Amman

**Amman** is Jordan’s capital, largest city, and its hub for politics, culture, and the economy. As of 2024, its population sits at five million, making it Jordan’s primate city, the biggest in the Levant, the seventh-largest in the Arab world, and the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East. People have lived in the area since the 8th millennium BC, when the Neolithic settlement of 'Ain Ghazal—now on Amman’s outskirts—was home to the oldest known human statues. In the Iron Age, the Ammonites made it their capital, calling it Rabat Aman. The Greeks conquered it in the 3rd century BC and renamed it Philadelphia. Later, it passed through Nabataean and Roman hands. In the 7th century AD, the Rashidun Caliphate took the city and restored its original Semitic name, Amman. During most of the Islamic era, the city swung between prosperity and ruin. By the Ottoman period, from the 15th century onward, it was largely abandoned until 1878, when Circassian settlers arrived. Growth picked up after the Hejaz Railway connected it, and Amman formed its first municipal council in 1909. The city exploded after being named Transjordan’s capital in 1921. People poured in from other Jordanian and Levantine cities, followed by waves of refugees: Palestinians in 1948 and 1967, Iraqis in 1990 and 2003, and Syrians since 2011. Originally built on seven hills, Amman now sprawls across 19 hills and 22 districts, all run by the Greater Amman Municipality. Districts take their names from the hills (jabal) or valleys (wadi) they sit on—like Jabal al-Luweibdeh or Wadi Abdoun. East Amman is packed with historic sites and cultural events, while West Amman is the modern, economic heart of the city. In 2018, about one million visitors came to Amman, ranking it 89th globally and 12th among Arab cities. Its economy is growing relatively fast, and the Globalization and World Cities Research Network classifies it as a Beta− global city. It’s also been named one of the best cities in the Middle East and North Africa based on economic, labor, environmental, and socio-cultural factors. Multinational corporations often pick Amman for their regional offices—only Dubai and Doha are more popular in the Arab world. The city runs a bus network, including a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that connects to nearby Zarqa, and it’s served by two airports. **Etymology** The name Amman comes from the Ammonites, who made it their capital in the 13th century BC. They called it *Rabat ʿAmmān*—*Rabat* meaning “Capital” or “King’s Quarters.” In the Hebrew Bible, it appears as *Rabbaṯ Bənē ʿAmmōn* or simply *Rabbā*, often translated as “Rabbah of the Ammonites” or “Rabbath Ammon.” When the Macedonian ruler Ptolemy II Philadelphus (reigned 283–246 BC) took the city, he renamed it Philadelphia (Greek for “brotherly love”) after himself. The Rashidun Caliphate restored the ancient Semitic name to Amman in the 7th century AD. **History**

**Prehistoric and Iron Age periods**

*Neolithic period* The Neolithic site of ʿAin Ghazal lies on Amman’s outskirts. At its peak, around 7000 BC, it covered 15 hectares and housed about 3,000 people—four to five times the population of contemporary Jericho. It was a typical aceramic Neolithic village, with rectangular mud-brick houses featuring lime-plaster walls and a main square living room. The site was discovered in 1974 during road construction; by 1982, when excavations began, about 600 meters of road cut through it. Despite damage from urban growth, the remains yielded rich information. ʿAin Ghazal is famous for a set of small human statues found in 1983, when archaeologists uncovered a large pit containing them. Made of white plaster with painted eyes, 32 figures were found in two caches: 15 full figures, 15 busts, and two fragmentary heads. Three busts had two heads, the meaning of which remains unclear. *Rabbath Amman* In the 13th century BC, Amman became the capital of the Ammonite Kingdom, known as “Rabat Amman.” It supplied sandstone and limestone, and its productive agriculture made it a key stop on the King’s Highway, the ancient trade route linking Egypt with Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia. Like the Edomites and Moabites, the Ammonites earned considerable revenue from this trade. The Hebrew Bible names Milcom as the national god of Rabat Amman; another deity, Moloch—often linked to child sacrifice—is also mentioned as an Ammonite god, but this may be a confusion with Milcom. Excavations near Amman Civil Airport uncovered a temple with an altar containing many burned human bone fragments, suggesting the altar was used as a pyre for human sacrifice. Amman appears several times in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical account, the Ammonite king Hanun allied with Hadadezer, king of Aram-Zobah, against the United Kingdom of Israel.