Jordan
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The Rise of Islamic Art
Region: Amman, Dead Sea and Jordan valley
ITINERARY I: Amman, the Governor’s Headquarters
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Description |
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The site of Amman, ancient Rabbath Bani 'Ammon, was occupied as early as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, around 8500-5500 BC. Occupation of Amman in the subsequent periods was revealed mainly on the Citadel. This is a natural hill, 840 m. above sea level, protected by deep ravines, except on the north side where the Jabal al-Hussein's gentle slope constitutes a vulnerable approach. The decline of the city began in the late Byzantine period, around the mid- 6th-1st/ early 7th century, which aided the Arab Muslim troops, led by Yazid Ibn Abi Sufyan, to conquer Amman in 13/634, at the same time as the conquest of Damascus. The Citadel always had been the “symbol” of Amman and, therefore, the governors' headquarters. It appears obvious that the Umayyads retained this nucleus of the city for their own governor. As a capital of the Belqa, Amman became the residence of the governor in the Umayyad period. |