] is a Jordanian weekly [[flea market]] event that occurs every Friday throughout the summer.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/souk-jara-open-9pm-2am-ramadan| title=Souk JARA open from 9&nbsp;pm to 2&nbsp;am in Ramadan| publisher=The Jordan News| date=24 June 2015| work=The Jordan Times| access-date=30 September 2015| archive-date=1 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001195829/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/souk-jara-open-9pm-2am-ramadan| url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sweifieh]] is considered to be the unofficial red-light district of Amman as it holds most of the city's nightclubs, bars.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://country-stats.com/en/countries/asia/jordan/10185-jordan-politics.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305053911/http://country-stats.com/en/countries/asia/jordan/10185-jordan-politics.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=5 March 2016| title=Jordan – Politics| access-date=29 September 2015| work=country-stats.com}}</ref> Jabal Amman and [[Jabal al-Luweibdeh]] are home to many pubs and bars as well, making the area popular among bar hoppers.<ref name=NYTtrav/>

Alcohol is widely available in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and supermarkets.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5x2pJuvWeOQC&pg=PA77| title=Jordan| author1=Anthony Ham| author2=Paul Greenway| year=2003| isbn=978-1-74059-165-2| page=77| publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]| access-date=24 August 2017| archive-date=18 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018104900/https://books.google.com/books?id=5x2pJuvWeOQC&pg=PA77| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/jordan0000tell| url-access=registration| title=Jordan| author=Matthew Teller|isbn=978-1-85828-740-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/jordan0000tell/page/44 44]| year=2002| publisher=[[Rough Guides]]}}</ref> There are numerous nightclubs and bars across the city, especially in West Amman. {{as of|2011}}, there were 77 registered nightclubs in Jordan (excluding bars and pubs), overwhelmingly located in the capital city.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=11349 | title=3% of Nightclub women are Jordanian &#124; Editor's Choice &#124; Ammon News | publisher=En.ammonnews.net | date=19 January 2011 | access-date=24 November 2013 | archive-date=2 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230557/http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=11349#.UpAderQTvow | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, there were 222 registered liquor stores in Amman.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sarayanews.com/index.php?page=article&id=13779|title=الاردن يستورد خمور بقيمة مليونين و(997) الف دينار خلال عام 2008|date=25 September 2009|access-date=23 September 2015|language=ar|publisher=sarayanews.com|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923164449/http://www.sarayanews.com/index.php?page=article&id=13779|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{See also|Jordanian cuisine}}

Danielle Pergament of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Ammani cuisine as a product of several cuisines in the region, writing that it combines "the bright vegetables from Lebanon, crunchy falafels from Syria, juicy kebabs from Egypt and, most recently, spicy meat dishes from Jordan's neighbor, Iraq. It's known as the food of the [[Levant]]&nbsp;– an ancient word for the area bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian peninsula. But the food here isn't just the sum of its calories. In this politically, religiously and ethnically fraught corner of the world, it is a symbol of bloodlines and identity."<ref name=NYTcuisine>{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/travel/13choicetables.html | last= Pergament | first= Danielle | title= All the Foods of the Mideast at Its Stable Center | newspaper= [[The New York Times]] | date= 13 January 2008 | access-date= 21 February 2017 | archive-date= 23 June 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170623191059/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/travel/13choicetables.html | url-status= live }}</ref> However, the city's street food scene makes the Ammani cuisine distinctive.<ref name=StFood/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://beamman.com/food-/251-capital-cuisine-a-food-tour-in-amman-jordan-| title=Capital Cuisine – A Food Tour in Amman, Jordan| work=BeAmman.com| access-date=26 September 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926043547/http://beamman.com/food-/251-capital-cuisine-a-food-tour-in-amman-jordan-| archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>

