Language

The official language of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is Arabic. However, the spoken Arabic dialect differs from classical Arabic and varies from that used in Egypt, the Gulf States, and North Africa. Minor differences in pronunciation separate the dialects of Jordanians, Palestinians, Lebanese, and Syrians. (See the Language Glossary at the end of this book for more on Arabic.)

Due to nearly three decades of British colonial rule, English is Jordan’s second language. It is taught at both public and private schools, so almost all Jordanians have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the language. Most signs are written in both Arabic and English, and Jordan Television’s second channel broadcasts subtitled British and American programs after 8:30pm. French is taught as a third language by private schools and is occasionally spoken by the upper class.

Food

Jordanian cuisine has evolved through centuries of Bedouin cooking. The national dish, mensaf, ideally consists of 8-10kg of rice on a tray at least a meter across, topped with pinenuts and the stew of an entire Iamb or goat. The Bedouin still serve the head of the lamb on top, reserving the prize delicacies—eyes and tongue—for speechless and visually jaded guests. The right hand is used to ball the rice, and the flat bread to pull off chunks of meat and dip them into the warm jamid (dried flour and milk).

Most other dishes include the main ingredients of mensaf. Traditional dinners, served between 2-3pm, are rarely as spicy as those in other Arab countries. Popular dinners are musukban—boiled chicken with olive oil and onions and a delicious spice called sumac, served with khoubz (bread)—and mabsbi, a tray of vine leaves, squash, or eggplant stuffed with mincemeat, rice, and onions. Mezze, loosely translated as “hors d’oeuvres,” encompasses a wide range of dishes which include hummus with olive oil, mutabal (an eggplant dip), labneh (thickened yogurt), cucumbers, tomatoes, and pickles. Supper is usually a smaller meal; hummus, cheese, and sometimes fuul form a standard breakfast.

Popular & Folk Culture

Homesick Yankees who aren’t sticklers for highbrow culture can look for Bart Simpson to brighten their day or Step by Step to remind them of those Saturday nights in front of the TV. These and other popular American and British shows appear on Jordanian television with Arabic subtitles. More authentic Jordanian programming includes music videos and disco dance extravaganzas.

Much of the pop music in Jordan is Egyptian; listen for traditional Arabic sounds through the cacophony of not-quite-Western sounds. Jordanians do, however, have their own traditional expressions of pop culture, most notably a strong oral tradition of stories, songs, and ballads. Villagers often have their own individualized songs commemorating births, circumcisions, weddings, funerals, and planting. Several Cossack dances, including a sword dance that has to be seen to be believed, are popular in Jordan, as are the dabkeh, dances performed to the resonating rhythm of feet pounding on the floor.

Visual Arts

Both the Jordanian government and private groups are taking measures to promote and foster the arts. I ike that of other countries of the Arab world, Jordanian art is an expression of Arab and often Muslim identity. But Jordanians are not sticklers for the traditional; contemporary artists have many more Western tendencies and use visual art as an outlet for personal as well as cultural expression. Modernity is eroding the traditional Islamic taboo against the portrayal of animate objects. Jordan’s architecture, painting, and sculpture have all developed substantially in this century.

When it comes to their folk art, Jordanians do abide by tradition. Techniques developed over centuries make for skillful weavers of wool and goat-hair rugs and tapestries. Leather handicrafts, pottery, ceramics, and coral curios also belong to the family of mastered Jordanian folk art. Jordanian painters often display their work in galleries in Amman, with nature, Bedouin life, and Palestine common subjects. It is wood-carving, though, that is the Jordanian specialty. Artists can do beautiful carvings of your name right on the street, for an appropriate fee, naturally. You will find most of these crafts sold proudly on the streets of Jordan.

The Arts -Literature

The Arabic language is shared by many nations, and Arabic literature from these countries serves the whole of the Arab world. The Jordanian region itself has a long tradition of prose: the oldest example of a Semitic script, the Mesha Stele, was found in Karak. Unfortunately, few Jordanian works are translated into other languages and thus remain inaccessible to most foreigners.

