Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre in Amman is a very interesting place to visit. It is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman theatre. I was there briefly when visiting the city. A famous landmark in the Jordanian capital, it dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia.

On the top of the theatre you have a nice view of the city. It was so high there, that I was a bit scared of walking down, because the steps are so narrow. I thought I was going to fall!

The large and steeply raked structure could seat about 6,000 people: built into the hillside, it was oriented north to keep the sun off the spectators.

The theatre is now used as a venue for cultural activities including the Amman International Book Fair, the Amman Marathon prize ceremony, and musical concerts, most notably the Al-Balad Music Festival.

Also in the amphitheatre complex you can find The Museum of Popular Traditions. A very interesting museum with textile, tiles, and lots of artcraft typical of the Jordanian people.

I found this museum very well organised, and very easy to visit.

There are well-presented displays of traditional costumes, jewellery, and face masks, along with mannequins dressed in the traditional costumes of Jordan’s different ethnic groups. A separate gallery displays mosaics from Jerash and Madaba.

My favorite part of the museum were the mosaics. They looked very well preserved with lots of little details. Amazing!

My visit there only lasted a few hours. Everything is within walking distance. I recommend going late in the afternoon, when the sun is going down, otherwise it can get very hot.