picturingjordan.com/public/index.xml

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    <title>Picturing Jordan</title>
    <link>https://picturingjordan.com/</link>
    <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>Iconic Roman Ruins in Amman</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2020/01/iconic-roman-ruins-amman/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Jan 2020 09:23:20 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2020/01/iconic-roman-ruins-amman/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2020/01/2019-11-01-amman-citadel.jpg&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;The ruins of the Roman Temple of Hercules&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Jordan&amp;rsquo;s location in the geographical &amp;ldquo;near east&amp;rdquo; has exposed it to dozens of civilizations over the course of history. In the last three thousand years alone the region has invariably fallen under the Persian, Greek, Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman  empires, the legacies of which are often still visible today.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Buying Bedouin Fabric in Amman</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/08/buying-bedouin-fabric-amman/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2018 17:58:43 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/08/buying-bedouin-fabric-amman/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2018/08/IMG_20180407_124628.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Several reams of colorful fabric stacked vertically in a shop in downtown Amman.&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Reams of colorful Bedouin fabric on sale in downtown Amman&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Anyone who has drank tea in Petra or ate &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansaf&#34;&gt;mansaf&lt;/a&gt; in Wadi Rum will quickly recognize the unique fabric adorning traditional Bedouin tents in Jordan. These colorful designs are commonly used across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, from Syria and Iraq in the north to the United Arab Emirates and Oman in the southeast. American musician Cardi B even featured some in the 2017 music video for her song &lt;a href=&#34;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEGccV-NOm8&#34;&gt;Bodak Yellow&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Saint Thaddeus Church at Sunset</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/07/saint-thaddeus-church-sunset/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jul 2018 13:16:43 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/07/saint-thaddeus-church-sunset/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2018/07/IMG_20180707_185402.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Church in typical Armenian style with pointy blue roof and the city behind it.&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Iconic Armenian Church in Jabal Al-Ashrafiyeh at Sunset&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Shortly after moving to Amman &lt;a href=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/saint-thaddeus-church-amman/&#34;&gt;I noticed this unique building&lt;/a&gt; on a distant hill and I set out on a sort of scavenger hunt to find it. The walk from downtown to Jabal Al-Ashrafiyeh is packed with winding streets and steep staircases (some of which go nowhere). To this day the church is one of my favorite landmarks in Amman and I often make the trek there when I&amp;rsquo;m feeling like getting some exercise and exploring the city. I like to think of it as a pilgrimage — it &lt;em&gt;is&lt;/em&gt; a religious site after all!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Greco–Roman Ruins of Pella</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/02/greco-roman-ruins-pella/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2018 13:43:29 +0200</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2018/02/greco-roman-ruins-pella/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2018/02/DSC_0005.JPG&#34;
         alt=&#34;Remains of the classical basilica of Pella&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Remains of the classical basilica of Pella&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;These days there isn&amp;rsquo;t much to see of the Greco–Roman city of Pella in northwestern Jordan. Sadly, the ancient ruins here suffer from being slightly smaller, slightly less well-preserved, and slightly less convenient to visit than the similar ruins at &lt;a href=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/greco-roman-ruins-jerash/&#34;&gt;Jerash&lt;/a&gt;. With a bit of imagination and some historical background, however, they are equally enchanting and even have a unique character of their own.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Cleanliness Comes From Faith</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/07/cleanliness-comes-from-faith/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2017 16:15:22 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/07/cleanliness-comes-from-faith/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/07/IMG_20161120_143235.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Graffiti with Arabic inscription depicting someone putting trash in a trash can&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Graffiti in downtown Amman appeals to the faithful&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;There is a popular notion that cleanliness is an important part of the Islamic faith, though you wouldn&amp;rsquo;t know it from walking around Jordan. I have never seen people throw coffee cups, half-eaten sandwiches, tissues, etc on the street so carelessly — and often times with such &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;finesse&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt; — as here in Jordan.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Emperor Hadrian&#39;s Arch in Jerash</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/06/emperor-hadrians-arch-jerash/</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jun 2017 15:24:57 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/06/emperor-hadrians-arch-jerash/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/06/IMG_20170606_101711.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;The Arch of Hadrian welcomes you to Jerash&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;The Arch of Hadrian welcomes you to Jerash&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;There are apparently two arches built around 130 CE to honor Roman Emperor Hadrian—one in &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Hadrian_(Athens)&#34;&gt;Athens&lt;/a&gt; and one in &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Hadrian_(Jerash)&#34;&gt;Jerash&lt;/a&gt;. The former is undoubtedly more studied, but the latter is objectively more beautiful! Maybe it&amp;rsquo;s the color of the stones in the afternoon light, the unconventional architectural features, or just the sheer size of it.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Contact</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/contact/</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Apr 2017 17:54:50 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/contact/</guid>
      <description>I&amp;rsquo;d love to hear your comments, questions, and suggestions — send me a message using the form below.</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>Greco–Roman Ruins in Jerash</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/greco-roman-ruins-jerash/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Apr 2017 08:50:44 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/greco-roman-ruins-jerash/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2017/04/DSC_0143.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Row of columns at the Oval Forum in Jerash&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Row of columns at the Oval Forum in Jerash&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Jordan&amp;rsquo;s location in the geographical &amp;ldquo;near east&amp;rdquo; has exposed the country to dozens of civilizations over the course of history. Over the last three thousand years alone this region has experienced the coming and going of the Persian, Greek, Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman — to name a few — empires, the legacies of which are often still visible today.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <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;</description>
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    <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;</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;</description>
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    <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;</description>
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    <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;</description>
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    <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;</description>
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    <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;</description>
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    <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;/&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;https://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;</description>
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    <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 façade. 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;</description>
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    <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 southern city by the sea. 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;</description>
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    <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;/&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;</description>
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    <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;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;A hand-painted floral pattern on wooden panels on 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;</description>
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    <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 just 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;</description>
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    <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 Amman&amp;rsquo;s main market downtown that sells traditional Arabic sweets. I&amp;rsquo;m not sure who was more excited about this half-kilogram of baklava (which is called &amp;ldquo;&lt;em&gt;baklawa&lt;/em&gt;&amp;rdquo; in Arabic) — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <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 blue steeple in traditional style&#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-Ashrafiyeh. 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;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Camping in the Dana Biosphere Reserve</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/camping-dana-biosphere-reserve/</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2016 09:48:23 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/camping-dana-biosphere-reserve/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/DSC_0031.JPG&#34;
         alt=&#34;Just after sunrise at a camp in the Dana Biosphere&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Just after sunrise at a camp in the Dana Biosphere&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago I slept in a tent on the cusp of Jordan&amp;rsquo;s Rift Valley. &lt;a href=&#34;http://wildjordan.com/&#34;&gt;Wild Jordan&lt;/a&gt; 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 &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>
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    <item>
      <title>Beautiful Hand-Painted Woodwork</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/beautiful-hand-painted-woodwork/</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 17 Sep 2016 15:48:23 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/beautiful-hand-painted-woodwork/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/IMG_20160916_174409.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Beautiful hand-painted wood panels on the ceiling&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Beautiful hand-painted wood panels on the ceiling&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;There&amp;rsquo;s an old Syrian man who does this fantastic hand painting on wood panels in Amman. Three flats in our building have them installed on the ceiling, but this one takes the cake. I&amp;rsquo;m not sure if it&amp;rsquo;s typical for the region or not — the man was referencing pictures from a Russian art book — but they are exquisite.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Don&#39;t WhatsApp and Drive</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/dont-whatsapp-and-drive/</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2016 14:10:48 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/dont-whatsapp-and-drive/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/IMG_20160810_162505.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Billboard in Amman cautions against using your phone while driving&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Billboard in Amman cautions against using your phone while driving&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I can&amp;rsquo;t even read Arabic but I&amp;rsquo;m pretty sure that billboard is telling people to &lt;em&gt;put their fucking phones down while driving&lt;/em&gt;. It&amp;rsquo;s like an epidemic here. I&amp;rsquo;ve never seen people look less at the road while driving than here in Amman.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    </item>
    
