Amman, << AHM mahn >> (pop. 1,155,000), is the capital and largest city of Jordan. It lies 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of the Dead Sea.
Most of Amman’s buildings stand on several hills. The main streets run between the hills. Amman has many government buildings, churches, and mosques (Muslim houses of worship). The city lies on old trade routes and still is a major trading center. Its factories produce more than half of Jordan’s manufactured goods.
About 1000 B.C., Amman, then called Rabbath-Ammon, was the capital of the Ammonites. The Bible describes how the Israelites, led by David and Joab, captured it. Greeks, Arab Muslims, and Turks later controlled the city. In 1921, Amman became the capital of the new state of Transjordan. Transjordan changed its name to Jordan in 1949.