===Sports===

Amman-based [[Association football|football]] clubs [[Al-Wehdat SC|Al-Wehdat]] and [[Al-Faisaly SC (Amman)|Al-Faisaly]], both former league champions, share one of the most popular rivalries in the local football scene.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.goethe.de/ins/jo/amm/prj/ema/far/jof/enindex.htm| title=Political rivalry overshadows Amman's derby| access-date=25 September 2015| work=Goethe-Institut| archive-date=26 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926031114/http://www.goethe.de/ins/jo/amm/prj/ema/far/jof/enindex.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> Amman hosted the [[2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup]] along with [[Irbid]] and [[Zarqa]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-municipality-revamping-stadiums-u-17-women%E2%80%99s-world-cup| title=Amman municipality revamping stadiums for U-17 Women's World Cup| access-date=23 September 2015| date=23 July 2015| work=[[The Jordan Times]] |first=Muath |last=Freij | archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923031804/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-municipality-revamping-stadiums-u-17-women%E2%80%99s-world-cup| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.fifa.com/u17womensworldcup/destination/cities/city=1913/index.html| title=Amman| publisher=[[FIFA]]| access-date=23 September 2015| archive-date=14 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214042814/http://www.fifa.com/u17womensworldcup/destination/cities/city=1913/index.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[2007 Asian Athletics Championships]] and more than one edition of the [[IAAF World Cross Country Championships]] were held in the city.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/destination-amman-1| title=Destination Amman| publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations]]| date=28 March 2009| access-date=24 September 2015| archive-date=7 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007151918/http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/destination-amman-1| url-status=live}}</ref> Amman also hosts the [[Jordan Rally]], which form part of the [[FIA]] [[World Rally Championship]], becoming one of the largest sporting events ever held in Jordan.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/sports/jordan-rally-gets-thumbs-fia| title=Jordan Rally gets thumbs up from FIA| publisher=Jordan Times| date=19 February 2010| access-date=24 September 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925144348/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/sports/jordan-rally-gets-thumbs-fia| archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>

Amman is home to a growing number of foreign sports such as [[skateboarding]] and [[Rugby football|rugby]]; the latter has two teams based in the city: Amman Citadel Rugby Club and Nomads Rugby Club.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.albawaba.com/sport/jordan-rugby-dubai-sevens-619023| title=Against all odds, Jordan's rugby greats are set to storm the Dubai Sevens| access-date=23 September 2015| date=4 November 2014| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923055946/http://www.albawaba.com/sport/jordan-rugby-dubai-sevens-619023| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, German non-profit organization [[Make Life Skate Life]] completed construction of the [[7Hills Skatepark]], a 650 square meter concrete skatepark located at [[Samir Rifai]] park in [[Downtown Amman]].<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/02/volunteers-open-jordan-skate-park-150206102827914.html| title=Volunteers open Jordan's first skate park| date=12 February 2015| publisher=Al Jazeera Media Network| work=aljazeera.com| access-date=30 September 2015| archive-date=1 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001071615/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/02/volunteers-open-jordan-skate-park-150206102827914.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

{{wide image|Amman Sport City Panorama.jpg|1025px|align-cap=center|A panoramic view of [[Amman International Stadium]] in the Sport City}}

===Media and music===

The majority of Jordan's radio stations are based in Amman. The first radio station to originate in the city was ''Hunna Amman'' in 1959; it mainly broadcast traditional [[Bedouin]] music.<ref>{{cite book| last=Massad| first=Joseph A.| title=Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan| publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c70NwhRNmosC&pg=PA76| page=76| year=2001| isbn=978-0231123235| access-date=22 September 2015| archive-date=12 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512214537/https://books.google.com/books?id=c70NwhRNmosC&pg=PA76| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2000, Amman Net became the first de facto private radio station to be established in the country, despite private ownership of radio stations being illegal at the time.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Zweiri| first1=Mahjoob| last2=Murphy| first2=Emma C.| title=The New Arab Media: Technology, Image and Perception| publisher=Ithaca Press| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v93Fj7P3uUwC&pg=PA143| page=143| year=2012| isbn=978-0863724176| access-date=22 September 2015| archive-date=20 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520103850/https://books.google.com/books?id=v93Fj7P3uUwC&pg=PA143| url-status=live}}</ref> After private ownership was legalized in 2002, several more radio stations were created.<ref>{{cite book| title=The Report: Emerging Jordan 2007| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YuSY8llhkPQC&pg=PA191| publisher=Oxford Business Group| page=184| year=2007| isbn=9781902339740| access-date=22 September 2015| archive-date=6 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506130443/https://books.google.com/books?id=YuSY8llhkPQC&pg=PA191| url-status=live}}</ref>

