Amman - Jordan - page 112

burnt many inhabitants alive in a brick kiln. Rabbath continued nonetheless to flourish
and supplied David with weapons for his ongoing wars.
Visitors bump into Amman's Egyptian heritage each time they see a company or res-
taurant called Philadelphia, after the Ptolemy ruler Philadelphus (283-246 BC). He rebuilt
the city during his reign and it was named Philadelphia after him. It was one of the cities
of the Roman Decapolis (see the boxed text, Click here ) before being assumed into the
Roman Empire under Herod in around 30 BC. Philadelphia, meaning 'City of Brotherly
Love', was redesigned in typically grand Roman style, with a theatre, forum and Temple
to Hercules, the striking remains of which can be seen to this day.
The city's fortunes largely declined with the empire although it regained some of its
former glory after the Muslim invasion in AD 636. From about the 10th century little
more is heard of Amman until the 19th century when a colony of Circassians settled there
in 1878.
You might not think it if you visit the sleepy tracks of Amman train station today, but
the Hejaz Railway led to an early-20th-century boom in the city's fortunes when it be-
came a stopover on the new 'pilgrimage route' between Damascus and Medina (Saudi Ar-
abia). Emir Abdullah chose Amman as the headquarters of the new state of Trans-Jordan
in 1921; it was officially declared the capital of the Hashemite kingdom two years later.
Over the intervening years, the city has weathered successive waves of immigration
(from Palestine and in the last decade from Iraq), sprawling well beyond its original seven
hills. As a result Amman has had to contend with severe water shortages, compounded by
the lack of urban planning.
Despite the challenges, the citizens of Amman are ever-optimistic, many grateful for
the opportunity of rebuilding their lives in a generous and stable environment. This is best
evidenced by the almost continual expansion, embellishment and development projects
that besiege the city, most of which take longer to complete than anticipated. No one com-
plains, however, as the capital plays an ever-increasing role on the regional stage. Only
minimally troubled by the Arab Spring of 2011, it remains a vibrant, open-minded city,
famed in the region for its educational institutions and confident about the future.
Dangers & Annoyances
Despite some localised uprisings during the Arab Spring of 2011, Amman remains a safe
city for visitors. It has had a few skirmishes in the past ( Click here ) , which is why there
are security guards and metal detectors in and around tourist sites and hotels. Many see
this as a positive response on behalf of the government to protect foreigners in the capital.