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    <title>Picturing Jordan</title>
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    <description>Recent content on Picturing Jordan</description>
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    <copyright>Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a &lt;a rel=&#39;license&#39; href=&#39;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/&#39;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license&lt;/a&gt;.</copyright>
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    <item>
      <title>Lose Yourself in Wadi Rum</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/03/lose-yourself-wadi-rum/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Mar 2017 10:30:42 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/03/lose-yourself-wadi-rum/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/02/DSC_0141.JPG&#34; alt=&#34;Bedouin with camels in Wadi Rum&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Bedouin with camels in Wadi Rum&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;You could easily lose yourself — both literally and figuratively — in the endless red sand and towering rock skyscrapers of Wadi Rum. This majestic place, known to even the Greeks and the Romans, has been inhabited for thousands of years and is unlike any other place on Earth. The unique landscape has been featured in a handful of Hollywood movies, for example &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)&#34;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lawrence of Arabia&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)&#34;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Martian&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Take a local &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin&#34;&gt;Bedouin&lt;/a&gt; guide, sleep in a tent, and experience the beautiful tranquility of Jordan&amp;rsquo;s desert expanses.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Sleep in a Chalet at the Dead Sea</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/02/sleep-chalet-dead-sea/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2017 18:31:28 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/02/sleep-chalet-dead-sea/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/02/DSC_0052.JPG&#34; alt=&#34;Enjoy the view from the comfort of your hammock&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Enjoy the view from the comfort of your hammock&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Jordan&amp;rsquo;s Dead Sea coast is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Amman. If you&amp;rsquo;re looking for something a little more wholesome and minimalistic — not to mention cheaper — than an elegant five-star resort, look no further than &lt;a href=&#34;http://wildjordan.com/&#34;&gt;Wild Jordan&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/a&gt; chalets at Wadi Mujib.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Wild Jordan staff are friendly and genuinely care about nature conservation. Trips to this and other reserves are part of an impressive &lt;a href=&#34;http://www.rscn.org.jo/&#34;&gt;government effort&lt;/a&gt; to preserve Jordan&amp;rsquo;s natural spaces.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>The Dome of the Rock</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/dome-of-the-rock/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:53:53 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/dome-of-the-rock/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/IMG_20170117_083551.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Golden dome, vibrant tiles, and elegant Arabic calligraphy&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Golden dome, vibrant tiles, and elegant Arabic calligraphy&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;While not &lt;em&gt;technically&lt;/em&gt; in Jordan, Jerusalem&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock&#34;&gt;Dome of the Rock&lt;/a&gt; is basically just a stone&amp;rsquo;s throw away from Amman (pun intended). Not only is this shrine capped with a golden dome, covered in vibrant Ottoman-era tilework, and adorned with elegant Arabic calligraphy, it also boasts an &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Stone&#34;&gt;impressive resume of sacred claims to fame&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;


