Basman area

The Emirate of Transjordan (Arabic: إمارة شرق الأردن, romanized: Imārat Sharq al-Urdun, lit. 'the emirate east of the Jordan'), officially known as the Amirate of Trans-Jordan, was a British protectorate established on 11 April 1921, which remained as such until achieving formal independence in 1946. After the Ottoman defeat in World War I, the Transjordan region was administered within OETA East; after the British withdrawal in 1919, this region gained de facto recognition as part of the Hashemite-ruled Arab Kingdom of Syria, administering an area broadly comprising the areas of the modern countries of Syria and Jordan. Transjordan became a no man's land following the July 1920 Battle of Maysalun, during which period the British in neighbouring Mandatory Palestine chose to avoid "any definite connection between it and Palestine". Abdullah entered the region in November 1920, moving to Amman on 2 March 1921; later in the month a conference was held with the British during which it was agreed that Abdullah bin Hussein would administer the territory under the auspices of the British Mandate for Palestine with a fully autonomous governing system. The Hashemite dynasty ruled the protectorate, as well as the neighbouring Mandatory Iraq and, until 1925, the Kingdom of Hejaz to the south. On 25 May 1946, the emirate became the "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan", achieving full independence on 17 June 1946 when in accordance with the Treaty of London ratifications were exchanged in Amman. In 1949, after annexing the West Bank in Palestine, and "uniting" both banks of the Jordan river, it was constitutionally renamed the "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan", commonly referred to as Jordan.

Raghadan Palace (Arabic: قصر رغدان, romanized: Qaṣr Raġadān) is a crown palace located in the Royal Court compound of Al-Maquar in Amman, Jordan. Constructed in 1926, the property became the residence of King Abdullah I who would go on to order the construction of several more palaces in the surrounding area. The palace is constructed in a traditional Islamic style, with colored glass windows modeled on the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.Raghadan Palace is used for hosting meetings with visiting heads of state and for other ceremonial events, including the presentation and acceptance of new ambassadors' diplomatic credentials, and for replies to the speech from the throne following the state opening of Parliament. In 2006, for example, President George W. Bush met with King Abdullah II there.The palace cost £1,600 to build in 1926. It was renovated in the late 1980s following a fire in 1983. The current monarch does not live at the property.The palace is guarded by a ceremonial unit of Circassian guards, who also patrol the Basman Palace.An image of the palace appears on 50-dinar banknotes of the Jordanian dinar.

Al-Maquar (Arabic: المقر, romanized: al-Maqarr, lit. 'the Headquarters') is a royal residential complex in Amman, Jordan. The compound spans 40 hectares and serves as the residence of the royal family of Jordan. The area was originally the camp-site for the armies of the Arab Revolt, who captured Amman in 1918. The first palace to be built on the complex was the Raghadan Palace, completed in 1926. Raghadan became the official residence of the first King of Jordan, King Abdullah I, who then went on to commission the construction of two more, smaller palaces in the 1930s; Al-Ma'wa (المأوى, al-Ma’wā, 'the Sanctuary') and Al-Qasr as-Saghir (القصر الصغير, al-Qaṣr aṣ-Ṣaġīr, 'the Small Palace').Construction on another, larger project, the Basman Palace, began in 1950. Although it was originally intended solely as a guesthouse, Basman became King Hussein's primary residence after he ascended to the throne in 1953, at the age of 18, following the death of Abdullah I and the brief reign of his father Talal. The King changed residence in the 1970s, this time to the Hashimiya Palace to the north-west. Following his move, Basman Palace became the official offices of the Royal Court, a function it continues to serve. Also located at Al-Maquar is the royal graveyard, where Kings Abdullah I, Talal and Hussein were buried. The Nadwa Palace was also built on the compound, originally as the home for Prince Nayef, the second son of Abdullah I, although Hussein and his family used it as their official residence from 1980, prior to moving to the Bab as-Salam Palace. It currently serves as a guest palace. At the entrance to the compound the Raghadan Flagpole, the third tallest free-standing flagpole in the world at 126 metres high flies a 60-by-30 metre Jordanian flag, which is clearly visible across the city.The residence of the British regent were built near the palaces and this is where the current monarchs of Jordan; King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and their children reside. The offices of the royal court, including those of the advisers to the King, and the National Security Council of Jordan are situated at Al-Maquar.