    <item>
      <title>About</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/about/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:33:27 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/about/</guid>
      <description>Alan lived and worked in Kenya for eight years, first as a volunteer teaching computer science at a rural college, and later as a Linux systems administrator at a livestock research institute in Nairobi. During his time in Kenya he traveled extensively around East Africa and blogged about his experiences. He is passionate about open-source software, information security, and the freedom of information — naturally, he blogs about that too.</description>
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    <item>
      <title>Eid Mubarak in Your Neighborhood Dumpster</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/eid-mubarak-neighborhood-dumpster/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2016 09:36:00 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/eid-mubarak-neighborhood-dumpster/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/sheep-dumpster-eid-al-adha.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Sheep carcass lazily discarded in neighborhood dumpster&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Sheep carcass lazily discarded in neighborhood dumpster&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As Muslims around the world are busy wishing each other a blessed &lt;a href=&#34;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha&#34;&gt;Eid al-Adha&lt;/a&gt;, some poor bastard has to clean up this lazily discarded sheep carcass from my local dumpster (note the entrails spilled below). Keep it classy, Jordan.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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    <item>
      <title>No Noise Near the Noisy Mosque</title>
      <link>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/no-noise-near-noisy-mosque/</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:32:36 +0300</pubDate>
      
      <guid>https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/no-noise-near-noisy-mosque/</guid>
      <description>&lt;figure&gt;
    &lt;img src=&#34;https://picturingjordan.com/2016/09/no-noise-near-mosque.jpg&#34;
         alt=&#34;Sign forbidding sound near mosque on Rainbow Street, Amman&#34;/&gt; &lt;figcaption&gt;
            &lt;h4&gt;Sign forbidding sound near mosque on Rainbow Street, Amman&lt;/h4&gt;
        &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The irony is rich with this one, because this mosque has a sound system from another planet. If I wasn&amp;rsquo;t worried about my personal safety I&amp;rsquo;d put up a sign right next to it saying: &lt;em&gt;Please mute your mosque, there is a sleeping Alan 50m away&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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