Population: 2 125 400

Some traces of human settlements were traced some 9 000 years ago. It is the largest Neolithic settlement ever discovered in the Middle East. Amman was the capital of the Ammonites (1 200 BC). The Bible mentioned it under the name of Rabbath Ammon. Then it was conquered by King Herod in 30 BC and became part of the towns of the Roman Empire. Amman (called Philadelphia) became a member of the Decapolis, which is a confederation of 10 Graeco-Roman cities including Damascus and Jerash. Amman was built on 7 hills and the most towering is the Citadel where the Hercules temple was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus (138-161 AD). We can also find the ruins of the Umayyad palace dated about 720 AD. The Roman theater can be seen from the Citadel. It was built during the reign of Antonius Pius (131-161 AD). It can contain around 6 000 spectators. It is still used. In 1921, Prince Abdullah chose Amman as the head office of his government. Since 1948, it has never ceased to grow up owing to the rush of Palestinian refugees. It became officially the capital of Jordan in 1950. Amman is nowadays the cultural, economic and political center of Jordan. The headquarters of Jordanian companies and foreign subsidiaries are mostly concentrated in this town.