The city of Amman, ancient Greco-Roman city of Philadelphia, originally built on 7 hills (just like Rome…..the Jordanian flag has a 7-pointed star to commemorate this).The city today is mostly modern, dating from the 1930’s, and expanding out in all directions at an almost alarming rate! In accordance with municipal law, all the buildings are faced with local stone, which gives the effect of a blanket of uniformed white houses.
Wherever I went in Jordan I saw a picture of the current King Abdullah, sometimes with his wife or with his children, too. I think I can say Jordanian people are sincerely and warmly proud of their Hashimite royal family, directly descended from the Prophet Muhammed himself.
Nearly all Jordanian women, Muslim & Christian alike, wear a head covering. Some wear a veil as well or even a burqa with only a lace window opening to see through. This covering is almost as much a cultural thing as it is a religious thing. Very few women choose not to wear a head covering.
They did not seem to be very receptive to cameras... hardly could my camera capture their faces.
Jordanian food is considered healthy because it's prepared with olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruit. Fish was hard to come by so most main meals were based on lamb or chicken accompanied by rice or flat bread. Sweets were very sweet, and I can't say they were good or not because I never had even one.
An impressive cultural melange of Arab and Islamic imagery was reflected in Jordanian crafts, which included handmade glass, handy earthenware vessels, carpet weaving, and exquisite embroidery. Crafts produced on a smaller scale included artistically decorated sand bottles, finely chiseled sculptures, and uniquely crafted silver jewelry.
I left Jordan with a different image from the one I had prior to setting my feet on the land of this newcomer to tourism... Jordan encompasses much more than camels, deserts and bedouins...
Nearly all Jordanian women, Muslim & Christian alike, wear a head covering. Some wear a veil as well or even a burqa with only a lace window opening to see through. This covering is almost as much a cultural thing as it is a religious thing. Very few women choose not to wear a head covering.
They did not seem to be very receptive to cameras... hardly could my camera capture their faces.
Jordanian food is considered healthy because it's prepared with olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruit. Fish was hard to come by so most main meals were based on lamb or chicken accompanied by rice or flat bread. Sweets were very sweet, and I can't say they were good or not because I never had even one.
An impressive cultural melange of Arab and Islamic imagery was reflected in Jordanian crafts, which included handmade glass, handy earthenware vessels, carpet weaving, and exquisite embroidery. Crafts produced on a smaller scale included artistically decorated sand bottles, finely chiseled sculptures, and uniquely crafted silver jewelry.
I left Jordan with a different image from the one I had prior to setting my feet on the land of this newcomer to tourism... Jordan encompasses much more than camels, deserts and bedouins...
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