Jabal Amman neighborhood is one of the seven hills that originally made up Amman , Jordan. Today, Jabal Amman is near the downtown area.
15-468: Along with the rest of old Amman, Jabal Amman was first settled during the Neolithic period. But unlike nearby hills, particularly Jabal al-Qal'a , Jabal Amman was never fortified. It remained somewhat of a wooded outback until the 20th century, when Amman was declared the capital of Trans-Jordan and royalty, wealthy families, businesses, army officers, and politicians began moving into Jabal Amman. Soon,
30-889: Is a historic site in the Amman Citadel in Amman , Jordan . It is thought to be the most significant Roman structure in the Amman Citadel . According to an inscription the temple was built when Geminius Marcianus was governor of the Province of Arabia (AD 162–166), in the same period as the Roman Theater in Amman. The temple is about 30 by 24 m (98 by 79 ft) wide and additional with an outer sanctum of 121 by 72 m (397 by 236 ft). The portico has six columns ca. 10 m (33 ft) tall. Archaeologists believe that since there are no remains of additional columns
45-524: Is an archeological site at the center of downtown Amman , the capital of Jordan . The L-shaped hill is one of the seven hills ( jebal ) that originally made up Amman. The Citadel has a long history of occupation by many great civilizations. Evidence of inhabitance since the Neolithic period has been found and the hill was fortified during the Bronze Age (1800 BCE). The hill became the capital of
60-624: Is an evangelical union church situated in the neighborhood. Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA) is an organization started in 2004 to preserve the neighborhood's deep history and promote cultural events. JARA hosts many of the outdoor markets in Jabal Amman. The most famous is Souk Jara (سوق جارا) that was established in 2005. Jabal al-Qal%27a 31°57′17″N 35°56′03″E / 31.9547°N 35.9343°E / 31.9547; 35.9343 The Amman Citadel ( Arabic : جبل القلعة , romanized : Jabal Al-Qal'a )
75-510: The Umayyad Palace . The Jordan Archaeological Museum was built on the hill in 1951. Though the fortification walls enclose the heart of the site, the ancient periods of occupation covered large areas. Historic structures, tombs, arches, walls and stairs have no modern borders, and therefore there is considerable archaeological potential at this site, as well as in surrounding lands, and throughout Amman. Archaeologists have been working at
90-528: The jabal was informally established as an elite neighborhood of Amman. As Amman spread west, the 1st Circle was built and Jabal Amman became a primary east-west artery for the quickly expanding city. As the area aged, trees and greenery matured. Today, full grown trees line the streets of Jabal Amman. In 2005, the Greater Amman Municipality recognized Jabal Amman as a 'heritage attraction point' and set forth plans to preserve and develop
105-675: The 13th century, but a watchtower was added to the site during this period. The Temple of Hercules dates to the Roman period in the 2nd century CE. During the Umayyad period (AD 661–750), a palace structure, known in Arabic as al-Qasr ( القصر ), was built at the Citadel. The Umayyad Palace was probably used as an administrative building or the residence of an Umayyad official. The palace draws on Byzantine architectural patterns. For example,
120-760: The Kingdom of Ammon sometime after 1200 BCE. It later came under the sway of empires such as the Neo-Assyrian Empire (8th century BCE), Neo-Babylonian Empire (6th century BC), the Ptolemies , the Seleucids (3rd century BCE), Romans (1st century BCE), Byzantines (3rd century CE) and the Umayyads (7th century CE). After the Umayyads, came a period of decline and for much of the time until 1878,
135-487: The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan in partnership with USAID , AECID and CSIC began several projects to conserve and restore this site to benefit tourists and the local community. The Amman Citadel is also the site of Jordan Archaeological Museum , which is home to a collection of artifacts from the Citadel and other Jordanian historic sites. Temple of Hercules (Jordan) Temple of Hercules
150-582: The entrance hall is built in the shape of a Greek cross . The palace may have been built on top of an existing Byzantine structure in this shape. There is a huge water reservoir dug into the ground adjacent to the palace. The Amman Citadel Mosque is an example of early mosques that imitated the Persian -style apadana hall, characterized by a "forest of columns"; these mosques are normally found only in Persia and Mesopotamia ( Iraq ). Starting in 1995–96,
165-469: The former city became an abandoned pile of ruins only sporadically used by Bedouins and seasonal farmers. Despite this gap, the Citadel of Amman is considered to be among the world's oldest continuously inhabited places. Most of the structures still visible at the site are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. The major remains at the site are the Temple of Hercules , a Byzantine church, and
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#1732797640848180-408: The historic hill. Traditionally, the 1st Circle marks the start of Jabal Amman and King Talal Street on the valley floor marks the end of it. 9th Sha'ban Street divides Jabal Amman from Jabal al-Luweibdeh in the north. Mango Street runs north-south across the slope. Rainbow Street serves as the main access up and down the mountain to the 1st circle. Jabal Al-Akhddar is on the opposite side of
195-588: The site since the 1920s, including Italian, British, French, Spanish, and Jordanian projects, but a great part of the Citadel remains unexcavated. Excavations have uncovered signs of human occupation from as far back as the Middle Bronze Age (1650–1550 BCE) in the form of a tomb that held pottery and scarab seals. During the Iron Age, the Citadel was the site of the capital of the Ammonites , which
210-638: The valley from Jabal Amman. Jabal Amman is renowned for its historic buildings and distinctive early 20th century architecture. When politicians and entrepreneurs moved into the neighborhood during the same time, they began to build houses, many of the houses featuring a single story and a large front porch running the entire front exposure of the building. Notable houses include: Numerous businesses such as Books@Café, Old View Café, Jordan River Foundation , Wild Jordan, and Royal Jordan Film Commission inhabit these buildings today. The Ittihad Church, an example of Modern architecture built with reinforced concrete ,
225-683: Was known as "Rabbah" or "Rabbath Ammon". The Amman Citadel Inscription comes from this period, and is considered to be the oldest known inscription in the Ammonite language , written in the Phoenician Alphabet . From the Hellenistic Period , there were not many architectural changes, but pottery provides evidence for their occupation. The site became Roman around 30 BCE, and eventually came under Muslim rule in 661 CE. The Citadel declined in importance under Ayyubid rule in
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