The city of Amman, Jordan

When we landed in Amman it was past midnight. The roads were still heavy with traffic, which I came to see never ceased in the capital of Jordan. The noise of honking was a constant, a never-ending cacophony. As I looked through the car window, I could see run-down, dirty, and disorganised streets. Whilst most commerce was closed, there were still some shops open. Amman never goes to sleep either. They say this about New York, but New York does get sleepy. It naps for a while, like the dolphins, one eye open, one eye shut. But cities like Amman… those do not sleep. I remember thinking the same in Hanoi, earlier this year. When it’s so hot during the day, people get up early and go to bed late, trying to concentrate most of their activity when the sun is lower and the thermometers signal a little drop in degrees.

I can’t remember the exact time we arrived at the hotel. I believe it was likely close to 1:30am. I was joking with my friend that we needed to check the room for bed bugs, in the light of recent news of this new epidemic in Europe, particularly in Paris. Truth be told, I usually don’t check hotel rooms thoroughly, and I prefer not to. Ignorance is bliss. But unfortunately, this room was so dirty, that only by being blind I would be able to ignore it. I was certain the bed sheets had not even been changed. The floor was not swept. Weirdly, the bathroom seemed clean. Too tired to go downstairs again, I simply put a towel on top of the pillow and slept over the duvet. It was hot in Amman, so I didn’t need too much bedding. 

I did not sleep well, but I was determined not to let it ruin my experience. Perhaps this was “expected”. Perhaps the standards for cleanliness in this culture were a lot different from my own. I was about to spend 9 days in the Middle East, across Jordan and Egypt, on an organised tour, and didn’t have control over the accommodation where we were staying. I still raised my concerns with reception, which only resulted in a change of the duvet cover. I didn’t want to bother much beyond this – it was two nights there. I could sleep over my towels.

We had one full day in Amman, before moving down south the next day.  I have to confess I had done zero research for this trip. My friend and I did it with Intrepid Travel, and booked it months ago. Everything was organised for us, and I had been too tired and stressed with life lately. Jordan was a country I wanted to visit but didn’t know how to do it solo or even if I should attempt it. As a woman, I don’t feel comfortable travelling alone in Muslim countries. The aggressive selling typical of these countries, where the faces of men are representative of 99% customer service – at shops, cafes, restaurants, and hotel receptions, all we see is the male gender, and often the male gaze. I am often conflicted about visiting these countries. I want to, for their beauty, both natural and architectural, for their history, its culture. Yet, in a way, it seems like I am choosing to visit a country where as a woman I am seen as inferior, as someone who has a very rigid role. A country where my gender makes me less.

I was surprised to see a lot of local women not wearing a hijab. In fact, whilst over 90% of the population is Muslim, there is a smaller but still existent population of Christians. I ended up feeling a lot more comfortable in Amman than I had in Istanbul when I visited last year (I since learned I was staying in the most conservative part of the city which is likely why I felt this way!). 

When we met our tour leader he started by thanking us for coming to Jordan. In light of the conflict between Israel-Hamas, Jordan has seen its tourism threatened once more when they just started to recover from the standstill caused by COVID-19. Actually, once I posted on Instagram some photos of Amman, I was greeted with messages asking me what was I doing there. Whilst these messages had a playful tone, for many anything related to the Middle East, and specially bordering Israel and Palestine would be out of the question.

I can tell you that it was absolutely safe to visit Jordan. Before the trip, I was paying extra attention to the news and to official government warnings that could indicate that in fact the conflict had escalated and these countries had been involved. Again, I try to be a responsible traveller, and often that involves fighting off prejudices and misinformation. 

But let’s talk about Amman! This is where one of the main airports in the country is located, and so it is the gateway to this marvellous country. I am not going to lie – Amman did not impress me particularly. The city is noisy, dusty and quite hilly, hard to navigate. You’ll find yourself climbing up a lot of stairs to cross different streets. You can use Uber as well to navigate, which I would probably have done if I had stayed for longer independently. Still, I could see in Amman the desire to be more – in the more modern Rainbow street with small cafes and cute brunch places; but also in the artistic expression that can be found throughout.

Sometimes when travelling I feel I am following an invisible string that connects us all to a single origin, or at least similar roots. Amman was once part of the Roman Empire, as it was my home country, Portugal, and my second home London. It really shows the power of this Empire, present across so many places that are today completely different countries, with different cultures, religions, languages, and climates.  

Located on top of the hill Jebel Al Qala’a, the Citadel is a must-visit in Amman. You can climb all the way on foot, a trek that we did despite the heat, but it was completely worth it not only for the appreciation of the ancient ruins left by the Romans but also for the stunning views to the city. At 580 meters above sea level, this UNESCO Historical Site is usually on top of the list of Amman’s to do’s.

Development where the Citadel is located today started as early as in the Bronze Age (we’re talking 4000 years ago…), but it was around 1800 BCE that was fortified. The area became prolific with many constructions throughout the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad Caliphate eras. 

From here you can also see the Roman Theatre. This was built between 138 and 161 CE during the rule of Antonius Pius considered one of the most peaceful Roman Emperors. It was a time when the arts were a focus of development. At this time, Amman was also known as Philadelphia, following the name Philadelphus the nickname of Ptolemaios II, an ancient Greek King. He was given this nickname for marrying his own sister. Such marriages were considered normal in Egypt, where he was now a ruler, but for the Greeks, this was a shocking, morally wrong event. “Philadelphus” means “Sibling Lover”, from the Greek verb philéō, meaning “to love,” and the noun adelphós, meaning “sibling.”

Today when we hear of Philadelphia we don’t think of Amman in Jordan, or about incestuous relationships. We think about the city in North America, also known as Philly. I had to go to Jordan to learn that Philadelphia is known as well as the City of Brotherly Love. It makes me giggle a little, about how innocent it all now seems. We have to thank to William Penn for that, a British colonialist who founded what is now Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after being bestowed a charter from the King Charles II. Still, Penn wanted to remain in good terms with the local Lenape tribe, purchasing the land directly from them and signing a treaty of friendship with them – making it the City of Brotherly Love or Friendship. I won’t comment on the conditions the Lenape tribes are living in until today, without even being recognised in the State of Pennsylvania.

Once again, I find invisible strings connecting different worlds together. I suppose this is one of the reasons why I travel – to find some sort of meaning, to trace back to why things are what they are today and imagine how it will all change.

Love, Nic