RELIGION & FAITH
Amman is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and there are many Biblical references to the city, which was then known as Rabbath-Ammon. Later renamed Philadelphia (after the Ptolemaic ruler Philadelphus), the city also became part of the Decapolis League, an alliance of ten Roman-ruled cities including Jerash, Gadara (present-day Umm Qays), Pella, Arbila (Irbid) and others. During the Byzantine period, Philadelphia was the seat of a Christian bishop, and a number of impressive churches were built here.
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The Umayyad Mosque at the Citadel.
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The Citadel, which towers above the city from Jabal al-Qala'a, is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, and excavations here have uncovered Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. The most impressive, known simply as al-Qasr ("the Palace"), dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period. Nearby are the ruins of Umayyad palace grounds.
Close by are the remains of a small Byzantine basilica while roughly 100 metres south of the church is what is thought to have been a temple of Hercules - also known as the Great Temple of Amman - which was built during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
The King Hussein Mosque, also known as al-Husseini Mosque, is an Ottoman-style mosque rebuilt in 1924 on the site of an ancient mosque. Amman’s famous gold souq is just a short distance away.
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