The Raghadan Flagpole is a 126.8-metre (416 ft) tall flagpole located in Amman, Jordan. It was built from steel and erected on the grounds of Raghadan Palace at the royal compound of Al-Maquar. The leader of Jordan, King Abdullah II, officially hoisted the country's flag on the flagpole on 10 June 2003. It is clearly visible across the capital as well as from as far away as 20 kilometres (12 mi). It is illuminated, making it visible at night, and it was also developed to withstand earthquakes and bad weather.It flies a 60-by-30-metre (200 by 100 ft) flag. Although it is a distinctive landmark, the excessive noise created during high winds has resulted in the flag being lowered during periods of bad weather.This free-standing flagpole surpassed the previous record-holder, which was located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and had held the record since 2001. The Raghadan Flagpole is 4.8 metres (16 ft) taller than the one located in the United Arab Emirates. In 2004, the flagpole lost its status as world's tallest free–standing flagpole following the construction of the Aqaba Flagpole. The latter stands at 130 metres (430 ft) tall, and is also located in Jordan.

The Odeon is a small 500-seat theatre in Amman, Jordan. Not to be confused with the large Roman Theatre that stands right next to it, on the southern side of the Hashemite Plaza, while the Odeon stands on the east side of the Plaza.

Roman Theatre of Amman is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman theatre. A famous landmark in the Jordanian capital, it dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia. The theatre and the nearby Odeon are flanking the new Hashemite Plaza from the south and the east respectively, while the Roman Nymphaeum is just a short stroll away in north-westerly direction.

Jordan Folklore Museum is a museum in Amman, Jordan. It is located next to the Roman amphitheater, it was established in 1971. The museum showcases a collection of Jordanian cultural heritage items from the desert (Bedu), villages (Reef), and towns (Madineh) including; costumes, musical instrument and handicrafts. Along with mosaics.

The Umayyad Palace (Arabic: القصر الأموي) is a large palatial complex from the Umayyad period, located on the Citadel Hill (Jabal al-Qal'a) of Amman, Jordan. Built during the first half of the 8th century, it is now largely ruined, with a restored domed entrance chamber, known as the "kiosk" or "monumental gateway".

The Amman Citadel (Arabic: جبل القلعة, romanized: Jabal Al-Qal'a) is an archeological site at the center of downtown Amman, the capital of Jordan. The L-shaped hill is one of the seven hills (jabals) that originally made up Amman. The Citadel has a long history of occupation by many great civilizations. Evidence of inhabitance since the Neolithic period has been found and the hill was fortified during the Bronze Age (1800 BCE). The hill became the capital of the Kingdom of Ammon sometime after 1200 BCE. It later came under the sway of empires such as the Neo-Assyrian Empire (8th century BCE), Neo-Babylonian Empire (6th century BC), the Ptolemies, the Seleucids (3rd century BCE), Romans (1st century BCE), Byzantines (3rd century CE) and the Umayyads (7th century CE). After the Umayyads, came a period of decline and for much of the time until 1878 as the former city became an abandoned pile of ruins only sporadically used by Bedouins and seasonal farmers. Despite this gap, the Citadel of Amman is considered to be among the world's oldest continuously inhabited places.Most of the structures still visible at the site are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. The major remains at the site are the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace. The Jordan Archaeological Museum was built on the hill in 1951. Though the fortification walls enclose the heart of the site, the ancient periods of occupation covered large areas. Historic structures, tombs, arches, walls and stairs have no modern borders, and therefore there is considerable archaeological potential at this site, as well as in surrounding lands, and throughout Amman. Archaeologists have been working at the site since the 1920s, including Italian, British, French, Spanish, and Jordanian projects, but a great part of the Citadel remains unexcavated.

Temple of Hercules is a historic site in the Amman Citadel in Amman, Jordan. It is thought to be the most significant Roman structure in the Amman Citadel. According to an inscription the temple was built when Geminius Marcianus was governor of the Province of Arabia (AD 162–166), in the same period as the Roman Theater in Amman.

The Nymphaeum is a partially preserved Roman public fountain in Amman, Jordan. It is located a short distance from the Hashemite Plaza, the Roman Theater and the Odeon, at the crossing of Ibn al-Atheer and Quraysh streets in al-Balad. Such fountains were very popular in Roman cities, and Philadelphia, as Amman was known by ancient Greeks and Romans, was no exception. This nymphaeum is believed to have contained a 600 square meters pool which was three meters deep and was continuously refilled with water.

The Duke's Diwan (Arabic: ديوان الدوق) is an arts and cultural center and historic house museum. Located on King Faisal Street in downtown Amman, it is housed in one of the city's oldest buildings. Built in 1924 as Amman's first post office, the building later became the Finance Ministry, and then the Haifa Hotel from 1948 to 1998. In 2001, it was rented by Mamdouh Bisharat, a Jordanian heritage conservationist and businessman, at double its price to prevent the building's owners from knocking it down. Bisharat turned the building into a Diwan, a gathering place for artists, thinkers, and poets. The rooms of the Diwan, filled with antiquities, pictures, and old furniture, are arranged to show visitors how Jordanians lived during the 20th century.