Jordan is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Maine, and has 13 million residents. Amman, the capital, is a bustling metropolis of 4 million, and is the largest city in Jordan. Amman dates to the 8000th millennium BC, and is home to the world’s oldest statues of the human form at ‘Ain Ghazal. The area was previously known as Rabat Amman and is referenced in the Hebrew Bible. It was conquered by Alexander the Great and the Greeks in the 3rd century BC, by the Romans in 63BC, and then by the Rashidun Caliphate, ushering in the Islamic Era. Jordan’s importance declines by the mid-8th century after damage from several earthquakes rendered it uninhabitable.

Following several decades of rebuilding and political influence, being ruled by the British and the French, Jordan gained its independence in 1946 and Amman was designated the country’s capital. In 1970, Amman was a battlefield during the conflict between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Army known as Black September. The PLO were defeated and expelled to Lebanon. Recently, in November 2005, Al-Queda attacked Jordan in coordinated hotel bombings. After the attack, Jordan’s security was vastly improved and no major attacks have been reported since. The city has experienced an economic and cultural boom, including an expanded travel industry.

Today we met our Jordan tour guide, Louy, and he gave us a summary of our days ahead in Jordan. We also relaxed and tried to catch up on some sleep. We are all struggling to various degrees with jet lag. In the evening we grabbed Ubers to the Lebanese restaurant Jubran. It was very good though I did a terrible job remembering to take photos.

Tomorrow: Jerash, Old Amman