&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/01/IMG_20170117_092406.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The shrine, built nearly 1,000 years ago, stands atop a hotly contested complex called the &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount&#34;&gt;Temple Mount&lt;/a&gt; (&amp;ldquo;Noble Sanctuary&amp;rdquo; in Arabic) that dates back to the Canaanites four thousand years ago — like I said, an impressive resume!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As a secular person it&amp;rsquo;s all a bit too heavy for my taste, but there&amp;rsquo;s no doubt that the complex is stunningly beautiful. Visitation of the Temple Mount is open to the non-Muslim public from 7:30 to 11:00 AM from the access bridge at the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter of the old city.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>The Grandeur of Petra</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/grandeur-petra/</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 24 Dec 2016 20:13:21 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/grandeur-petra/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/DSC_0029.JPG&#34; alt=&#34;Petra&amp;#39;s &amp;#34;monastery&amp;#34; basking in the golden light just before sunset&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Petra&amp;#39;s &amp;#34;monastery&amp;#34; basking in the golden light just before sunset&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabataeans&#34;&gt;Nabataeans&lt;/a&gt; were a tribe who became filthy rich on the trade of frankincense, myrrh, and spices in the Arabian peninsula around 2,000 years ago. They built Petra as the capital of their flourishing civilization. Hauntingly beautiful stone facades standing one hundred meters tall are amazingly intact and well preserved to this day.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane once said that &amp;ldquo;the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; suppose,&amp;rdquo; alluding to the fact that physical sciences often raise more questions than they answer, leaving us scratching our heads. After visiting Petra I was overwhelmed with a similar feeling, that Petra is not only grander than we suppose, but grander than we &lt;em&gt;can&lt;/em&gt; suppose. What I would give to have seen it in its time!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Kanafeh: the Classy Palestinian Dessert</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/kanafeh-classy-palestinian-dessert/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:22:59 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/kanafeh-classy-palestinian-dessert/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/12/IMG_20161127_212229.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;A small portion of kanafeh at a restaurant in Amman&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;A small portion of kanafeh at a restaurant in Amman&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m ashamed to say that it took me almost one month to discover this sweet, cheesy dessert after moving to Jordan. Originally from &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nablus&#34;&gt;Nablus&lt;/a&gt;, a Palestinian city apparently known for &amp;ldquo;high cuisine,&amp;rdquo; &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanafeh&#34;&gt;kanafeh&lt;/a&gt; is one of those things that they just can&amp;rsquo;t make fast enough. At one famous shop called Habibah in downtown Amman there is always a line, and it&amp;rsquo;s even a bit stressful ordering there unless you know what you&amp;rsquo;re doing!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Another good place to buy kanafeh is at a sweets shop called Nafeesah. Both it and Habibah have several shops around the city, but I&amp;rsquo;m still not sure which one is better.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Red, Orange, and Yellow Rice at Bab al-Yemen</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/red-orange-yellow-rice-bab-al-yemen/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 2016 12:59:44 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/red-orange-yellow-rice-bab-al-yemen/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/IMG_20161110_220626.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;All the multi-colored rice you can eat&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;All the multi-colored rice you can eat&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;You haven&amp;rsquo;t lived until you and your friends have eaten seventeen different colors of rice, meat, and sauces while sitting on the floor at the &lt;em&gt;Bab al-Yemen&lt;/em&gt; restaurant in Amman. If my experience is anything to go by, every item on the menu is downright delicious — including the humongous, flame-kissed flatbread that would be almost as fascinating to see being made as it was to eat.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Harvesting Olives in Ajloun</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/harvesting-olives-ajloun/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2016 18:39:58 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/harvesting-olives-ajloun/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/IMG_20161118_130025.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Freshly picked olives&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Freshly picked olives&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&#34;http://wildjordan.com/&#34;&gt;Wild Jordan&lt;/a&gt; has an ingenious day trip where you pay &lt;em&gt;them&lt;/em&gt; to take &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; to pick olives on a farm in Ajloun — the family who owns the farm even comes out to watch you and give you tips! Like I said: genius. Jokes aside, it was actually a lot of fun, and the point is to educate you about the olive harvest and its importance to people in the region.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The olive harvest usually starts around October or November. One of the major factors deciding when exactly to start the harvest is rain, as wet olives apparently produce more oil. In addition to olive oil itself, people in the community make a few food and beauty products from the olives and sell them through community owned and operated enterprises like the Soap House and the Biscuit House. You can &lt;a href=&#34;http://wildjordan.com/content/ajloun-forest-reserve-1&#34;&gt;find out more&lt;/a&gt; on the Wild Jordan website.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;
&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/IMG_20161118_130626.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;How many olives can ten amateurs pick in thirty minutes?&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;How many olives can ten amateurs pick in thirty minutes?&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Contemporary Arab Design at the Jordan River Foundation Showroom</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/contemporary-arab-design-jrf-showroom/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:28:23 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/contemporary-arab-design-jrf-showroom/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/11/IMG_20161104_130900.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Simple, rustic design fuses traditional objects with new styles&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Simple, rustic design fuses traditional objects with new styles&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&#34;http://jordanriver.jo&#34;&gt;Jordan River Foundation&lt;/a&gt; has a showroom on Rainbow Street where they &lt;em&gt;brilliantly&lt;/em&gt; showcase traditional, everyday objects from the region in a fresh, modern way. It&amp;rsquo;s like someone went and replaced all the things in your grandma&amp;rsquo;s rural kitchen with newer, brightly accented ones. All of the wood, cloth, and clay work here is produced by people in local communities, and, as far as I know, the proceeds from sales go back to supporting them.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I commend the &lt;a href=&#34;http://www.qrf.org/&#34;&gt;Queen Rania Foundation&lt;/a&gt; for another seriously impressive initiative. Keep up the good work!