Analyzing City Hall, Villa and Tunnel in Amman: The Failures of Cultural Amalgamation at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

This essay narrates the ‘cultural amalgamation’ of the Greater City of Amman, the capital of Jordan, undertaken by its municipality during the last two decades of the twentieth century. The study delineates the various dynamics, actors, agendas and tools that defined the amalgamation process as a ‘discourse’. Deconstructing this discourse, this study highlights the critical role of ‘monuments’ and architects in shaping the municipal endeavour in order to consolidate a civic identity and culture for the sprawling city of Amman. Particular emphasis is given to the peculiar interaction between the symbolic and the utilitarian tools of the amalgamation process, represented by the ‘City Hall’, ‘Villa’ and ‘Tunnel/Bridge intersection’, which lead to the problematic outcome investigated here.