After leaving Egypt, we had a 26-hour layover in Amman, so we decided to make the most of the experience by touring the city, and ending the evening with a Jordanian cooking class. Amman is incredibly walkable as far as seeing the highlights of the city.
The area known as the Citadel sits on the highest hill in Amman, Jebel al-Qala’a (about 850m above sea level), and is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon. Occupied since the Bronze Age, it’s surrounded by a 1700m-long wall. There’s plenty to see, but the Citadel’s most striking sights are the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace. The temple was built during the reign of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–80). The only obvious remains are parts of the podium and the columns, which are visible from around town. There’s also a remnant of a stone-carved hand, which shows the level of detail that would have adorned the temple in its glory days. Nearby is a lookout with sweeping views of the downtown area. The only access roads to the Citadel arefrom Al-Malek Ali bin al-Hussein St. It’s better to hire a taxi for the trip up (around JD1 from downtown), and save some energy for the recommended walk down.
Steps lead from east of the Citadel complex, past a viewing platform to Hashemi St, opposite the Roman Theatre. The theater itself is cut into the side of the hill and serves as an impressive reminder of ancient Amman. There are a multitude of restaurants and shops to stroll through while you’re in Amman, along with different museums!
After a long day of walking and exploring, we headed to Beit Sitti for our cooking class reservations. Beit Sitti is translated to “my grandmother’s house”, which is literally what this experience is. The house is where the owner’s grandmother used to live, and now it is a homey, authentic restaurant where they host Arabic cooking lessons. They’ll accommodate anything from one person to large groups and will teach you to make any dish you’re interested in. My dad and I did our own private cooking lesson, and the intimacy of the experience was perfect. The restaurant feels like a home, complete with decades-old family photos on the walls. We made a complete multi-course meal with the help of the kind, knowledgeable grandmother, and Maria, who served as an assistant and a fabulous English translator. Our main meal was makloubeh, and we made fattoush (salad) along with basbousa for dessert. It was so filling, and absolutely delicious! I was in awe that I actually (mostly) helped make such authentic Jordanian food. We only had one day in Amman, and this was an amazing way to end the day. I would highly recommend splurging for this experience, but be sure to come with an appetite! Beit Sitti even e-mails you the recipes afterwards, so you can recreate these dishes back home.
Although a return trip to Jordan is definitely necessary to see Petra and the Dead Sea, along with a multitude of other experiences, Amman was a perfect beginning to my love of Jordan. Keep in mind that everything is expensive here compared to the dollar, but it’s worth it.
Xoxo,
Lexi
