Things to do
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Amman Citadel
Layers of Ammonite, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad building share one hilltop above the downtown bowl, with the Temple of Hercules columns and a domed Umayyad palace standing among them. The site doubles as the best vantage over the city. Late afternoon suits it, when the light softens and the call to prayer carries across the hills.
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Dead Sea
The lowest exposed land surface on the planet holds water so saline that floating is automatic and swimming is impossible. Resort beaches north of the Mujib gorge supply showers, shade and mineral mud, while the public stretches supply none of that. An hour from Amman by road, it works as a half day, and a fresh shaving cut will sting badly.
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Rainbow Street
Cafes, bookshops and shawarma counters line a ridge road in Jabal Amman, above the old downtown and within walking reach of the First Circle. Evenings bring out families, street vendors and rooftop terraces looking over the valley. A summer craft market, Souk Jara, takes over on Fridays, which is when parking becomes hopeless.
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Jordan Museum
Jordan's national collection runs from the Neolithic plaster figures of Ain Ghazal, among the oldest human statues known, to the Copper Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Galleries are chronological and labelled in Arabic and English. Two hours covers it comfortably, and a visit here before Petra and Jerash makes both sites read more clearly.
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King Abdullah I Mosque
Amman's one large mosque open to non-Muslim visitors sits under a blue mosaic dome that covers the prayer hall without interior pillars. Modest dress is required and abayas are lent at the entrance. Visits are barred during prayer times, so mornings outside those windows work, and a small museum of royal memorabilia adjoins the courtyard.
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Roman Theatre
Cut into the hillside in the second century for around six thousand spectators, this steep bowl of stone still hosts concerts and festivals below the modern traffic of downtown. Two small folklore museums occupy the wings. Climbing to the top row is steeper than it looks from the plaza, and the stone throws back midday heat.
