Amman

Capital and chief industrial and commercial centre of Jordan, 80 km/50 mi northeast of Jerusalem; population (1994 est) 969,600. It is a major communications centre, linking historic trade routes across the Middle East, and is served by major roads to the west and by Jordan's main north-south highway which links the city to the port of Aqaba. Industries include food processing, textiles, plastic and aluminium goods, cement, and electrical batteries.

Amman is built on the site of the Old Testament Rabbath-Ammon (Philadelphia), capital of the Ammonites. The population was swollen by waves of refugees following upheavals in Palestine in 1948, 1967, and 1973. The modern city has developed since the turn of the century from a small Circassian village sited among the old city ruins to a large urban centre. Amman was the scene of most of the fighting between Palestinians and the Jordanian army in 1970. The city has a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre as well as the ruins of the ancient citadel and an archaeological museum. Modern features include the royal palaces in the eastern part of the city, the parliament building in the west, and the University of Jordan (1962). Amman International Airport lies 32 km/20 mi to the south.

Toward the end of World War I, Amman was captured from Turkey by the British. Using the town of Salt as a base they mounted a raid on the suburbs of Amman in March 1918, blowing up bridges and railway tracks and taking 1,000 prisoners before falling back to the Jordan river line. This raid was repeated in April 1918, but as the promised Arab support did not appear the offensive did not progress beyond Salt, although a further 1,000 prisoners were taken. Amman was later captured by British forces under Gen Allenby in September 1918 toward the end of the Palestine campaign.