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Amman
Once we left the museum we traveled through several neighborhoods of the city as we made our way to the U.S. Embassy. There we had an extended meeting with David Hale, the Charge d'Affairs at the embassy, Haynes Mahoney, Chief of Public Affairs, and Jim Barnhart, Chief of Economic Opportunities with USAID. It was a most informative meeting, covering such topics as U.S.-Jordanian relations, the impact on Jordan of the recent Iraq War, the ongoing peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis, and political and economic development in Jordan and throughout the region. Sorry, but there are no pictures of the embassy grounds because of security concerns.
Back at the hotel, it was almost impossible to resist walking the bustling business streets on what is the equivalent of a Saturday evening in most Western societies (since Friday is the Muslim sabbath, the weekend begins on Thursday). Nevertheless, we still needed a good night's rest to prepare us for our final day of touring in Jordan. |
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This
morning we slept in, enjoyed a late breakfast, and had an opportunity to venture
around the streets of Amman on our own. Then at just after noon, we met in the
hotel lobby to depart on our bus for the Citadel. This high hill in the center
of the city was originally settled by the Ammonites (mentioned in the Bible, and
from which the city now gets its name). When it was rebuilt by the Greeks, they
gave the city the name Philadelphia and constructed their acropolis on the hill.
One of it most prominent features was the temple to Hercules. From atop the
citadel, you look down on the theater in the valley below and out across much of
the city of Amman.
In
later centuries the Citadel was the site of a Christian basilica church and,
following the rise of Islam, a major Umayyad complex. It included a mosque, an
official court or hall (now restored and shown here), and a palace for the
caliph. By looking at the different design motifs and construction techniques it
was easy to tell which structures came from which periods--easy, that is, once
Omar had filled us in on what to look for.
A
highlight of our visit to the Citadel was the time we spent in the Jordanian
National Archaeological Museum. Although the display cases were simple, the
holdings of the museum would be the envy of museums from around the world. We
were able to see the "Copper Scroll" that was discovered at Qumran
along with the other so-called Dead Sea Scrolls. Several other of the vellum
manuscripts were on display. We also saw a replica of the Moabite Stone and the
fragments of the Balaam of Peor inscription, both of which have connections with
stories contained in the Bible. The items on display spanned the full history of
Jordan, from the Stone Age to the Age of Islam.
We
rounded off the day with shopping visits to the Jordan River Foundation and the
Wild Jordan Center. As it happens, both of these programs are supported at least
in part by USAID. The former sells a variety of handcrafts made by Jordanian
women and other artisans in micro-enterprises. The other is a nature and
wildlife conservation program. We bought some wonderful souvenirs of Jordan and
were able to help some great causes at the same time.