2 Best Sights in Amman, Jordan

Five minutes from downtown, the strategically located hilltop citadel is a good place to start your tour of Amman. The excellent views give perspective on the sprawling city—the sandstone buildings stretch to the horizon in every direction, but you'll have no trouble picking out the Roman theater. Not surprisingly, the citadel was an important fortress and archeological evidence shows that the area was occupied by human settlements as far back as the Paleolithic Age. Impressive remains on the site include the Umayyad palace complex, dating from the 8th century, and the Roman Temple of Hercules. The Jordan Archaeology Museum here is worth a browse, though the collection is somewhat haphazardly organized.

The ascent to the citadel is steep, 20-minute climb; you're best off taking a taxi up (about JD1 from downtown) and walking back downtown.

Amman's vast Roman theater is the most obvious relic of the ancient city of Philadelphia. It was originally built in the 2nd century BC against the slope of a hill, to hold about 5,000 spectators. The theater's orientation is said to be almost perfect, providing a minimum of sunlight in the spectators eyes. Concerts and performances are still held here. Considerable restoration has been done to the theater. In front of the theater are the remains of the Roman forum, most notably, the long colonnaded path. There are two museums built into the foundations of the theater, opposite one another: the Folklore Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions; if you're choosing one or the other, the latter is generally considered more interesting.