Things to see and do Irbid

Housed in the superb Dar es Saraya building, this 18th-century mansion was the residence of the Ottoman governor. After being used as a prison, it was partly converted into an Archaeological Museum. The museum displays objects from the Stone Age to the Ottoman period. Amongst others, there are pieces of pottery, alabaster, glass, sculptures and mosaic floor tiles from the Byzantine period.

The museum is housed in one of the campus buildings and is unique in being the only natural history museum in Jordan. Opened in 1981, its collection of stuffed animals, naturalized insects, fossils and plants is mainly aimed at students majoring in biology or the study of Jordanian flora and fauna. The museum is open to the public. It includes specimens of extinct animals.

There are beautiful mosaics, sculptures, pottery, some of the 9,000-year-old statuettes discovered at Ain Ghazal. The objects are presented in chronological order and the explanations in English are detailed. The second level deals with particular aspects of the history of technology, rural life and folklore. The museum also has a gallery devoted to numismatics. This small museum is considered one of the best in the country.