Most Jordanian newspapers and news stations are situated in Amman. Daily newspapers published in Amman include ''[[Alghad]]'',<ref name=alghad>{{cite web |url=http://www.alrai.com |title=الرأي الأردنية &#124; أخبار الأردن والشرق الأوسط والعالم&#124;صحيفة يومية تصدر في عمان الأردن |publisher=Alrai.com |language=ar |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904043653/http://www.alrai.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Ad-Dustour (Jordan)|Ad-Dustour]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.addustour.com | language=ar | title=:: جريدة الدستور :: | publisher=Addustour.com | access-date=28 November 2012 | archive-date=8 August 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808190011/http://www.addustour.com/ | url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Jordan Times]]'',<ref name=alghad/> and ''[[Al Ra'i (Jordanian newspaper)|Al Ra'i]]'', the most circulated newspaper in the country.<ref name="Journ">{{cite book| last1=Kalyango| first1=Yusuf Jr.| last2=Mould| first2=David H.| title=Global Journalism Practice and New Media Performance| publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-IOoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78| page=78| year=2014| isbn=978-1137440556| access-date=22 September 2015| archive-date=7 May 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507023445/https://books.google.com/books?id=-IOoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, ''Al Ra'i'' was ranked the 5th most popular newspaper in the Arab world by Forbes Middle-East report.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/al-rai-ranks-fifth-among-region%E2%80%99s-online-newspapers| title=Al Rai ranks fifth among region's online newspapers| access-date=30 September 2015| date=30 November 2011| work=The Jordan Times| publisher=The Jordan News| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002000553/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/al-rai-ranks-fifth-among-region%E2%80%99s-online-newspapers| archive-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> ''[[Al Arab Al Yawm (newspaper)|Al-Arab Al-Yawm]]'' is the only daily pan-Arab newspaper in Jordan. The two most popular Jordanian TV channels, [[Ro'ya TV]] and [[JRTV]], are based in Amman.<ref name="Journ"/>[[File:Amman, Roman Theatre, Jordan.jpg|thumb|right|Celebrations of Amman's centennial in 2009]]

Aside from mainstream [[Arabic pop]], there is a growing independent music scene in the city which includes many bands that have sizable audiences across the [[Arab world]]. Local Ammani bands along with other bands in the [[Middle East]] gather in the Roman Theater during the [[Al-Balad Music Festival]] held annually in August. Music genres of the local bands are diverse, ranging from [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] to [[Arabic Rock]], [[jazz]] and [[rap]]. Performers include [[JadaL]], [[Torabyeh]], [[Bilocate]], [[Akher Zapheer]], [[Autostrad (band)|Autostrad]] and [[El Morabba3]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/culture/the-promise-of-ammans-independent-music-scene_32052| title=The promise of Amman's independent music scene| access-date=23 September 2015| publisher=Your Middle East| date=13 May 2015| archive-date=20 August 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820160855/http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/culture/the-promise-of-ammans-independent-music-scene_32052| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Events===

Many events take place in Amman, including [[Red Bull]]-sponsored events Soundclash and Soapbox race, the second part of [[Jerash Festival]], Al-Balad Music Festival, [[Amman Marathon]], Made in Jordan Festival, Amman Book Festival and [[New Think Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beamman.com/calendar|title=BEAMMAN CALENDAR|access-date=25 September 2015|work=BeAmman.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005190840/http://beamman.com/calendar|archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> Venues for such cultural events often include the [[Roman Theater (Amman)|Roman]] and [[Odeon theater (Amman)|Odeon]] Theaters downtown, the [[Ras Al-Ein area|Ras al Ain Hanger]], [[King Hussein Business Park]], Rainbow Theater and Shams Theater, the [[Royal Film Commission – Jordan|Royal Film Commission]], Shoman libraries and [[Darat al Funun]], and the Royal Cultural Center at [[Sports City (Amman)|Sports City]]. In addition to large-scale events and institutional planning, scholars point to [[tactical urbanism]] as a key element of the city's cultural fabric.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tarawneh|first=Deyala|date=17 January 2018|title=Tactical urbanism in Amman; Small practices and big changes.|url=https://www.interiorph.com/architecture/tactical-urbanism-amman-small-practices-big-changes/|access-date=11 December 2020|website=InteriorPH|language=en-US|archive-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010061927/http://www.interiorph.com/architecture/tactical-urbanism-amman-small-practices-big-changes/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Airports===
[[File:Queen Alia International Airport Terminal.jpg|thumb|right|Queen Alia International Airport]]

