Amman (English pronunciation: / m n /; Arabic: Ammn ) is the capital and most populous city o
the !ashemite "ingdom o #ordan$ %t is the country&s political' cultural and commercial centre and
one o the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the (orld$ )he *reater Amman area has a
population o +',-+'.+/ as o +010$
2+3
)he recent economic gro(th e4perienced in Amman is
unmatched by any other Arab city e4cept those located in the 5ersian *ul area$ Amman is also the
administrati6e seat o the homonymous go6ernorate$ Amman is also ran7ed a 8eta9 global city on
the :orld city inde4$
Amman (as named one o the ;E<A&s best cities according to economic' labour' en6ironmental'
and socio=cultural actors$ Amman is among the most popular locations or multinational corporations
to set up their regional oices' alongside >oha and only behind >ubai$ ?urthermore' it is e4pected
that in the ne4t 10 years these three cities (ill capture the largest share o multinational corporation
acti6ity in the region$
2@3
%t is a maAor tourist destination in the region and the capital is especially
popular among *ul tourists$
2-3
Amman (English pronunciation: / m n /; Arabic: Ammn ) is the capital and most populous city o
the !ashemite "ingdom o #ordan$ %t is the country&s political' cultural and commercial centre and
one o the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the (orld$ )he *reater Amman area has a
population o +',-+'.+/ as o +010$
2+3
)he recent economic gro(th e4perienced in Amman is
unmatched by any other Arab city e4cept those located in the 5ersian *ul area$ Amman is also the
administrati6e seat o the homonymous go6ernorate$ Amman is also ran7ed a 8eta9 global city on
the :orld city inde4$
Amman (as named one o the ;E<A&s best cities according to economic' labour' en6ironmental'
and socio=cultural actors$ Amman is among the most popular locations or multinational corporations
to set up their regional oices' alongside >oha and only behind >ubai$ ?urthermore' it is e4pected
that in the ne4t 10 years these three cities (ill capture the largest share o multinational corporation
acti6ity in the region$
2@3
%t is a maAor tourist destination in the region and the capital is especially
popular among *ul tourists$
2-3
%n the 1@th century 8B Amman (as called Rabbath Ammon or Rabat Amon by the Ammonites$ %n
the !ebre( 8ible' it is reerred to as Rabbat Ammon ()iberian !ebre( Rabba Ammn )$ %t (as
later conCuered by the Assyrians' ollo(ed by the5ersians' and then the *ree7
;acedonians$ 5tolemy %% 5hiladelphus' the ;acedonian ruler o Egypt' renamed
it Philadelphia(Ancient *ree7 DEFGHIFJKEG)$ )he city became part o the <abataean 7ingdom until
10. A> (hen 5hiladelphia came underLoman control and Aoined the >ecapolis$
2M3
%t (as then destroyed by se6eral earthCua7es and natural disasters and remained a small 6illage
and a pile o ruins until theBircassian settlement in 1,N,$
2.3
)he tide changed (hen
the Ottoman Pultan decided to build the !eAaQ rail(ay' lin7ing >amascus and ;edina' acilitating
both the annual haAA pilgrimage and permanent trade' putting Amman' a maAor station' bac7 on the
commercial map$
2citation needed3
%n 1/+1' Abdullah % chose Amman instead o As=Palt as seat o go6ernment or his ne(ly created
state' the Emirate o)ransAordan' and later as the capital o the !ashemite "ingdom o #ordan$ As
there (as no palatial building' he started his reign rom the station' (ith his oice in a train car$
Amman remained a small city until 1/-,' (hen the population e4panded considerably due to an
inlu4 o 5alestinian reugees rom 5alestine$
%n 1/N0' Amman (as the site o maAor clashes bet(een the 5alestine Riberation OrganiQation (5RO)
and the #ordanian army$ E6erything around the Loyal 5alace sustained hea6y damage rom
shelling$ )he city&s population continues to e4pand at a rapid pace (ueled by reugees escaping the
(artime e6ents in the :est 8an7 and %raC)$ )he city recei6ed reugees rom these countries on a
number o occasions$ )he irst (a6e o 5alestinian reugees arri6ed rom 5alestine in 1/-,$
2citation needed3
A second (a6e arri6ed ater the Pi4=>ay :ar in 1/.N$ A third (a6e o 5alestinian and #ordanian
and Poutheast Asians' (or7ing as domestic (or7ers' reugees arri6ed in Amman rom "u(ait ater
the *ul :ar o 1//1$ )he irst (a6e o %raCi reugees settled in the city ater the irst *ul :ar' (ith a
second (a6e also arri6ing ater the +00@ in6asion o %raC$ >uring the last 10 years the number o
ne( buildings (ithin the city has increased dramatically (ith ne( districts o the city being ounded
at a 6ery rapid pace (particularly so in :est Amman)' straining the 6ery scarce (ater supplies o
#ordan as a (hole' and e4posing Amman to the haQards o rapid e4pansion in the absence o
careul municipal planning$
2citation needed3
On <o6ember /' +00M' coordinated e4plosions roc7ed three hotels in Amman' resulting in the death
o .0 people and the inAury o 11M others$ Al=Saeda claimed responsibility or the act' (hich (as
carried out despite the act that the birthplace o since=7illed Al Saeda terrorist leader Abu ;usab al=
TarCa(i' is the to(n oTarCa' less than @0 7m (1/ mi) rom Amman$ )he sheer brutality o the
attac7s' (hich targeted' among other things' a (edding party being held at one o the hotels' caused
(idespread re6ulsion across the (idest range o #ordanians$ Rarge protests and 6igils ollo(ed in
the (a7e o the attac7s$
