Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
D2
OTHER SUBURBS
Military Museum
( 5664240; 9am-4pm Sat-Thu)
The simple and solemn Martyr's Memorial
houses a small but interesting collection of documents, chronicling Jordan's recent milit-
ary history, from the Arab Revolt in 1916 (in which 10,000 Arab fighters were killed)
through to the Arab-Israeli Wars. The intention, however, is a focus on remembrance
rather than historical verisimilitude.
The memorial is on the road to Zarqa, 1km east of the Sports City junction, in the
grounds of the Sports City. Take any minibus or service taxi towards Zarqa, but check
whether it goes past the Sports City
(al-Medina al-Riyadiyah)
. A private taxi from down-
town costs around JD6.
MUSEUM
Hejaz Railway
( 06-4895413; King Abdullah I St; admission JD2; dawn-dusk)
Except for the occa-
sional cargo train, only the breeze rolls through this historic old station at present. For
years speculation has been that a functioning passenger service to Aqaba would return to
the tracks of the Hejaz Railway, made famous in the West by the pursuits of TE Lawrence.
For a while one or two intrepid and patient travellers sat out the long journey to Damascus
but sadly, the Arab Spring in 2011 has now put paid to that journey too. It is still worth
calling in on the station, though, to visit the small on-site museum, chat to the station mas-
ter whose grandfather fought in the Arab Revolt, and to sit in the elaborately decked Roy-
al Carriage. The station is 2.5km east of the Theatre, on the edge of the downtown area.
TRAIN STATION
MOSQUE
Abu Darwish Mosque
On top of Jebel al-Ashrafiyeh, this mosque was built in 1961 with alternating layers of
black and white stone. Non-Muslims are generally not permitted inside. Take service taxi
25 or 26 from Italian St in downtown to the mosque, or charter a taxi. It's a very long and
steep climb southeast of downtown if you decide to walk.
