Posts on Picturing Jordan

Sleep in a Chalet at the Dead Sea

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 18:31:28 +0200

Enjoy the view from the comfort of your hammock

Jordan’s Dead Sea coast is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Amman. If you’re looking for something a little more wholesome and minimalistic — not to mention cheaper — than an elegant five-star resort, look no further than Wild Jordan’s chalets at Wadi Mujib.

Wild Jordan staff are friendly and genuinely care about nature conservation. Trips to this and other reserves are part of an impressive government effort to preserve Jordan’s natural spaces.

The Dome of the Rock

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 08:53:53 +0200

Golden dome, vibrant tiles, and elegant Arabic calligraphy

While not technically in Jordan, Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock is basically just a stone’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 impressive resume of sacred claims to fame.

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount

The shrine, built nearly 1,000 years ago, stands atop a hotly contested complex called the Temple Mount (“Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic) that dates back to the Canaanites several thousand years ago — like I said, an impressive resume!

As a secular person it’s all a bit too heavy for my taste, but there’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.

The Grandeur of Petra

Sat, 24 Dec 2016 20:13:21 +0200

Petra's "monastery" basking in the golden light just before sunset

The Nabataeans 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.

Evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane once said that “the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose,” 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 can suppose. What I would give to have seen it in its time!

Kanafeh: the Classy Palestinian Dessert

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:22:59 +0200

A small portion of kanafeh at a restaurant in Amman

I’m ashamed to say that it took me almost one month to discover this sweet, cheesy dessert after moving to Jordan. Originally from Nablus, a Palestinian city apparently known for “high cuisine,” kanafeh is one of those things that they just can’t make fast enough. At one famous shop called Habibah in downtown Amman there is always a line, and it’s even a bit stressful ordering there unless you know what you’re doing!

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’m still not sure which one is better.

Red, Orange, and Yellow Rice at Bab al-Yemen

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 12:59:44 +0200

All the multi-colored rice you can eat

You haven’t lived until you and your friends have eaten seventeen different colors of rice, meat, and sauces while sitting on the floor at the Bab al-Yemen 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.

Harvesting Olives in Ajloun

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 18:39:58 +0200

Freshly picked olives

Wild Jordan has an ingenious day trip where you pay them to take you 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.

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 find out more on the Wild Jordan website.

How many olives can ten amateurs pick in thirty minutes?

Contemporary Arab Design at the Jordan River Foundation Showroom

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:28:23 +0300

Simple, rustic design fuses traditional objects with new styles

The Jordan River Foundation has a showroom on Rainbow Street where they brilliantly showcase traditional, everyday objects from the region in a fresh, modern way. It’s like someone went and replaced all the things in your grandma’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.

I commend the Queen Rania Foundation for another seriously impressive initiative. Keep up the good work!

Sheikh Zayed Mosque: the Pearl of Aqaba

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:06:06 +0300

Beautiful mosque by the sea, surrounded by palm trees

The best way to describe the Sheikh Zayed mosque would be “the pearl of Aqaba.” 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 isn’t much to write home about.

Originally built in 1975, the mosque was refurbished in 2010 as part of a larger effort to revitalize the Red Sea port city and was modeled after the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Aqaba is Dirty and Disappointing

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 10:46:23 +0300

A picturesque view where you can't see the trash on the beach

I’m struggling to find words to describe my trip to Jordan’s coastal city Aqaba. Initially, the contrast between dry desert, rocky mountains, and the turquoise water of the Red Sea is quite striking — imagine Matt Damon in The Martian, but where he goes snorkeling on a coral reef instead of growing potatoes.

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.

King Hussein Mosque at Night

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:54:07 +0300

Amman's King Hussein mosque at night

The King Hussein mosque was built in 2005 and is the largest mosque in Jordan. I haven’t visited it yet, but I’ve spent quite a few evenings admiring it from a balcony in the Khalda neighborhood of West Amman.

Technical: Nikon D3100, ten-second exposure time, post processed from RAW with darktable.

Another Beautiful Hand-Painted Wood Ceiling

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:28:23 +0300

A colorful floral pattern pops out of the ceiling

Another day, another exquisite, hand-painted ceiling in Amman. Just like the other hand-painted wood ceiling I posted about a few 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.

Technical: Nikon D3100, post processed from RAW with darktable.

Azraq Wetland, a Disappearing Oasis

Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:28:31 +0300

A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing in the near future.

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.

Learn more about the wetlands on a trip with Wild Jordan or Experience Jordan, and turn off the water in your shower or sink when you don’t need it!

Buying Baklava in Amman

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 11:15:16 +0300

Everybody likes baklava!

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 baklawa — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it.

Saint Thaddeus Church in Amman

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 14:58:34 +0300

Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman

Even if the number number of mosques in Amman didn’t 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 “Is that an Armenian church?” I finally went on an epic scavenger hunt and found it.

Camping in the Dana Biosphere Reserve

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 09:48:23 +0300

Just after sunrise at a camp in the Dana Biosphere

A few weeks ago I slept in a tent on the cusp of Jordan’s Rift Valley. Wild Jordan has regular hiking and camping trips to the reserve and they are very affordable. The staff are friendly and genuinely care about nature conservation. Trips to this and other national parks are part of an impressive government effort to preserve Jordan’s natural spaces.