Amman is one of the few cities where visitors can see the old and the new interact in such grand style. Amidst the steamy, tight-knit streets of its ancient centre there are now the obvious manifestations of a new and modern energy, popping up in chic café-bars and big business buildings, while ancient ruins still cling defiantly to urban corners and other enclaves of the metropolitan downtown.
The remnants of old imperial amphitheatres and religious sites are amongst Amman’s biggest touristic draws. They stand as testimony to the city’s long history and age old position on the confluence of ‘Middle East’ and ‘Roman Europe’. But, if history isn’t your thing, then Amman’s newfound cultural direction is sure to offer a lively array of gastronomy and heritage too, and let’s not forget the world-famous sites that stand just a day’s ride into the desert.
But, whether you’ve come here to catch a glimpse of one of the world’s most cutting-edge Arabic metropolises, or on a brief stopover before reaching Petra and Wadi Rum, you are sure to unearth some real surprises in the dusty, desert streets of Amman.