A Traveler's Guide to Amman

Amman is the capital city of Jordan, as well as the most important financial center of the country. It is the largest city in Jordan with over two million residents. Amman is one of the oldest civilized areas in the world. Civilization in the area in and around the city can be traced back several millennia. The city has grown rapidly, mostly because of the influx of immigrants from the war torn areas of Iraq and Iran.

Amman is located in an arid, hot climate zone. It is not as hot as many other Middle Eastern cities, but summer temperatures can get up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters in Amman can be cool with temperatures bottoming out in the 30's and 40's Fahrenheit. Most of the rain that the city gets comes in January and February. The city is still fairly dry though, with an average of only 9 inches of rain per year.

Amman is a very westernized city. It is traditionally Muslim, but it is one of the most liberal Muslim cities in the Middle East. There are almost as many Christian churches as there are Muslim mosques within the city limits, and while the Muslim dress code is not compulsory in most of Amman, it is compulsory in and around the Muslim places of worship.

The city is famous for its many museums. Some of the most popular with tourists are the Automobile Museum which contains the automobiles of Jordan's royalty, the Jordan Folklore Museum which contains traditional Jordanian crafts and clothing, and the Jordanian Archeological Museum which houses the Dead Sea bronze scrolls and ancient artifacts such as pottery and tools.

The largest airport in the city is Queen Alia International Airport. It is the hub for Royal Jordanian Airlines and receives the most traffic of any airport in the country. It handles most of the international travel into Jordan. Marka International Airport is much smaller and handles most of the domestic flights into Amman, while offering some international flights.