Whenever I mentioned my plans to travel through Jordan, the first (and usually only) place everyone recommends is Petra. Most people know next to nothing about Jordan aside from the famous landmark, but I was surprised to find out that travelers I spoke with unanimously said that there was nothing special about the capital city of Amman. In fact, many indicated Amman was their least favorite city in the Middle East and recommended I skip it entirely. Since my flight to Dubai departed out of Amman, I figured I should spend a few days in the city so I could formulate my own opinion. I had to at least Amman a chance and was delightfully surprised by what I found.
Perhaps I just set my expectations especially low.
During my four days in Amman, I will admit my fellow travelers are correct to a minor degree; there aren’t many tourist attractions that would appeal to the common vacationer. There are a handful of popular sites scattered around the city such as the ancient Citadel in the middle of town, the enormous Abdullah I Mosque with it’s bright blue mosaic dome, the nearly 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater that is still in use today, and the lively bar/shisha scene around Rainbow Street. Along with a few other small mosques and museums that about rounds out the attractions for your casual weekend tourist. I understand when my fellow travelers say there’s nothing to do in Amman, but for me there was so much more to this sprawling Arab metropolis than meets the eye.
While Amman lacks a large, grandiose array tourist attractions, the city more than makes up for with its atmosphere. From high above, the innumerable apartments and hotels in the city center are all crammed right next to one another - every single square inch of the city is filled with something. The stone facades of many of these buildings appear poorly taken care of and are covered in various stains from years of harsh weather, pollution, and liquids dripping down from air conditioners. Under the bright sun, the city overcomes these melancholy attributes and the buildings look like a natural extension of the surrounding hills as if they were carved out of the earth like in Petra. Looking down at the central part of Amman, I am constantly amazed by the giant Roman amphitheater located in the heart of the city. Considering its age and size, I’m amazed at how well it’s been preserved; ironically it looks better than most of the surrounding apartments.
Down in the city streets, Amman is bustling at all hours of the day with people and cars. Flanking the sides of the streets are all sorts of vendors selling anything you can imagine and everything is everything in Arabic. I absolutely love the various types of stylized Arabic calligraphy even though I can’t understand a word of them. Nearly all women walking around town are covered from head to toe and I’m surprised to see so many wearing full burqas or niqabs – as a westerner, it feels like I’m seeing a bunch of ghost hovering along the sidewalks. Many of the men are similarly covered up and don the typical thobe and keffiyeh outfit. I loved the city simply because of how out of place I feel walking around. Even though I’ve grown out my beard in an attempt to blend in, my clothes always give me away.
Of course if there is ever any question about my nationality, the moment I open my mouth everyone pegs me as an American.
The cramped, loud streets of Amman remind me a bit of NYC, but the traffic here is something else. Unlike in NYC, cars and people commingle and share the road in an elegant dance. Don’t get me wrong though, you have to take your life in your own hands every time you step into the onslaught of traffic to cross a street. Car horns are constantly going off, people are yelling at one another, and nobody abides by the lane markers. At first glance it seems like utter chaos, but after a few attempts I quickly picked up on the proper etiquette. Unlike in NYC or Milan, Italy where cars will speed up and honk if you are in their way, in Amman drivers are more courteous and happily stop/slow down to let you pass, but the catch is that you have to make the first move. Stepping into oncoming traffic is mildly terrifying at first and goes against everything Americans are taught growing up, but you get the hang of it quickly.
I guess it’s good preparation for when I get to India.
Like in most countries, the highlight of my trip through Amman was talking with the locals. I arrived in Amman just a few days after ISIS executed a 27-year-old fighter pilot by burning him alive and it was the only thing anybody in the city could talk about. While my family was terrified of me staying in Amman (and I’ll admit I was a bit anxious myself at first), I never once felt like I was in any danger. In fact, thanks to the timing of my visit I had the unique opportunity to speak with local Jordanians about the event and gain a better understanding of their perspective. Back in the US we are separated from the events in Syria and Iraq by thousands of miles, but I wanted to hear from the Jordanians that are forced to deal with fighting just to the north of their border.
Of all the things I learned during my visit to Amman, the most important thing I feel people back home should know is that the attacks carried out by groups like ISIS are not representative of all Muslims. I am horribly disappointed by the news I hear coming out of the US perpetuating a completely unfounded fear that all Muslims pose a threat to American society, freedom, and democracy. This is blatantly untrue. Islam, like any other religion, has its issues and inequalities, but every Jordanian I spoke with made it a point to tell me that as a practicing Muslim they are horrified by the twisted ideologies prevalent in Syria and Iraq and stressed to me that what’s going on does not represent their religious stance.
In the US we pride ourselves on freedom of religion, yet I see over and over again instances of hatred, intolerance, and bigotry in the media toward the Muslim community simply because they believe in something different. This, my friends, is the true threat to American society. Remember your history people, why did settlers come to the US in the first place? They sought the freedom to practice their religion without being persecuted for what they believed. I personally do not like any form of organized religion, but I can’t stress this enough: groups like ISIS no more represent all Muslims than the Crusades or the KKK represent all Christians.
I loved my time in Amman, but what I liked most was the fact that the city is not perfect and that it has an authentic feel. It’s not immaculately well maintained as many of the other cities I’ve visited, but Amman still retains a distinctly Arabic feel. For the usual weekend tourist I understand when travelers say that they didn’t like the city, but if you simply look at it for what it’s worth, Amman is full of hidden treasures! Personally, I would highly recommend it to any long-term traveler out there who wants to get a taste of Middle Eastern culture before diving into the region more. Amman is perfectly safe to visit, full of warm talkative people, and although it is a little rough around the edges, I was surprised by how much I liked the city. I would love to visit again, but until then…
I’m off to visit Dubai!