<imgsrc="/2016/09/IMG_20160924_101454.jpg"alt="Small lake with bridge and vegetation in the Jordanian desert."/>
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<h4>A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing in the near future.</h4>
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<p>There’s an amazing 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 it was a massive, thriving oasis whose ecological diversity supported human settlements, but in the past few decades it has come dangerously close to drying up due to increased water usage from surrounding cities.</p>
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<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis/'>Read more →</a>
<imgsrc="/2016/09/IMG_20160810_160953.jpg"alt="Young child smiling and wrapping up baklava in a shop in Amman"/>
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<h4>Everybody likes baklava!</h4>
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<p>There’s a shop in one of Amman’s downtown markets that sells traditional sweets. I’m not sure who was more excited about this half kilo of <em>baklawa</em> — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it.</p>
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<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/buying-baklava-amman/'>Read more →</a>
<imgsrc="/2016/09/IMG_20160919_141959.jpg"alt="Armenian church with pointy steeple"/>
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<h4>Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman</h4>
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<p>Even if the number number of mosques in Amman <em>didn’t</em> outnumber churches by a factor of ten, the Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic church would still stand out. It caught my eye once a few weeks ago and then I started seeing it every time I glanced at Jabal Al-Ashrafieh. After weeks of squinting and asking myself “<em>Is that an Armenian church?</em>” I finally went on an epic scavenger hunt and found it.</p>
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<ahref='https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/saint-thaddeus-church-amman/'>Read more →</a>