Amman

Settlement in Amman dates to the 8th millennium BC at 'Ain Ghazal, home to the world's oldest human statues. During the Iron Age, Rabat Aman was the capital of the Ammonite Kingdom. In the 3rd century BC, the city was conquered by the Greeks and renamed Philadelphia, later part of the Nabataean, and the Roman realms. In the 7th century, Philadelphia was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate, who restored its original name. Throughout most of the Islamic era, Amman alternated between periods of relative prosperity and devastation. The city was largely abandoned during the Ottoman period from the 15th century until 1878, when Circassians were resettled there. Amman grew after it was connected to the Hejaz Railway, and the subsequent formation of its first municipal council in 1909.