The main airport serving Amman is [[Queen Alia International Airport]], situated about {{convert|30|km|2|abbr=on}} south of Amman. Much smaller is [[Amman Civil Airport]], a one-terminal airport that serves primarily domestic and nearby international routes and the army. Queen Alia International Airport is the major [[international airport]] in Jordan and the [[airline hub|hub]] for [[Royal Jordanian]], the [[flag carrier]]. Its expansion was recently done and modified, including the decommissioning of the old terminals and the commissioning of new terminals costing $700M, to handle over 16&nbsp;million passengers annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.albawaba.com/accelerating-passenger-growth-jordan%E2%80%99s-qaia-suggests-confidence-returning-386395 |title=Accelerating passenger growth at Jordan's QAIA suggests confidence returning |website=Al Bawaba |date=1 August 2011 |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402232923/http://www.albawaba.com/accelerating-passenger-growth-jordan%E2%80%99s-qaia-suggests-confidence-returning-386395 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is now considered a state-of-the-art airport and was named 'the best airport in the [[Middle East]]' for 2014 and 2015 and 'the best improvement in the Middle East' for 2014 by [[List of Airport Service Quality Award winners|Airport Service Quality]] Survey, the world's leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark program.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.aig.aero/en/content/1st-place-service-quality-rankings-qaia-named-best-airport-region-middle-east-and-best| access-date=23 September 2015| title=1st Place Service Quality Rankings: QAIA Named 'Best Airport by Region – Middle East' and 'Best Improvement by Region – Middle East'| date=23 February 2015| archive-date=25 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925072005/http://www.aig.aero/en/content/1st-place-service-quality-rankings-qaia-named-best-airport-region-middle-east-and-best| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Roads===
{{see also|List of roads in Amman}}

Amman has an extensive road network. Eight [[roundabout]] "circles", which formerly marked neighborhoods, are used as landmarks.<ref name="KH"/> The road network includes many bridges and tunnels due to the mountainous nature of the terrain. A leading example is the [[Abdoun Bridge]], which spans [[Wadi Abdoun]] and connects the [[List of roads in Amman#Circles|4th Circle]] to [[Abdoun Circle]]. It is considered one of Amman's many landmarks and is the first curved suspended bridge to be built in the country.<ref name="KH"/>
[[File:Abdoun Bridge - Amman.jpg|thumb|right|Abdoun Bridge, considered one of Amman's landmarks]]

Successive waves of refugees to the city has led to the rapid construction of new neighborhoods, but Amman's capacity for new or widened roads remains limited despite the influx. This has resulted in increasing traffic jams, particularly during summer when there are large numbers of tourists and Jordanian expatriates visiting.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-residents-complain-about-daylong-car-jams| title=Amman residents complain about daylong car jams| access-date=23 September 2015| date=8 June 2014| work=[[The Jordan Times]]| archive-date=25 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925114322/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/amman-residents-complain-about-daylong-car-jams| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, a [[ring road]] encompassing the city was constructed, which aims to connect the northern and southern parts of the city in order for traffic to be diverted outside Amman and to improve the environmental conditions in the city.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/pm-inaugurates-second-phase-amman-road-project| title=PM inaugurates second phase of Amman road project| access-date=23 September 2015| date=5 February 2012| work=The Jordan Times| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104750/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/pm-inaugurates-second-phase-amman-road-project| archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>
[[File:BRT in Amman, Jordan 3.jpg|thumb|right|175px|BRT bus at a stop along its route]]

===Bus and taxi===

The city has frequent bus connections to other cities in Jordan, as well as to major cities in neighboring countries; the latter are also served by service taxis. Internal transport is served by a number of bus routes and taxis. Service taxis, which most often operate on fixed routes, are readily available and inexpensive. The two main bus and taxi stations are Abdali (near the [[King Abdullah I Mosque|King Abdullah Mosque]], the [[Parliament of Jordan|Parliament]] and Palace of Justice) and the Raghadan Central Bus Station near the Roman theater in the city center. Popular Jordanian bus company services include JETT and Al-Mahatta. Taxis are the most common way to get around in Amman due their high availability and inexpensiveness.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://studiesabroad.com/programs/country/jordan/city/amman/cultureCorner/transportation | title=Transportation in Amman | access-date=2 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925105718/http://studiesabroad.com/programs/country/jordan/city/amman/cultureCorner/transportation | archive-date=25 September 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Amman Bus]] and the [[Amman Bus Rapid Transit]] public transportation systems currently serve the city. Construction work on the BRT system started in 2010, but was halted soon after amid feasibility concerns. Resuming in 2015, the first route of the BRT system was inaugurated in 2021, and the second in 2022. Another BRT route [[Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit|connecting Amman with Zarqa]] is also under construction and is expected to be operational by 2023.<ref name=BRT>{{cite web|url=https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/brt-offers-new-commuting-experience-trial-run-continues|title=BRT offers new commuting experience as trial run continues|accessdate=8 February 2022|date=29 July 2021|work=the Jordan Times|archive-date=8 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208010439/https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/brt-offers-new-commuting-experience-trial-run-continues|url-status=live}}</ref>

