The Amman Citadel is a national historic site located in the
center of Amman, Jordan. Called Jabal al-Qal'a in Arabic, (جبل
القلعة), this L-shaped hill is one of the seven boars that
originally made up Amman. Evidence of occupation has been found
since the Neolithic, making it one of the oldest continuously
inhabited places in the world. It was inhabited by different peoples
and cultures until the time of the Umayyads, after which there came
a period of decline and during Much of the time until 1878 the
ancient city became an abandoned pile of ruins used only
sporadically by Bedouin and seasonal farmers.
The history of
the Citadel features important civilizations that spanned continents
and prospered for centuries as each empire gave way to the next. He
also witnessed the birth of the three great monotheistic religions:
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Umayyad Mosque is within the
citadel, which is attributed to the continuous habitation of the
area over the years by the three monotheistic religions.
The
citadel has been inhabited for more than 7000 years. It's a trip
back in time, with an impressive open-air museum to explore. Located
within the citadel is the Jordan Archaeological Museum, which
contains a collection of these objects, along with those from other
historical sites in Jordan.
Although the walls surround the
center of the site, during ancient periods of occupation the
settlements covered larger areas, outside the wall. The historic
structures, tombs, arches, walls and stairs are not surrounded by
modern structures, and therefore the citadel has considerable
archaeological potential, along with the nearby grounds.
Archaeologists have been working at the site since the 1920s,
including Italian, British, French, Spanish and Jordanian projects,
but a large part of the Citadel remains unexcavated.
Excavations have uncovered signs of human occupation from the Middle Bronze Age (1650-1550 BC) in the form of a tomb that had scarab seals. During the Iron Age, the Citadel was called Rabbath-Ammon. The inscription at the citadel of Amman comes from this period, an example of early Phoenician writing. It was occupied by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. When it was conquered by the Greeks in 331 BC. C., the city was renamed Philadelphia. From the Hellenistic period, there were not many architectural changes, but pottery is what provides evidence of its occupation. The site became Roman around 30 BC. C., and finally came under Muslim rule in 661.8 The Citadel declined in importance under the rule of the Ayyubid Dynasty in the 13th century, although a watchtower was added to the site during the period.
Roman Temple of Hercules
Umayyad palace
Umayyad cistern
byzantine church
Ayubí watchtower
The Temple of Hercules
located on the site dates back to the Roman occupation of the
Citadel in the 2nd century.
During the Umayyad Empire
(661-750), a palace structure, known in Arabic as al-Qasr, (القصر)
was built in the Citadel. The Umayyad Palace was probably used as an
administrative building or as the residence of an Umayyad official.
The palace displays Byzantine architecture. For example, the
entrance hall is shaped like a Greek cross plane. The palace may
have been built on an existing Byzantine structure in this form.
There is a huge water tank excavated in the ground adjacent to the
palace, along with a Byzantine church on the other side.
Beginning in 1995-1996, the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, began a project to conserve and restore this site for the benefit of tourists and the local community. Also located within the Amman Citadel is the Jordan Archaeological Museum, which houses a collection of artifacts from the Citadel and other Jordanian historical sites.