Among English travel accounts, C. M. Doughty’s Arabia Deserta and Wilfred i Thesiger’s more recent Arabian Sands are powerful adventure stories inspired by a romanticized version of Bedouin lifestyle. T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom contains vivid descriptions of the battles fought and the territory explored during the Arab Revolt of 1916; even if you don’t reach Wadi Rum in the Jordanian desert, see David Lean’s magnificent Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen. King Abdal-lah’s two-volume Memoirs and King Hussein’s Uneasy Lies the Head are self-serving but dispel once and for all the myth that it’s good to be the king. The Arab Legion chief of the 1940s and 50s, John Bagot Glubb (Glubb Pasha), wrote A Soldier With the Arabs and several books based on his life. A little less adventurous but more erudite is Jonathan Raban’s Arabia: A Journey through the Labyrinth. Gertrude Bell, one of the first female Western travelers in the region, writes of her journeys through Jordan and Syria in The Desert and the Sown.
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Festivals & Holidays

The most important festivals of the year are Islamic celebrations, including the holy month of Ramadan (approx. Feb. 11-March 13 in 1994), the three-day Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice, May 18-21 in 1994), and the Islamic New Year (June 21). Jordan’s other major holidays are New Year’s Day, Mawlid an-Nabi (Muhammad’s Birthday, Aug. 30), the feast of Isra Mi’raj (commemorating Muhammad’s Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem), Arab Revolution and Army Day (June 10, marking the 1916 Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (May 25), and, of course, King Hussein’s Accession Day (Aug. 11) and Birthday (Nov. 14).

Muslim holidays, determined according to the lunar calendar, differ every year. Expect difficulties in making international flights between Muslim countries during Ramadan and Eid al-Adha. Note also that Muslims traditionally count years beginning with the Hijra, or Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina. Therefore, 1994 is 1414 AH in the Muslim world. The Western calendar is used in daily life. Government offices and banks close on national holidays. For the Christian community, the Easter Celebrations (some following the Gregorian calendar, others the Julian) are the most spectacular of the year. Christmas is a smaller feast, especially for the Coptic and Abyssinian Churches, which celebrate the holiday during the second week of January rather than on December 25.
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Economy

Unlike its Arab neighbors, Jordan is blessed with neither oil reserves nor abundant natural resources. Because of this, Jordan remains dependent upon Arab and American financial aid to augment its income from exporting phosphate and pre-season vegetables grown in the Jordan valley. Remittances from Jordanian workers in the Gulf states have traditionally constituted another important supplement to the Jordanian economy. With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, Iraq became a major importer of Jordanian goods and services and the economy boomed. Recently, though, Jordan’s economy has been ailing. With a 2-3% annual growth rate, the country’s economy cannot keep pace with its burgeoning population. In

the late 1980s, when Iraq began threatening not to pay its war debts, Jordanian exporters held an ugly mountain of worthless Iraqi IOUs.
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Life And Times : Government & Politics

After about ten minutes in Jordan, you’ll notice pictures of a litde bald man with a smooth smile everywhere you look. Refrain from jokes; he’s the king, and you are in his kingdom; Jordan is very much the fiefdom of Hussein bin Talal. The kingdom was a 1921 gift from Britain to the Hashemite royal family (for details see the Introduction to the Region), who proudly trace their lineage direcdy to the Prophet.

