Amman Travel Guide
Travel guide to Amman, Jordan with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Amman sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Amman Overview
Amman is one of the oldest cities on earth, and has been settled for over five thousand years. As one of the most important overland trading cities in the Middle East, Amman grew wealthy and was controlled by many of the region's main powers over the millennia, including the Romans, Persians and Macedonians as they fought for dominance.
Because of these many influences, Amman is a cosmopolitan city, where various different cultures are celebrated, and people are welcomed with traditional Arabic hospitality.
Amman's central location in Jordan makes it the ideal place from which to explore the whole of the country and see all of the amazing attractions on offer. Which defy history, and contribute to the magical character of this timeless country.
Top Amman Attractions
In Amman itself, the main attractions are the museums and ruins that show the rich past not just of the city, but also the whole region, and a highlight is the 9000-seat Roman auditorium - one of the best preserved in the world.
Leaving Amman behind, the main tourist draw in the whole of Jordan are the ruins of Petra - an ancient city carved into a cliff face in the centre of the country.
Wadi Rum is a beautiful expanse of open desert made famous in Lawrence of Arabia, and on the Red Sea Coast in the south of the country, there are many great beaches and diving resorts where you can soak up the sun.
Shopping in Amman
Although there are several modern shopping malls in Amman, the best place to go shopping is still the bazaars. Here you can chat to the stall holders and haggle over prices, as well as getting the best hand made jewellery and local crafts around.
Great buys include carpets, spices and gold, which are all extremely good value in the country. Prices are negotiable, but bartering is a social rather than economic requirement, so discounts are not likely to be more than 25%.
Amman Sporting Events
Jordan is not a nation known for its presence on the international sporting scene, but there are several football teams in the capital, along with various horse and camel racing tracks.
The English and Italian leagues are followed closely, and athletics is popular despite the heat.
In the south of the country, there are some first class diving spots on the red sea, while inland, there are opportunities for mountaineering and desert trekking as well as being some stunning landscapes to tour in a 4WD vehicle.