To truly appreciate a city and its people, you have to spend time as the citizens do, walking through the streets, shopping, and drinking tea. It gives you a different feel for a place that cannot possibly be conveyed in an anonymous, plastic-filled mall that looks identical to any other center anywhere else in the world. During a recent visit to Amman, Jordan, I was fortunate enough to visit the Balad Market, the heart of Amman’s Old City.

Amman is a beautiful, ancient city built of white stone on seven hills — like Rome! It is a place where the traditional and the modern are juxtaposed in a fascinating mosaic of Roman ruins, Ottoman buildings, mosques, old stone villas, and modern skyscrapers.

The city is laid out in an orderly pattern with seven traffic circles serving as the primary means of navigation. Below the First Circle, down in the valley between the hills, is the oldest part of the city where Roman ruins sit next to mosques, and where you will find the souk or Balad market.

Start your explorations on King Faisal Street where shop after shop window is filled with gold and silver bangles, necklaces, earrings, and more. The mountains of gold bracelets sparkle in the sunlight, calling you to admire the work of the accomplished jewelers. Try on rings (in white gold, yellow gold, and platinum) or the delicate filigree dangling earrings. You are sure to leave with at least one trinket.

As you leave the Gold Souk, head towards the Grand Husseini Mosque. On either side, you will find small shops off narrow passageways. Each small area has its own specialty. Meander through the fruit and vegetable market where piles of fresh produce from the Jordan River Valley beckon. The sellers call out to you, competing for your attention, offering samples to taste — plump, succulent dates; green grapes; bright yellow bananas; green and juicy watermelons and so much more.

The spice merchant is a few doors down. Every possible spice and herb imaginable is displayed in tall cloth bins, ready to be scooped out and packaged in a brown paper bag. The aroma of rosemary, bay leaves, cinnamon fills the air, briefly dissipating the exhaust fumes from the taxis stuck in traffic.

Across the street, mannequins wearing embroidered local dresses line the sidewalk outside the stops. The owner invites you in and offers a cup of tea while he brings out various models of clothing for you to consider. Will you choose the black and red embroidery or the rich blue?

Armies of hookahs sit along the edge of the sidewalk waiting patiently for a buyer. Carpets hang over balcony edges next to signs announcing that the shop may be accessed through a tiny door and up a staircase.

Nearby, musical instruments hang silently from rails, in sharp contrast to the cacophony of noises from blaring radios and taxi horns while the drivers shout back and forth to each other, complaining about the delays. Oblivious to the confusion swirling around them, donkeys patiently thread their way through the cars.

At the local bakery sheets of the round, flat, unleavened bread have just come out of the oven, hot and steaming, ready for the cluster of women waiting to take them home for lunch. Men converse at small tables consuming tiny thimble-size cups of strong Arabian coffee that is either bitter, sweetened with a little bit of sugar or thick and syrupy.

As the shops start lowering their shutters for the lunch break, stroll over to one of the many juice shops and quench your thirst with a glass of tamarind juice before you continue your exploration of this fascinating ancient city.

IF YOU GO The Amman Souk is located downtown off King Faisal Street. If you use a taxi, ask him to take you to the Balad (which means town). The shops are generally open from 0900 to 1300 when they close for lunch and then again from 1500 to 1800. Most shops close on Friday and they close early during Ramadan.

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