From the Roman Amphitheater, or any downtown locale, you can climb the steep steps and streets to the flat top of Citadel Hill. On the southern slope of Jabal Qala’a, the citadel is the site of ancient Amman, called Rabbath-Ammon, or the “Great City of the Ammonites.” Neighbors of the Israelites, the Ammonites make frequent guest appearances in the Bible. King David besieged Rabbath-Ammon twice, the second time improving his chances of marrying the already pregnant Bathsheba by putting her husband Uriah in the front line of battle. A few Byzantine and Umayyad ruins remain. Taxis go to the summit, and bus #63 passes nearby. The wadi below and to the right of the Roman Theater is Center City; across from it arc Jabal Ashrafieh and the black-and-white checkered dome of the Abu Darwish Mosque, built in the 1940s by Circassians. To the east, you’ll see the Royal Palace at Raghadan, although you’ll have to get a little closer to see the stylishly virile red and black regalia of the Circassian guards.

Apart from the sweeping view, the main attraction on Citadel Hill is the Archeo-logical Museum (tel. 63 87 95), which contains a chronologically organized series of finds from ancient sites through out Jordan. Displays range from 200,000-year- old dinner leftovers to Iron Age anthropomorphic sarcophagi, minimalist Nabatean portraits, and a Roman marble statuary. (Open Wed.-Thurs. and Sat.-Mon. 9am-5pm, Fri. and holidays 10am4pm. Admission 25Ofils.) In front of the museum are the foundations of a 2nd