Sights from Amman, Kingdom of Jordan

Of Middle East cities, Amman: cosmopolitan, thriving, lively, exciting, on several hills - is not only the most pleasant, but is also the most picturesque. It captivates you with its hilly, rolling scenery. Its many stunning old buildings and ruins: Byzantine, Roman, Omayyad and British. Its modern, neat, enchanting streets with their unique white buildings. Its many mosques and souqs. Its many underpasses, bypasses and underpasses. Amman is ancient and modern. Here are a few more photos of Amman:

Above: Amman can be crowded and festive - the Old section of the City.

Above: at the center of modern Amman.

Above: as with all modern consumerist urban centers, Amman is a city of automobiles, traffic jams and shopping malls.

At several points on the main roads and highways, there are the very helpful pedestrian bridges above the speeding autos. 

And many flyovers.

And many roundabouts, or as locally known and called - 'circles' or 'dewaars'.

 Busy selling - near a bus terminal in the more crowded, Eastern part of the city.

 A balcony, windows and four men in the old part of the city.

Another balcony with tourists, in the same old part.

Lazy and romancing city cats.

Above: in another part of the city, another feline - a rare breed. Note the difference in its two eyes. 

And all over the city: green and white. And neat.

Green and white.

Neat. And green.

Clean and neat.

Clean bus terminal.

Amazing. Some how, in a very simple and yet disciplined way, Amman has managed to be both old and modern. Busy and neat. So neat that even public bus terminals are spotlessly clean. Green. And most pleasant. As the New York Times rightly points out: treat Amman as a mere way station between destinations and you miss discovering what is perhaps the most pleasant city in the Middle East.

+ More on Amman

+ Other Wonderful Places in the Kingdom of Jordan:
* The River Jordan
* The Dead Sea
* The Citadel
* The Roman Theater
* Jerash
* Petra
* Kahaf Ahl Kahf