Jabal Amman

Jabal Amman is one of the historic hills at the heart of the Jordanian capital, long the address of its old villas, embassies and cultural life. One of the seven jabals, or hills, on which Amman was originally built, it retains a distinct character quite unlike the sprawling modern suburbs spreading across the surrounding ridges.

Its stone houses tell the city's twentieth-century story. Elegant villas of pale local limestone, built by prosperous merchant and political families in the early decades of the state, line its slopes and are increasingly reused as cafés, galleries, embassies and boutique hotels. The area's traffic circles, numbered outward from the First Circle, still serve as the city's informal landmarks and the way locals give directions.

Rainbow Street is its best-known artery. Running along the ridge near the First Circle, this walkable strip concentrates coffee houses, restaurants, craft shops, bookstores and viewpoints, and hosts a popular weekly market on summer evenings. Around it, quieter residential lanes reward slow wandering, with hidden public staircases linking the terraced streets and framing views across the valleys toward the ancient Citadel on the hill opposite.

For visitors, Jabal Amman offers the city's most atmospheric strolling. Base yourself here to be within walking distance of the downtown souks, the Roman Theatre and the Citadel, and spend an evening drifting between cafés as the call to prayer echoes across the hills. Streets are steep and stepped rather than level, so wear comfortable shoes and be ready to climb; the district is affordable, safe and welcoming, and at its liveliest in the cool of the evening when residents come out. The long public staircases, decorated with murals and poetry, are worth seeking out as shortcuts and viewpoints in themselves.