Amman and Good Byes

We arrived back in Amman in the late afternoon. Some of the group were leaving late that night and the rest of us at various times the next day. At our last supper, we decided to go to a night club - yes there are night clubs! None of us had "clubbing" outfits, except maybe Mel who continuously flouted the "dress modestly" rule, but we were assured by Ayman that it wouldn't matter.

It was very much like any night club you might find, bodies bouncing to the music, people having a good time, it was Friday night and the place was packed. The music wasn't really my scene, but it was great to cut loose and dance! No creepy guys, no unwanted attention. What fun!

The next day, Dominique and I, along with 3 others who weren't leaving until much later decided to see some of the sights of Amman. Fidarus, is a devout Muslim, and he asked if we would like to come with him to the King Abdullah I Mosque so he could make up for missing the service yesterday. We could visit while he prayed and then we could go to visit the Amman Citadel afterwards. We agreed so off we went. 

The King Abdullah 1 Mosque is MASSIVE. It was built in the 80s and it has a beautiful turquoise blue mosaic dome that can fit up to 3000 people!

As infidels we were allowed to enter some parts, but we females had to don a chador, which they had readily available for rent. It was a hot sunny day (big surprise) and the chador were made of polyester - unpleasant! But the mosque was totally worth the discomfort as it was absolutely beautiful. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, and we weren't allowed to into the main body of the mosque (the bit under the big dome), but we did visit the women's part and some of the other common areas. The mosaic work was lovely as was the stained glass.

When Fidarus was done, we were off to the Citadel!

Towering above the city, on a hill, is the Amman Citadel. This historic site comprises a 1700 meter wall that dates back to the Bronze Age, the iconic Temple of Hercules, and the Umayyad Palace. The Ammonites lived in this area during the Iron Age. The citadel dates back as far as the Bronze Age. It was during this period that it was fortified (around 1800 BCE). Since then the site has undergone many rebuilds and additional constructions during the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad eras. As a result of the large number of constructions on this site, very little remains from the original Bronze Age citadel. We spent some hours wandering the ruins - the Temple of Hercules (160 AD), the Umayyad Palace (7th or 8th century AD), and the Jordan Archaeological Museum. We were all a bit over ruins by this point though and we were hungry. 

The BEST falafels!

We had heard it said that the BEST falafel place in Amman was just down the road from our hotel so we decided to go see for ourselves. It was a little place, with take away only. OMG. The rumours were true. Best falafels ever!

 After that it was time to say goodbye to Amman and our new found friends. Suan and Shann had gone in the morning and Dominique and I vowed to come visit them one day in Malaysia. Fidarus, who was from Singapore told us to look him up if ever we did make it to that part of the world. Maybe one day we will.