Levant Lure. Day 3: Amman, Jordan

While the Jerash Archaeological Site is known as a Roman city, Amman has been under the sway of various great powers since the Bronze Age, including the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad. The Sultanate of Ammon used a hill in the capital as its administrative center in 1200 BC, and that is how the capital got its name. Amman, situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley, boasts diverse neighborhoods that range in cultural and historical context from the hustle and bustle of the downtown markets.

Since it was the final day in the capital, we visited the Amman Citadel, also known as Jebel Al Qalaa, one of the city's most iconic and historic landmarks. Situated on one of the seven hills that make up the capital, the Citadel features remarkable ruins, including the grand Hercules Temple, the Ayyubid Watchtower, and the renowned Great Hand Statue, alongside other structures that date back to ancient times. This site alone offers a glimpse into the history of the Byzantine and Umayyad periods.

It was my wife's second visit to this site, the first with her APCO colleagues. She had been guiding me through the historical path, the remains of a Roman temple, a Byzantine church, and an Umayyad palace, and taking pictures of me. She remarked that my expression showed amazement at the beautifully crafted stone. How can I deny that? One of my childhood dreams was to be a historian. I'm also a fan of Bettany Hughes, an English historian, author, and broadcaster.

Tempat kami menginap untuk dua malam.

Berlatarbelakangkan ibu kota Amman

Ukiran batu dalam tapak rumah Bizantium

An Arab couple offers to take a picture.

The Roman Temple

The picture was taken inside the temple.

The image depicts a reconstruction of the original appearance of the Roman temple located on the Amman Citadel. (Drawing by Chrysanthos Kannelopoulos.) [Source]

The Jordan Archeological Museum houses a collection of items.

The Amman Capital is on the other side.

The Umayyad Mosque is beside the Palace.

Istana Umayyad

Ruang utama istana

Sekitar kota pemerintahan Umayyad

Pemandangan dari 'Umayyad Throne'

Spot gambar terakhir sebelum menamatkan lawatan 'Amman Citadel.'

Not far from the Amman Citadel, we visited the Roman Theater and Odeon Theater. In a previous post, I did mention the two theaters in Jerash, and I wrote that the South Theater is much larger than the North Theater. The Roman Theater is even larger! It takes enormous courage for us to climb to the highest seating area. There are two small museums at both ends of the stage area, the Folklore Museum and the Jordanian Traditional Museum, which were worth it for us to visit. The Odeon Theater, on the other hand, is a small 500-seat theater located just beside the Roman theater.

Kami berkira-kira nak naik sampai ke atas... :P

Akhirnya berjaya sampai kat atas

Museum Tradisi Jordan

Seram pulak bila tengok

Deretan tiang di ruang masuk 'Roman Theater.'

Penerangan tentang Odeon Theater.

Teater yang kecil.

Pentas pun kecil

Odeon Theater

It's about time to please our stomach with local dishes. We went downtown and had lunch at Abu Zaghleh Restaurant. Then we went to the Duke's Diwan again, and now it was open. The Duke's Diwan is one of the oldest, well-preserved stone buildings located in the heart of Amman. Built in 1924 by Abdul Rahman Madi, the building served as the Central Post Office, and after 1948, it hosted the Haifa Hotel.

We went to the Habibah Sweet store since it was nearby to the Duke's Diwan. We purchased plain and cheese kunafa, hoping that Nu'man will be able to taste it later. He will be on a mid-semester break next week.

Air mangga tuh memang sedap

Kita tapau bawak balik

Fuh.. nasib baik ada lagi

Yeah! It's open today...

Gambar-gambar kenangan tuan rumah

Leaving the city, we made a brief stop at the Roman Nymphaeum, a partially preserved Roman public fountain in Amman. Then went southeast to visit the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, also known as Khaf Al Raqim. During religious persecution, seven boys hid in a cave and fell asleep for three hundred years and nine days. The story is mentioned in the Koran.

We arrived when it passed the Dhur prayer. We have been told by the guard to wait for the cave keeper to come back at 2pm. Since we had ample time, we performed our Jama' prayer and took a chance to explore the Al-Kahf Mosque. By the time we entered the cave and were given a short history behind the Al-Kahf by the cave keeper, eventually the Imam.

The six pictures above were taken at the Roman Nymphaeum. Below are the pictures of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers and its mosque.

Wajib pakai jubah kalau nak masuk gua.

Kubur pemuda Kahfi

Dikatakan ini tulang pemuda Kahfi

There is only one God.

I know we had visited so many places on the third day. But I think our next destination should be given the highlight of the day. We headed west to have a night's stay at the Crown Plaza, Dead Sea. Yes, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It was about a one-and-a-half-hour drive through the Jordan Valley. The zigzag road and steep cliffs make the drive so challenging. However, seeing the lake offers breathtaking views.

Without hesitation, we changed to swim attire and soaked in the Dead Sea. Wait!! We didn't miss the chance to apply the mineral-rich mud all over our bodies, left it to dry for more than half an hour and then soaked in the salty water.

One of the many 4-5-star hotels

Nice and huge lobby

Seberang sana nun tuh Jericho

Batu-batu garam bertaburan

Oppss.. seksa

Ini bukan orang minyak

Lepak sambil tunggu matahari terbenam.

Glad that we had the opportunity to watch the "Blood Moon," a total lunar eclipse that occurred during the full moon that night. Last year we watched the "Super Blue Moon" when we were in Perth. Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah) for these opportunities.