49 Facts About Amman

1.

Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center.

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2.

Amman was largely abandoned from the 15th century until 1878, when Ottoman authorities began settling Circassians there.

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3.

Amman witnessed rapid growth after its designation as Transjordan's capital in 1921, receiving migrations from different Jordanian and Levantine cities, and after several successive waves of refugees: Palestinians in 1948 and 1967; Iraqis in 1990 and 2003; and Syrians since 2011.

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4.

Areas of Amman have gained their names from either the hills or the valleys they occupy, such as Jabal Lweibdeh and Wadi Abdoun.

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5.

East Amman is predominantly filled with historic sites that frequently host cultural activities, while West Amman is more modern and serves as the economic center of the city.

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6.

Amman has a relatively fast growing economy, and it is ranked as a Beta- global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

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7.

Amman derives its name from the ancient people of the Ammonites, whose capital the city has been since the 13th century BCE.

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8.

Amman is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible as Rabbat' Bnei 'Amon or Rabbah .

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9.

Today, several Ammonite ruins across Amman exist, such as Rujm Al-Malfouf and some parts of the Amman Citadel.

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10.

Amman was later destroyed by several earthquakes and natural disasters, including a particularly severe earthquake in 747.

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11.

Amman's importance declined by the mid-8th century after damage caused by several earthquakes rendered it uninhabitable.

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12.

Likewise, in 985, the Jerusalemite historian al-Muqaddasi described Amman as the capital of Balqa, and that it was a town in the desert fringe of Syria surrounded by villages and cornfields and was a regional source of lambs, grain and honey.

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13.

In 1321, the geographer Abu'l Fida, recorded that Amman was "a very ancient town" with fertile soil and surrounded by agricultural fields.

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14.

Ownership of Amman following Sirghitmish's death in 1358 passed to successive generations of his descendants until 1395, when his descendants sold it to Emir Baydamur al-Khwarazmi, the na'ib as-saltana of Damascus.

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15.

Amman began to be resettled in 1878, when several hundred Muslim Circassians arrived following their expulsion from the formerly Ottoman Balkans.

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16.

Amman had a strategic location along the Hejaz Railway; its capture by British forces and the Hashemite Arab army facilitated the British advance towards Damascus.

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17.

Amman later attracted people from the southern part of the country, particularly al-Karak and Madaba.

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18.

Amman received many refugees during wartime events in nearby countries, beginning with the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

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19.

In 1970, Amman was a battlefield during the conflict between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Jordanian Army known as Black September.

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20.

Amman was a principal destination for refugees for the security and prosperity it offered.

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21.

Amman is the site of major mega projects such as the Abdali Urban Regeneration Project and the Jordan Gate Towers.

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22.

Amman is situated on the East Bank Plateau, an upland characterized by three major wadis which run through it.

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23.

Trees found in Amman include Aleppo pine, Mediterranean cypress and Phoenician juniper.

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24.

Amman has extreme examples of microclimate, and almost every district exhibits its own weather.

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25.

Amman is governed by a 41-member city council elected in four-year term direct elections.

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26.

Greater Amman Municipality has been investing in making the city a better place, through a number of initiatives.

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27.

Green Amman 2020 was initiated in 2014, aiming to turn the city to a green metropolis by 2020.

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28.

The Greater Amman Municipality has 22 areas which are further divided into neighborhoods.

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29.

Amman is the base city for the international Arab Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, serving clients in more than 600 branches in 30 countries on five continents.

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30.

Amman is the 4th most visited Arab city and the ninth highest recipient of international visitor spending.

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31.

Jordan's main airport, Queen Alia International Airport, is located south of Amman and is the hub for the country's national carrier Royal Jordanian, a major airline in the region.

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32.

In FDI magazine, Amman was chosen as the Middle Eastern city with the most potential to be a leader in foreign direct investment in the region.

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33.

Furthermore, several of the world's largest investment banks have offices in Amman including Standard Chartered, Societe Generale, and Citibank.

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34.

The population of Amman has risen exponentially with the successive waves of immigrants and refugees arriving throughout the 20th century.

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35.

Amman had been abandoned for centuries until hundreds of Circassians settled it in the 19th century.

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36.

Amman lacks a deep-rooted native population, the city does not have a distinct Arabic dialect, although recently such a dialect utilizing the various Jordanian and Palestinian dialects, has been forming.

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37.

Amman has a mostly Sunni Muslim population, and the city contains numerous mosques.

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38.

Jabal Amman is a well-known tourist attraction in old Amman, where the city's greatest souks, fine museums, ancient constructions, monuments, and cultural sites are found.

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39.

Jabal Amman contains the famous Rainbow Street and the cultural Souk Jara market.

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40.

Zahran district in west Amman is the location of the Jordan Gate Towers, the first high-rise towers in the city.

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41.

Amman is considered one of the most liberal cities in the Arab world.

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42.

Large shopping malls were built during the 2000s in Amman, including the Mecca Mall, Abdoun Mall, City Mall, Al-Baraka Mall, Taj Mall, Zara Shopping Center, Avenue Mall, and Abdali Mall in Al Abdali.

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43.

Nightclubs, music bars and shisha lounges are present across Amman, changing the city's old image as the conservative capital of the kingdom.

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44.

Amman-based football clubs Al-Wehdat and Al-Faisaly, both former league champions, share one of the most popular rivalries in the local football scene.

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45.

Amman hosted the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup along with Irbid and Zarqa.

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46.

Amman is home to a growing number of foreign sports such as skateboarding and rugby; the latter has two teams based in the city: Amman Citadel Rugby Club and Nomads Rugby Club.

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47.

In 2000, Amman Net became the first de facto private radio station to be established in the country, despite private ownership of radio stations being illegal at the time.

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48.

Daily newspapers published in Amman include Alghad, Ad-Dustour, The Jordan Times, and Al Ra'i, the most circulated newspaper in the country.

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49.

Amman has an extensive road network, although the mountainous terrain of the area has prevented the connection of some main roads, which are instead connected by bridges and tunnels.

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