The BRT system in Amman runs on 2 routes: the first from [[Sweileh]] in northwest Amman to the Ras Al-Ain area next to [[downtown Amman]], and the second from Sweileh to Mahatta terminal in eastern Amman. Both routes meet at the Sports City intersection. The first route is currently served by three lines: 98, 99 and 100.<ref name=BRT/> Ticket price for all lines of Amman Bus and Amman BRT are bought either online via the Amman Bus mobile application or as a rechargeable card in major terminals. Passengers scan their cards or QR codes on phone when boarding the bus, where the price ticket is subtracted from the available balance. The buses are air-conditioned, accessible, monitored with security cameras and have free internet service.<ref name=BRT/>

==Education==
{{See also|List of universities in Jordan}}
[[File:Isra University.JPG|thumb|right|[[Al-Isra University]] in Amman]]
[[File:University of Jordan Monuments and Buildings 114.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Jordan]] library]]

Amman is a major regional center of education. The Amman region hosts Jordan's highest concentration of education centers. There are 20 universities in Amman. The [[University of Jordan]] is the largest public university in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ju.edu.jo/Pages/AboutUJ/UJInBrief.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729011718/http://www.ju.edu.jo/Pages/AboutUJ/UJInBrief.aspx |archive-date=29 July 2012 |title=JU In Brief }}</ref> There are 448 private schools in the city attended by 90,000 students,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://site.awa2el.net/article.aspx?ArticleNo=880|language=ar|title=كشف بأسماء المدارس الخاصة في عمان|access-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923031734/http://site.awa2el.net/article.aspx?ArticleNo=880|archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> including [[Jubilee School]], [[Amman Baccalaureate School]], Amman Academy, [[Amman National School]], [[Modern American School (Jordan)|Modern American School]], [[American Community School in Amman]], and [[National Orthodox School]].

Universities include:
*[[University of Jordan]]
*[[Al-Ahliyya Amman University]]
*[[Al-Isra University]]
*[[Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan]]
*[[Amman Arab University]]
*[[Applied Science Private University|Applied Science University]]
*[[Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences]]
*[[Arab Open University]]
*[[Columbia University]]: Amman Branch
*[[German-Jordanian University]]: Amman Branch
*[[Jordan Academy for Maritime Studies]]
*[[Jordan Academy of Music]]
*[[Jordan Institute of Banking Studies]]
*[[Jordan Media Institute]]
*[[Middle East University (Jordan)|Middle East University]]
*[[University of Petra]]
*[[Philadelphia University (Jordan)|Philadelphia University]]
*[[Princess Sumaya University for Technology]]
*[[Queen Noor Civil Aviation Technical College]]
*[[World Islamic Sciences and Education University]]

