Ajloun Castle & Amman

Here’s a recap of a couple trips we’ve taken. Our first week here the school took us on a trip to Ajloun Castle in northern Jordan. The castle was built in the 12^th century as protection against Crusader attacks. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide who is an archeologist that has worked on the excavation of the castle.

The trip to the castle took us through rural Jordan. North of Amman there are hills filled with filled with olive trees. Ajloun sits on a mountain (Qalaat al Rabad). On a clear day there are views of the Dead Sea, the Jordan valley, and Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee). Unfortunately, there was too much haze on the day that we were there for a clear view.

A few days later my roommates and I went to downtown Amman. Downtown is much older than the neighborhood we live in so it feels like another city. Sitting on top of a hill are the Roman ruins of the Citadel. The ruins are quite extensive with tons of little rooms to explore. Early Neolithic pottery has been found at the Citadel, making Amman one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places.

A short walk down the hill you can see the ruins of a Roman Amphitheater. Known as the Odeon, it was built in the 2^nd century for musical performances. The acoustics are supposed to be so good that someone standing at the top of the amphitheater can hear another person whispering at the bottom.  We did not try this- probably because we were so concerned with getting down without killing ourselves. The steps are extremely steep so coming down from the top is a bit worrisome.