The Fourth Circle

November 19, 2006 at 8:06 pm · Filed under Amman, Roba

I can’t remember the time when the Fourth Circle was actually a circle. My mother says it used to be a circle at some point, but as far back as my memory remembers, it was always an intersection with the traffic lights that took forever.

As I write this, a million incidents and conversations that happened while waiting for the green light make me feel nostalgic. So many conversations, so many cars, so many people. Going to get ice cream from McDonald’s very late at night with my brothers; worrying about my manual car’s tagweemeh on the steep side of the intersection; my mother telling me the difference between “Park” and “Neutral”.

Now, after a very long time of detours, the Fourth Circle has actually returned to being a circle, round and big, which I suppose is more suitable for its name.

I guess I’m over emotional or something when it comes to stone.






  • Dana

    Roba…
    please post picturesssss….I want to see that…or i will have to wait to summer 2008
    and what happened with that “San Francisco like” bridge to Abdoun …is it done yet? if yes take photos too plz..you are the best!
    gosh i miss Amman!! (another reason why im readiing Jordanian blogs more than the usual this months)

  • http://www.thescatterload.com Hamzeh N.

    Neither do I remember seeing the original 4th circle and I passed from that area almost every day on my way to school way back when I was a little kid. The original circle must have gone away back in the mid 80′s.

    By the way, I was born in the 4th circle neighborhood; in mustashfa al khaldi.

    From now on, when someone asks me where I’m “originally” from, I’m gonna say “the 4th circle” :D

  • http://rebecca-jordan.livejournal.com/ Rebecca

    Dana,
    There’s a picture on my blog of one area of it. The main “circle” is up in the upper right hand corner of the picture. One interesting feature is the blue metal “pyramid” in the middle which is open to the tunnels below.

  • http://beeschaos.blogspot.com basbooos

    Yes Roba
    Plz post pics…..I dont remember it was a circle two weeks ago when i wasn in AMman.
    Yeeey,,,,i should have stayed longer. Effttt
    Miss you guys

  • http://odeh.livejournal.com Odeh

    A couple of pictures would be great! :)

    Salutes..

  • http://www.al-ordon.com/blog Hani

    Yes, pictures please :D

    I remember that it was a circle, I was a little kid when my father decided to take us in a short trip through the 8 circles of Amman, and they all were rounded stones ;)

  • Nick

    Yes pictures please.

    I remember some of my older colleagues in Jordan reminisicing about how when they were young the 4th circle was the very edge of town. I guess everyone here is way too young to remember that!

    I’d be very interested to know about that monster bridge they were building across the wadi connecting Abdoun Circle and 4th Circle, can you drive across there yet?

    15 months since I was last in Amman, I bet the city is still changing a lot!

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    LOL, I’ll try. It’s a bit hard since I’m always the one behind the wheel and there aren’t any traffic lights to stop at :) I think the cops always parked infront of the Wizara thing will probably shoot me if I get out and take a picture. Or perhaps I should just wear a 7etta and pretend to be a tourist :P