Miscommunications are easy in a foreign country, even when common languages are shared. (At least this miscommunication didn't leave me stranded for a week like it did in Namibia.)
I had requested a half day tour of Amman for this particular day, and our printed itinerary from the local tour operator verified such. Our guide/driver however had other ideas. Instead of a half day guided tour, we got the one hour self-guided version.
He brought us to the Citadel fortress high on a hill in central Amman, where ancient stone monuments stood unmarked. My guidebook informed us that the three remaining columns were from the Roman Temple of Hercules. It was also the site of ancient "Rabbath-Ammon" the great city of Ammonite people that King David attacked twice...in the second battle, he put his pregnant lover's husband, Uriah, on the front line so David could marry Bathsheba.
Views of Amman from the Citadel are impressive. The seven hills of this bustling metropolis are evident from this vantage point. A sea of concrete buildings merge together with ancient structures such as the Roman Theatre that our guide pointed to in the distance. "You'll see one in Jerash" he said, dismissing any requests to visit Amman's prized site or the two adjacent museums, *****
Our guide told us we could go visit the Citadel's Museum of Archeology if we wanted before we left for Jerash. We paid JD2 to enter while he stayed outside to smoke. What an outstanding city tour of Amman! Frustratingly lame.
The museum itself was pretty impressive even without a guide. Exhibits are arranged chronologically displaying ancient items found throughout Jordan. A somewhat strange mixture of relics included marble Roman statues, 200,000 year old rhinoceri teeth, famous Dead Sea Scrolls and unusual funerary coffins which stored the dead in upright positions. We also saw Neolithic skulls which had been preserved in a layer of plaster so they could be worshiped by their descendants, Nabatean statues, and items from Jericho.
But the Dead Sea Scrolls were perhaps the biggest find in the museum. All of the Old Testament books were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, excavated from a cave near the northern end of the Dead Sea. A fragment of Isaiah is on display in the museum. In addition, there are copper manuscripts displayed which tell of 63 treasure spots in Palestine that have never been found.
The Museum of Archeology is open 9am-5pm daily and costs JD2.