PROGRAM OVERVIEW : The program is based in Amman, the capital of Jordan, a fascinating city of contrasts, with a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated in a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. The people of Amman are multi-cultural,multi-denominational, well educated and extremely hospitable. Participants will get a sense of its rich heritage, surrounded by the remnants of ancient civilizations. Due to the city’s modern-day prosperity and temperate climate, almost half of Jordan’s population is concentrated in the Amman area. The residential suburbs consist of mainly tree-lined street and avenues flanked by elegant, almost uniformly white houses. The downtown area is older and more traditional with smaller businesses producing and selling everything from jewelry to everyday household items.The program is based at the University of Jordan, the oldest university in the country with 19 divisions offering bachelor, master and doctorate degrees. The university has about 38,000 students, including 3,000 international students from 62 countries, and is a worldwide leader in teaching the Arabic language.The University of Jordan offers inexpensive faculty-led excursions to the World Heritage site Petra, often described as the eighth wonder of the ancient world, and to the Red Sea resort and historical area of Aqaba, and the Mameluk Fort, originally a Crusader Castle rebuilt by the Mameluks in the sixteenth century. Learn more at Montclair in Amman