After an amazing flight on Oman Air's 738 MAX from Muscat, I landed in Amman, Jordan ready for a more urban experience to counter the peaceful and orderly (and amazing!) time I just had in Oman. Oman exceeded expectations and quickly became one of my favorite destinations, but since I was solo on this trip to the Middle East I was hoping Jordan (especially Amman) would give me a little more adrenaline and excitement.
I Ubered from the airport, checked into the Grand Hyatt Amman, and then set off to Amman's downtown area to get some late dinner and see Jordan's bustling capital at night.
First stop was dinner, and the place I kept hearing about in Amman's downtown area was Hashem. A traditional Jordanian restaurant, it's insanely popular with tourists and locals alike. Expect semi-street food styles dishes, but all of fantastic quality.
Amman's downtown area, just Southwest and at the base of the citadel is extremely lively at night and full of markets and street food. This is what I was looking for afer spending some time in peaceful Oman – a loud, hectic, arab city full of people, smells, and sights.
The Amman Citadel was potentially the highlight of my time in Amman. A must-see part of the city, the archeological site sits in the center of the city and contains Roman and Byzantine ruins, among others. I won't pretend to act like I'm more than minimally educated on the topic, but it was a fantastic place not only for history, but some fantastic 360 degree views of the city.
It's really hard to grasp the history that's taken place at the Amman Citadel over thousands of years – definitely puts things into perspective how long Middle Eastern societies have been around.
You can even get a great look at the Roman Theater at the base of the hill the Amman Citadel sits on. Another ancient piece of the city that's carries so much historical weight.
While I truly did love my time spent in Amman and Jordan as a whole, the obvious lack of tourism was a little apparent and somewhat depressing. I'm sure a lot of it (or most) has to do with the war in Gaza and the potential risks behind being in the area. I felt totally safe the entire time, and other than having to go through metal detectors before going into hotels, it felt relatively like traveling anywhere else.
The tourism infrastructure is there, but fading, and I noticed an obvious lack of tourists. I know didn't go during the country's high season (I was in Jordan for week in late November), but still, the weather was great and overall seemed like it would have been the perfect time to go sans the war in Palestine.
More on this in the Petra post.
Next up, the drive to Petra...🏛
I left Oman wanting something a bit more edgy and exciting in Jordan – and Amman definitely delivered. Sure, as a large urban area it has its issues, but the city as a whole is beautiful and has so much charm. Sure you've got your pushy salespeople and taxi drivers, but that's par for the course a lot of places, especially in certain MENA countries.
Last year was a huge year of travel for me, and I debated cancelling my Middle East trip after having visited Southeast Asia about a month earlier, but I am so glad I didn't. I'm very thankful I was able to visit Jordan and experience Jordanian culture and the Jordanian people, especially in geopolitical times like these.
