Amman is a city of hills connected by steep staircases, and several of these have been given coloured umbrella canopies in recent years — a practical and surprisingly cheerful intervention that provides shade over the otherwise exposed stone steps running between the lower streets and the hillside neighbourhoods. The most famous is in the downtown area, connecting the valley floor to the upper streets of the old city.
The umbrellas have become something of a local symbol and a social media fixture, but they also represent a real improvement in daily urban life. Climbing any of Amman's major staircases gives a different perspective on the city than arriving by car or taxi — the scale of the hills, the density of the old residential quarters, and the views opening up over the valley all register differently on foot.