Allenby/King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing to Jordan: Sensory Differentiation and Hints of the Historical Amman Citadel
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Vocal.Media
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/10
After arriving at the border crossing between Israel and Jordan, I was told to take a taxi after being dropped off at a truck stop, essentially. One taxi was there. Go to it, no one in it–uh-oh. The heat waves blasted. I talked to a trucker. They direct me to the road and the crossing station. I spoke to some people.
The kindness of a stranger let me into the crossing, as he drove me. He was not supposed to do this. Next was the formal cross. Border rules vary by day. Israel typically issues entry/exit cards instead of stamping passports. At some land crossings, you may still receive either an entry card or a stamp. Keep the blue entry/exit card with you. Since 2024, many visa-exempt visitors also need ETA-IL preauthorization.
In the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge crossing, there is a Palestinian line. There is a VIP Palestinian line. You put luggage through a scanner. You walk through another detector, shoes off. You check your ticket. You pay for another ticket. These are checked.
Then you exit. There is a bus for Palestinians. There is VIP travel too. The kindness of strangers, once more, becomes paramount. A shuttle bus connects the terminals across the bridge. VIP fast-track services are offered. Opening hours/closures can change with security conditions.
Once through, I took a taxi to Amman. A lovely man, he drives me a bit of the way. The landscape is quite gorgeous. He pauses, pulls over. Nothing wrong, he goes in. He buys water, not only for himself. He hands one over and then throws an empty out the window. Onwards to Amman, there it is, the hotel.
It was a Thursday. It offers its unique sensory delights and local norms.
You can smell cardamom-forward Arabic coffee, grilled flatbread, and pastries at kunafa shops.
You can hear the prayer rolling out of the Grand Husseini Mosque. You hear the rumbles of car engines and car horns as you shuffle hurriedly across the road.
You can walk fast or slow through streets laced with shops and haggling for a potential sale of the latest and greatest item. The steps and the slopes are brutal for many. Your stamina determines your slope capacity.
The city is lined with sand-coloured houses and shops along the hillsides above the souks. The Nymphaeum/Roman Theatre–Hashemite Plaza is a brief walk away, on the premise that you do not get lost.
The tastes of Amman are the kiwis (with the skin for me), falafel, hummus, the best Arabic coffee you’d had in your life, dates, figs, pears, shisha, and more. Mansaf (lamb with jameed over rice), maqluba, musakhan, and mint lemonade are widely loved local staples.
The visit to the Middle East took on a less interrogatory feel. I felt relaxed in Israel. I was not accustomed to the heat. I felt very relaxed in Jordan. Some footnotes, essential items to bring into the travels where more uncertainty and bargaining of time exists in the 21st century. I had some technology breakdowns and difficulties right at the end of travels, after 6 weeks all over Europe and some of Eastern Europe. These became issues. Things to bring:
A burner phone or extra phone.
A power bank.
Local currency in cash.
Backpack.
Phone plan with data everywhere.
Lessons learned. These do not have to be reasons for anxiety. However, they can be essential for getting around more easily if technology fails. Do not panic: Think, and then emotionally comfort those who are with you if necessary. Breathe: Life happens. One lesson from the 7 weeks of travel through Europe, some of Eastern Europe, and some of the Middle East.
A central place for anchoring time and place is helpful, whether a hostel or a hotel. You can orient and explore from this point forward. Also, cultures change people, but people are fundamentally similar. You will make intercultural mistakes, and so learn from them. Also, Google Translate makes life easier now.
Amman Citadel tourism was down, by one tour guide’s estimate, by 95%. All visitor numbers in Jordan drop sharply during regional tensions, particularly in the 2010s and 2020s. The “95%” figure is anecdotal. Late-2024 reporting noted steep declines and very low occupancies at major sites like Petra. I decided to go the next morning.
Ubers are cheap. Taxis are cheap. Walking is cheaper than cheap. Pick your times and places to use them. If your legs hurt or you are in a rush, consider using public transportation. Uber and Careem ride-hailing apps both operate in Amman.
Also, yellow taxis and shared “service” taxis. Ask yellow cabs to use the meter. “Service/servees” taxis run fixed shared routes, while ride-hailing (Uber, Careem, Jeeny) is typical in the capital.
If not, or if you feel like exploring, then use the legs God or Nature gave you. Amman is built a little like a city on a crumpled piece of paper, expect inclines and declines. Be ready to do some cardio, then enjoy smoking shisha. You could easily get lost in Amman.
The Citadel features the Temple of Hercules, Umayyad-era structures, an on-site museum, and a theatre, as well as the Hashemite Plaza. It’s really wonderful. Amman is a palimpsest, spanning from the Bronze Age to the present.
The Roman Theatre and Hashemite Plaza are separate sites downhill from the Citadel. On the hilltop itself are the Temple of Hercules, the Umayyad Palace complex, a Byzantine church, and the Jordan Archaeological Museum.
Several places were visited during the trip as part of ongoing travels. These will be explored as part of the interspersed travel logs from the 7th of 7 weeks of travel, with a more exploratory and less work-oriented emphasis during them.
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