Amman Tourism and Travel Guide

Amman (English pronunciation: /ɑːˈmɑːn/; Arabic: عمّان‎), is the capital and most populous city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political and cultural center. Situated in north-central Jordan, Amman is the administrative center of the Amman Governorate. It has an estimated population of 4,000,000 and a land area of 1,680 square kilometres (648.7 sq mi). Today, Amman is considered to be among the most liberal and westernized Arab cities, it is a major tourist destination in the region, particularly among Arab and European tourists. The history of Amman dates back to 7250 BC, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. First inhabitance was in a Neolithic village called 'Ain Ghazal. The city was later known as 'Rabbath Ammon', which was the capital of the Ammonites, then as 'Philadelphia', and finally as Amman. It was initially built on seven hills but now spans over 19 hills combining 27 districts, which are administered by the Greater Amman Municipality headed by its mayor Aqel Biltaji. Areas of Amman have either gained their names from the hills (Jabal) or valleys (Wadi) they lie on, such as Jabal Lweibdeh and Wadi Abdoun. East Amman is predominantly filled with historical sites that frequently host cultural activities, while West Amman is more modern and serves as the economic center of the city. Approximately 1.9 million visitors arrived in Amman in 2014, which ranked it as the 84th most visited city in the world and the 4th most visited Arab city. Amman has a relatively fast growing economy, also it is ranked Beta− on the global city index. Moreover, it was named as one of the Middle East and North Africa's best cities according to economic, labor, environmental, and socio-cultural factors. The city is among the most popular locations in the Arab world for multinational corporations to set up their regional offices, alongside Doha and only behind Dubai. Furthermore, it is expected that in the next 10 years these three cities will capture the largest share of multinational corporation activity in the region. Trent Holden, Anna Metcalfe (2009). The Cities Book: A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World. Lonely Planet Publications. Retrieved 2015-10-01. 'Amman's Street Food'. BeAmman.com. BeAmman.com. Retrieved 2015-09-26. a b 'Amman's population rises around 4 million'. The Jordan Times (The Jordan News). 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2015-09-21. 'Revealed: the 20 cities UAE residents visit most'. Arabian Business Publishing Ltd. 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2015-09-21. 'Number of tourists dropped by 14% in 2013 — official report'. The Jordan Times (The Jordan News). 2014-02-08. Retrieved 2015-09-21. Carole French (2012). Jordan. Bradt Travel Guides. Retrieved 2015-10-09. a b Michael Dumper, Bruce E. Stanley (2007). Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. Retrieved 2015-10-04. 'Aqel Biltaji appointed as Amman mayor'. The Jordan Times (The Jordan News). 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-21. 'West Amman furnished apartments cashing in on tour'. The Jordan Times. The Jordan News. 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2015-09-21. 'Top 100 International Tourist Destination Cities By Country'. Euromonitor. http://brilliantmaps.com/. 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2015-10-05. 'How a Startup from the Arab World Grabs 1B Views on YouTube'. Forbes. Forbes. 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2015-09-29. 'The World According to GaWC 2012'. GaWC. 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2015-09-21. IANS/WAM (2010-11-26). 'Abu Dhab duke City' in MENA region'. sify news. Retrieved 2015-09-22. 'Dunia Frontier Consultants » Doha, Amman Favored by MNCs as New Regional Hubs'. Duniafrontier.com. 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-28.