Jordan & Israel Experience

AMMAN — Jordan’s capital and largest city (pop. 972,000) is situated just a short drive from the Syrian and Israeli borders (about 45 mi/72 km northeast of Jerusalem.) The area has been constantly inhabited since 6000 BC, though only a few of its ancient buildings endured. This somewhat drab, although modern, city was not much more than a village until it became the seat of government in the 1920s — since then it has evolved dramatically. (Its population swelled with the arrival of succeeding waves of dislocated Palestinians, who today make up a bulk of the city’s residents.)

Sit in on a performance in the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater (it holds 6,000) or the new Royal Cultural Center. Also visit the Basman Palace, the city’s Folklore Museum, Museum of Popular Traditions and the National Archaeological Museum. Tour the Forum and Citadel Hill to see the few remaining Roman ruins (including a temple of Hercules). The hill provides a vast picture of Amman and is a serene escape from Amman’s bustling atmosphere. The Jordan National Gallery displays modern Jordanian and Middle Eastern art and the university merits a visit. Don’t miss the huge King Abdullah Mosque, built in the late 1980s.

A short drive west of town in the Wadi Seer Valley are the ruins of Qasr al-Abid Castle and the Araq al-Amir Caves. An journey can be made to the nearby towns of Ajlun (see separate paragraph) and Salt (13 mi/21 km northwest of Amman — features enchanting 19th-century carved-stone architecture). Allow at least a day in Amman.

Jerusalem, (je-r¡´se-lem) city (1991 est. pop. 535,000, including East Jerusalem), capital and largest city of Israel, on a high ridge W of the Dead Sea and the Jordan R. A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, Jerusalem is an administrative, cultural, and tourist center. Manufactures include cut and polished diamonds, plastics, and clothing. The eastern part of Jerusalem is the Old City; the New City, to the south and southwest, has been largely developed since the 19th cent. and is the site of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Archaeology indicates that Jerusalem was already settled in the 4th millennium B.C. David captured it (c.1000 B.C.) from the Jebusites (Canaanites), and after Solomon built the Temple there (10th cent. B.C.), Jerusalem became the spiritual and political capital of the Hebrews. The city fell to many conquerors, e.g., Babylonia (586 B.C.) and Rome (63 B.C.), and it was the scene of Jesus’ last ministry. The Roman emperor Titus destroyed the rebuilt (Second) Temple (A.D. 70) to punish rebellious Jews. The Muslims, who believe that Muhammad ascended to heaven from the city, treated it well after they captured it in 637. It was conquered by the Crusaders in 1099 and was recaptured (1187) by the Muslims under Saladin. Jerusalem was the capital (1922-48) of the
British mandate of Palestine.

During the Arab-Israeli Wars, the city was divided (1949-67); the Old City became part of Jordan and the New City became the capital of Israel. In 1967 Israel captured the Old City and formally annexed it. Israel reaffirmed its annexation of the Old City in 1980, an action not accepted by many nations. The Old City contains many holy places of Christianity, e.g., the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; of Islam, e.g., the Dome of the Rock (688-91); and of Judaism, e.g., the Western (or Wailing) Wall (part of the Second Temple

Tel Aviv-Jaffa, city (1989 est. pop. 330,000), W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is Israel’s second largest city, its financial and commercial center, and a major diamond-processing center. The city is also a tourist resort with wide, attractive beaches.

Tel Aviv was founded (1909) by Jews from Jaffa, a major Arab population center, and its population grew dramatically after 1920. It was Israel’s first capital (1948-49) and many foreign embassies are still located in the city. A cultural center, it is the site of many theaters, leading museums, and several musical organizations, including the Israel Philharmonic.
Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged in 1950. During the Persian Gulf War the city was subjected to Iraqi missile attacks.