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Jordan}}
Amman is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/gam/a.asp?id=1| title=Twin City Agreements| access-date=30 September 2015| work=GAM| publisher=Greater Amman Municipality| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001162134/http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/gam/a.asp?id=1| archive-date=1 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/english/relations/r12.asp| title=Amman's Relations with Other Cities| publisher=Ammancity.gov.jo| access-date=31 December 2013| archive-date=7 March 2005| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307063658/http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/english/relations/r12.asp}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagicon|OMA}} [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]], Oman (1986)
*{{flagicon|KSA}} [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia (1988)
*{{flagicon|EGY}} [[Cairo]], Egypt (1988)
*{{flagicon|MAR}} [[Rabat]], Morocco (1988)
*{{flagicon|YEM}} [[Sanaa]], Yemen (1989)
*{{flagicon|PAK}} [[Islamabad]], Pakistan (1989)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ankara]], Turkey (1992)
*{{flagicon|SDN}} [[Khartoum]], Sudan (1993)
*{{flagicon|QAT}} [[Doha]], Qatar (1995)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Istanbul]], Turkey (1997)
*{{flagicon|ALG}} [[Algiers]], Algeria (1998)
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Bucharest]], Romania (1999)
*{{flagicon|MTN}} [[Nouakchott]], Mauritania (1999)
*{{flagicon|TUN}} [[Tunis]], Tunisia (1999)
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Sofia]], Bulgaria (2000)
*{{flagicon|LIB}} [[Beirut]], Lebanon (2000)
*{{flagicon|RSA}} [[Pretoria]], South Africa (2002)
*{{flagicon|HON}} [[Tegucigalpa]], Honduras (2002)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Chicago]], United States (2004)<ref>{{cite web|title=Home|url=http://www.chicagosistercities.com/|publisher=Chicago Sister Cities International|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=5 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105104454/http://www.chicagosistercities.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Calabria]], Italy (2005)
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Moscow]], Russia (2005)
*{{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Astana]], Kazakhstan (2005)
*{{flagicon|BIH}} [[Mostar]], Bosnia and Herzegovina (2006)<ref>{{cite web|title=Gradovi prijatelji|url=http://www.mostar.ba/gradovi-prijatelji.html|publisher=Mostar|language=bs|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030103002/http://www.mostar.ba/gradovi-prijatelji.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|BHR}} [[Central Governorate (Bahrain)|Central Governorate]], Bahrain (2006)
*{{flagicon|KGZ}} [[Bishkek]], Kyrgyzstan (2006)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[San Francisco]], United States (2010)<ref>{{cite web|title=San Francisco Sister Cities|url=https://oewd.org/san-francisco-sister-cities|publisher=City and County of San Francisco|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616134724/https://oewd.org/san-francisco-sister-cities|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{Flagicon|BAN}} [[Sylhet]], Bangladesh
*{{flagicon|SGP}} [[Singapore]], Singapore (2014)
*{{flagicon|ARM}} [[Yerevan]], Armenia (2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister cities|url=https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/|publisher=Yerevan Municipal Government|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329102031/http://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cincinnati]], United States (2015)
{{div col end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Colorful Lovely Lights of Amman.jpg|[[Le Royal Hotel (Amman)|Le Royal Hotel]]
File:Alsa'adah Street. King Fisal I Square, Amman 19.JPG|[[Downtown Amman]]
File:Aerial photograph of Amman (3).JPG|Aerial view
File:Abdali 2024 sunset.png|Abdali Lights at Sunset
</gallery>

{{Panorama
|image   = File:Amman Panorama.jpg
|height  = 230
|width   = 
|alt     = Panorama of Amman, the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from the Citadel hill
|caption = Panorama of Amman from the Citadel hill
|dir     = 
}}

==See also==
* [[List of tallest buildings in Amman]]
{{Portal bar|Jordan|History|Asia}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
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* {{cite book|title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA35|first1=Michael|last1=Dumper|first2=Bruce E.|last2=Stanley|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576079195|access-date=23 September 2015|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518200604/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA35|url-status=live}}
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* {{cite book|last1=Walker|first1=Bethany J.|editor1-last=Talmon-Heller|editor1-first=Daniela|editor2-last=Cytryn-Silverman|editor2-first=Katia|title=Material Evidence and Narrative Sources: Interdisciplinary Studies of the History of the Muslim Middle East|date=2015|publisher=Brill|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oIEcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA120|chapter=On Archives and Archaeology: Reassessing Mamluk Rule from Documentary Sources and Jordanian Fieldwork|isbn=9789004279667|access-date=22 February 2016|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102142747/https://books.google.com/books?id=oIEcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA120|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web|date=9 November 2018|title=الملك: تفجيرات عمان الأليمة أظهرت للعالم مقدار قوة شعبنا|url=https://jo24.net/article/295889|access-date=1 December 2020|website=الأردن 24|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303115404/https://jo24.net/article/295889|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Amman}}
{{Wikivoyage|Amman}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/Amman?fref=ts Amman Digital Community Facebook page]
* [https://www.facebook.com/cityofamman?fref=ts Greater Amman Municipality Facebook page]
* [http://maannasel.net/map/ Amman public transportation map]
* [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Amman%20(Jordan) Photos of Amman from the American Center of Research]

{{Navboxes
|list=
{{Amman Governorate}}
{{Decapolis cities}}
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}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Amman| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Asia]]
[[Category:Levant]]
[[Category:Populated places in Amman Governorate]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1878]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th millennium BC]]