I slept pretty well last night, but as has been the case pretty much every day of this trip, the call to prayer woke me up at 5am.
I had breakfast at the hostel and set out to meet Kristine, Harrison, Brabbyn and Agatha at the citadel. The walk up the hill was fairly easy and I arrived a few minutes early. A man asked me if I wanted a taxi and I said no thanks. He came up to me and seemed harmless, but wouldn’t stop trying to sell me tours etc no matter how many times I told him I had already been everywhere. Thankfully, the other four rounded the corner at this point and I walked over to them.
We went inside the citadel and spent a great two hours there. Many different groups of people inhabited this high hilltop area over the last 7000 years, including (but not limited to) the Persians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Umayyads and Ottomans. Each added their own influence and, on arrival, many of these peoples recycled ruins from previous groups to build their own homes and monuments.
The citadel was once encircled by a 1.7 km wall, but this like many other structures atop the hill have been ruined by many earthquakes over time. We walked around and saw the Temple of Hercules which was constructed in about 170 AD. The fingers and an elbow of a 13m high statue of Hercules were found in the vicinity of this temple. We saw a cave used as tombs as early as the 23rd century BC.
There was a small archaeological on site that was Jordan’s first public museum and opened in 1951. Many of the artefacts in here (including the Dead Sea scrolls) have now been moved to the new Jordan Museum, but it was still full of interesting things. Things that caught my eye included fish fossils, ceramic grenades, a Roman era sculpture of a man’s face that was so detailed you could even see wrinkles and indentations in his face, and skeletons of small children placed in jars. Apparently once upon a time people used to use jars as a sort of coffin for children, and then bury them under their living room floor to keep them close to the family.
Next we ventured through to the beautifully domed monumental gateway, through which we saw lots of ruins of residential units. Even these had columns in them!! We ran into a huge Russian group here who rushed right through (no pun intended). Some of the women in this group not only had their knees on display, but were wearing fishnet stockings. Interesting choice of dress in this part of the world!!
Enjoying more views, we saw the blue domed mosque in the distance and then back inside the citadel we also saw the old baths and cistern.
We descended the hill and next went to Habibah Sweets. This place is an institution in Jordan, and anyone you mention it to raves about it. The others bought some tins of sweets, but I decided to try some of the hot take away options on offer. It didn’t matter how many times I said “shwaya, shwaya” (little, little) to the man serving me, he just kept heaping stuff on my plate. I paid $4 Australian for a very full plate and ate as much as I could. The sweets were delicious but very rich. Some of them had cheese in the middle!!
Then the five of us went to a cafe called Wild Jordan. On the way up the hill we saw a few men in the streets praying on their prayer mats. I had a smoothie at the cafe and the others ate lunch (I was full of sweets!) and we took in the view of the citadel. Then it was time to say goodbye because the other four were heading off to the airport. I am now officially the last person from my tour left in Amman!
After a quick pit stop at my hostel I headed to the Duke’s Diwan. This is the oldest and best preserved stone building in Amman and was built in 1924. A local duke bought it in 2001 to preserve it and remind the public and tourists what all of the buildings used to look like. I enjoyed people watching from the balcony here. The lady inside was very friendly.
Being alone again was weird. I hadn’t been alone since Cairo when I had Ildi ready to ask any questions I thought of. Here was different because I didn’t know anybody. For the most part it was fine, but a lot of people stared. Crossing the road was pretty tricky. I got to a “pedestrian crossing” (no one stops) and just had to stink eye the four lanes of traffic, walk out and hope for the best. All worked out ok!
My next stop was the Roman Theatre. Kids were playing ball games in the square on the approach here. Everyone was out enjoying the Saturday sunshine. The theatre was built in the 2nd century AD and was restored in 1957. Many events are held here in summer. I sat for a while and enjoyed the view. At the top of the theatre a group of guys about my age asked for a photo with me. “Me? How come?” I laughed. “You have beautiful pale skin!” I thanked them and laughed again. They were genuinely nice and all was ok. It’s a shame the creeps of the world mean that you have to be on edge about this kind of thing all the time.
My ticket also included the two small museums inside. The first was the Museum of Popular Traditions which had different costumes and jewellery inside. I particularly liked the large amulet type beads that were worn to help give one “favourable outcomes in life”. The second museum was the Museum of Folklore and had mannequins showing the daily life of Bedouin people. A little girl waved frantically at me in here and burst into a huge smile when I waved back. Then the little museum man walked me over for a brief look at the Odeon. He didn’t even want a tip, he was just being friendly to the only non Jordanian in the place haha.
I rang Rob while I walked through Hashemite Plaza and unfortunately this is where “for the most part (being alone) was fine” came into play. I walked past a group of guys about my age. As I was about 10m away one of them yelled “you have a nice arse!” Feeling fired up after the events of the last few days back in Melbourne, I yelled back “that is NOT a nice thing to yell at a woman!” If looks could kill - he would’ve been a goner. Unfortunately even at home there are creeps like this, and we all need to work together calling them out. I know I have a nice arse thanks, and I don’t need creepy men yelling at me in the street to inform me. That’s enough air time for him - moving right along!
Next I headed uphill again to visit Al Quds falafel shop, open since 1966 in the famous Rainbow Street and very popular with locals. I ordered one falafel sandwich and sat on a bench outside and ate it. Actually, I didn't eat it, I practically inhaled it hahaha. It was the best one I’ve had all trip, with delicious sauce, tomatoes and pickles. The best bit? It cost $1 Australian. I went back in and ordered two more. “Mia mia!” (Perfect!) I said to the little old man behind the till. He smiled and thanked me. The next two sandwiches didn’t last me very long either! A huge queue formed after I left.
Now I’m back in the hostel. I’ve packed my bag, showered and now I’m relaxing. Tomorrow morning I will get up, have a shower and some breakfast and then head off to the airport for my 2pm flight. I land in Melbourne around 7pm on Monday night.
I can’t believe how fast this trip has gone. I’m so glad I didn’t let the negativity in the days leading up to my trip spoil it for me. Ildi changed my perspective instantly and the tour was absolutely fantastic. I have ticked off so many bucket list items and seen so many absolutely incredible sights. I’ll say it again - if you’re even considering it, book a trip here and come and see for yourself. It’s truly an incredible and misrepresented part of the world.
Thank you for following along with my adventures on the blog, I hope you have enjoyed seeing what Egypt and Jordan have to offer. My next overseas trip will be to Sri Lanka in July. See you then!!
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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