West Amman

Outside of Downtown and Citadel Hill, you’re most likely to explore sprawling, relatively wealthy West Amman, home to most of the city’s upmarket hotels, restaurants, and nightlife. Key areas include Jabal Al Lweibdeh, a leafy residential neighborhood housing the National Gallery, and the lower slopes of Jabal Amman, especially around 1st Circle. Here, the cafés and quirky shops of Rainbow Street offer some of the city’s most relaxed strolling. Whether you’re staying in the city or using it as a base for a day trip from Amman, this part of town is where you’ll want to wind down in style.

Art in Amman

Aside from the National Gallery and the three galleries mentioned in this section (Darat Al Funun, Makan and Dar Al Anda), there are many ways to access Amman’s burgeoning art scene, an increasingly important part of the cultural things to do in Amman. Below are just a few.

Current shows are publicized in the Jordan Times and at 7iber.com and beamman.com. Nabad stands just off Rainbow Street, showcasing changing exhibitions in an atmospheric, traditional villa setting. Nearby is Jacaranda Images, devoted to prints and photography. Umm Uthayna hosts the Orfali Gallery, which also holds concerts and other events, and the Foresight32 Gallery, another exhibition venue and cultural centre. The Gallery, at the InterContinental Hotel, is a long-standing favourite, displaying paintings and photographs. Ask around: there are several more.

As well as bank buildings and hotels, cafés such as Blue Fig, Duinde and others host shows by local artists, as does the Al Hussein Cultural Centre and Ras Al Ain Gallery in Ras Al Ain. It’s also worth looking online at the work of Ammar Khammash, an artist, designer and architect who has worked on several high-profile projects in the capital and nationwide.