Monday, 3 October 2011

My Jordan Diary - Amman, Ajlun and Jerash

Day 2: In Amman, city tour; PM visit Ajlun and Jerash
This morning I joined a guided tour of Jordan's Capital City, Amman, where I saw mosques and churches happily situated next to one another. The origins of this remarkable city have been traced back some 9,000 years, but it was the arrival of the Ammonites in 1200BC that saw the city begin its rise to prominence as the great city of Rabbath Ammon. The intervening centuries saw it fall under the influences of the Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Ptolomids, Seleucids and the Romans, under whose auspices it thrived as one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis. The morning tour showcased some of the highlights of ancient Amman (Philadelphia), including the Temple of Hercules and the 8th century Ummayad Palace. 
The King Abdullah Mosque is rather large but a little dated. It lacked the intricacy of many other mosques but the size is quite impressive. It's also worth noting that muslim women are banned from the main hall and are encouraged to pray at home even though there is a small side chamber for women if they feel compelled to pray at the mosque. We western women were required to wear black wrap over gown with hoods before we entered the mosque. The King Abdullah Mosque is one of the city’s major landmarks. I walked through the gold and herb markets in the city’s downtown district which is undergoing major road works. 
In the afternoon I headed to Jerash which is located in the Gilead Hills. It is considered to be the best preserved city of the Decapolis, a confederation of ten Roman cities. One of the highlights of the Middle East, a triple arch gateway gives way to colonnaded streets, theatres, temples and baths. It was still wet and cold. I bought a lovely square woollen scarf from the small market there. I wish I had bought more as I had hoped there would be more opportunities to buy mementoes later on. The restaurant at Jerash was very reasonably priced and the service was very efficient. The food was buffet style and there was plenty of choice. 
After Jerash I visited the hilltop fortress at Ajlun, the only truly Islamic castle in the country. It was built in 1184AD by a nephew of the great Saladin, to counter the Frankish threat of the invading Crusaders, its strategic location saw it commanding the trade routes between southern Jordan and Syria. Destroyed by the Mongols in 1260 the citadel was then rebuilt by the Mameluke Sultan Baibars, going on to serve as an Ottoman outpost. Unfortunately by the time the minibus had arrived the castle was closed but our guides managed to convince the guards to let us drive up to the car park to see the building a little better.
After a disappointing last leg of the daytrip I headed back to the hotel.
Read my diary of my trip to Jordan:
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