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Sheikh Zayed Mosque: the Pearl of Aqaba</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/sheikh-zayed-mosque-pearl-aqaba/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:06:06 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/sheikh-zayed-mosque-pearl-aqaba/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/DSC_0024.JPG&#34; alt=&#34;Beautiful mosque by the sea, surrounded by palm trees&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Beautiful mosque by the sea, surrounded by palm trees&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The best way to describe the Sheikh Zayed mosque would be &amp;ldquo;the pearl of Aqaba.&amp;rdquo; There is a lot to love about this picturesque mosque by the Jordanian seaside, but its crown jewel — to continue the analogy — is the impeccable Arabic calligraphy inlaid in its facade. Sadly, Aqaba itself &lt;a href=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/aqaba-dirty-disappointing/&#34;&gt;isn&amp;rsquo;t much to write home about&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Originally built in 1975, the mosque was refurbished in 2010 as part of a larger &lt;a href=&#34;http://www.marsazayed.com/&#34;&gt;effort to revitalize the Red Sea port city&lt;/a&gt; and was modeled after the &lt;a href=&#34;http://www.szgmc.gov.ae/en/&#34;&gt;Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque&lt;/a&gt; in Abu Dhabi.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Aqaba is Dirty and Disappointing</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/aqaba-dirty-disappointing/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2016 10:46:23 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/aqaba-dirty-disappointing/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/10/IMG_20161002_131313.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;A picturesque view where you can&amp;#39;t see the trash on the beach&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;A picturesque view where you can&amp;#39;t see the trash on the beach&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m struggling to find words to describe my trip to Jordan&amp;rsquo;s coastal city Aqaba. Initially, the contrast between dry desert, rocky mountains, and the turquoise water of the Red Sea is visually striking — imagine Matt Damon in &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)&#34;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Martian&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, but where he goes snorkeling on a coral reef instead of growing potatoes.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If that sounds too good to be true, it is! Sadly, I found Aqaba to be dirty — used diapers on the beach, locals arrogantly throwing trash on the street, trash floating around the reef, etc — and full of obnoxious, poorly behaved tourists.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>King Hussein Mosque at Night</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/king-hussein-mosque-night/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:54:07 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/king-hussein-mosque-night/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/DSC_0010.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Amman&amp;#39;s King Hussein mosque at night&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Amman&amp;#39;s King Hussein mosque at night&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hussein_Mosque&#34;&gt;King Hussein mosque&lt;/a&gt; was built in 2005 and is the largest mosque in Jordan. I haven&amp;rsquo;t visited it yet, but I&amp;rsquo;ve spent quite a few evenings admiring it from a balcony in the &lt;em&gt;Khalda&lt;/em&gt; neighborhood of West Amman.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Technical: Nikon D3100, ten-second exposure time, post processed from RAW with &lt;a href=&#34;https://www.darktable.org/&#34;&gt;darktable&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Another Beautiful Hand-Painted Wood Ceiling</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/another-beautiful-hand-painted-ceiling/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:28:23 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/another-beautiful-hand-painted-ceiling/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/DSC_0008.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;A hand-painted floral pattern on wooden panels on the ceiling&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;A colorful floral pattern pops out of the ceiling&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Another day, another exquisite, hand-painted ceiling in Amman. Just like the &lt;a href=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/beautiful-hand-painted-woodwork/&#34;&gt;other hand-painted wood ceiling&lt;/a&gt; I posted about two weeks ago, the work was done by an old Syrian man. This one is actually in my flat, and I may or may not have taken this picture while laying on my back on the living room floor.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Technical: Nikon D3100, post processed from RAW with &lt;a href=&#34;https://www.darktable.org/&#34;&gt;darktable&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Azraq Wetland, a Disappearing Oasis</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis/</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:28:31 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/IMG_20160924_101454.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Small lake with bridge and vegetation in the Jordanian desert.&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing soon.&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;There&amp;rsquo;s a unique wetland nature preserve an hour and a half from Amman — in thirty minutes of walking around, I saw birds, snakes, crabs, fish, and even water buffaloes! For thousands of years Azraq was a massive, thriving oasis whose ecological diversity supported human settlements, but in recent decades it has come dangerously close to drying up due to increased water usage from surrounding cities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learn more about the wetlands on a trip with &lt;a href=&#34;http://wildjordan.com/&#34;&gt;Wild Jordan&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&#34;http://experiencejordan.com/&#34;&gt;Experience Jordan&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;turn off the water in your shower or sink when you don&amp;rsquo;t need it!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Buying Baklava in Amman</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/buying-baklava-amman/</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2016 11:15:16 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/buying-baklava-amman/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/IMG_20160810_160953.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Young child smiling and wrapping up baklava in a shop in Amman&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Everybody likes baklava!&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;There&amp;rsquo;s a shop in one of Amman&amp;rsquo;s downtown markets that sells traditional sweets. I&amp;rsquo;m not sure who was more excited about this half kilo of &lt;em&gt;baklawa&lt;/em&gt; — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Saint Thaddeus Church in Amman</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/saint-thaddeus-church-amman/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2016 14:58:34 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/saint-thaddeus-church-amman/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure &gt;
    
        &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/IMG_20160919_141959.jpg&#34; alt=&#34;Armenian church with pointy steeple&#34; /&gt;
    
    
    &lt;figcaption&gt;
        &lt;h4&gt;Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman&lt;/h4&gt;
        
    &lt;/figcaption&gt;
    
&lt;/figure&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Even if the number of mosques in Amman &lt;em&gt;didn&amp;rsquo;t&lt;/em&gt; outnumber churches by a factor of ten, the Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic church would still stand out. The unique architecture caught my eye once and then I started seeing it every time I glanced at Jabal Al-Ashrafieh. After weeks of squinting and asking myself &amp;ldquo;&lt;em&gt;Is that an Armenian church?&lt;/em&gt;&amp;rdquo; I finally went on an scavenger hunt and found it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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