King Hussein has ruled since 1953- He divorced his first two queens, Dina and n Muna al-Hussein (a Briton who changed her name from Antoinette Gardiner); his third, Alia (a Palestinian), died in a plane crash. “It was the Amman Go-Kart Club that ^ really brought us together more informally,” the king sighed about Muna, The cur- ” rent queen, Noor (nee Lisa Halaby), is an Arab-American and a graduate of Prince- C ton. Hussein’s brother Crown Prince Hassan serves as advisor and heir to the -throne. Educated in Britain, King Hussein is generally moderate and pro-Western, but, as Palestinians will teil you, remembering their 20,000 dead from the 1970 civil war, he can be brutal if his throne is at stake. Above all, he is a slipper}’ and brilliant politician; these skills have kept him alive through assassination attempts and several wars. (Luck has also been a factor; the same bullets that killed his grandfather, King Abdallah, bounced off a medal on the young Hussein’s chest.) After Kim II Sung of North Korea, Hussein is the longest-ruling head of state in the world.

Dress & Etiquette

Jordan is predominantly Muslim and socially conservative, making modest dress a necessity. You will not be arrested, but inappropriate dress will alienate you from the very people you have come to meet. The same modesty is required of both men and women. The code is simple: Do not wear shorts. Your pants should come down to at least mid-shin (women may wear pants). Shirts should cover the shoulders and upper arms. Women should wear head scarves in mosques. Feet can be exposed freely. The exception to these rules is hedonistic Aqaba, where both men and women can wear shorts. You’re also allowed a litde more freedom if going out at night or to the pool in Amman. Looking foreign gives you the extra leeway in these two towns, but don’t push it: women risk greater harassment and even a butt-pinching if wearing shorts in downtown Amman.

Non-Muslims should not enter mosques during prayers, which occur five times per day.

International calls : Keeping in Touch
can be made in Amman from the telephone center near the downtown post office (See Amman Practical Information.) Three minutes to North America will cost about JD6.600. In other parts of Jordan, international calls can be made at luxury hotels, where service will be faster, clearer, and much more expensive. Late night and early morning are the best times to dial overseas. An easier option is to use a private phone and reimburse the owner. You can dial directly to the U.S., Europe, and Australia QD1.540 per minute between 10pm and Sam, JD2.2OO otherwise; for all international calls, dial 00 and international code). Although there has been talk of it during the recent Middle East peace talks, neither phone nor mail service extends to Israel. For an international operator, dial 0132. Dial 131 for information on local codes. For other information, dial 121. No collect calls can be made from Jordan. U.S. calling cards don’t work either.

Although the telephone : Keeping in Touch

system was revamped several years ago, international lines are often overloaded, especially around holidays. The rare pay telephones are particularly erratic and require 5OfiIs regardless of whether or not your call goes through. If you ask shop owners where to find the nearest pay phone, they will probably invite you to use theirs as long as the call is local. Another option is to use a hotel phone, but be sure to inquire about surcharges before doing so. Note that telephone offices, though separate from post offices, are usually next door.

Keeping in Touch

Postage stamps may be purchased from 7am to 7pm at the downtown post office in Amman and during regular business hours elsewhere. An air mail letter to North America costs 320fils, and an aerogramme or postcard is 240fils; the cost to Europe is 240fils and l60fils, respectively.

Mail from Jordan to North America and Europe takes one to two weeks. EMS international express mail (mumtaz) available in major post offices. Packages may be sent from any post office. Poste Restante operates at the downtown post office in Amman and in the larger cities. American Express offices, located in Amman and Aqaba (look for International Traders offices), also hold mail.

Camping : Accommodations

Camping is an option nearly everywhere in the country, although organized facilities are virtually nonexistent. Favorite sites include the beach north of Aqaba, the caves and ledges at Petra (ask for permission first), and Dibbin National Park. Camping is allowed next to most of the government Rest Houses (JD1-2 per person per night, plus 10% government tax), and many hostels and hotels will let you camp out on the roof for a small fee. You’ll need a sleeping bag for the cool summer nights, and winter evenings can bring sub-freezing temperatures.

You can always spend a night with the Bedouin, whom you’ll find on the outskirts of most towns and scattered around the desert. Tea, Arabic coffee, and meals always accompany an invitation, although showers and toilets rarely follow. While the Bedouin won’t accept money, a pack of Marlboros will always be appreciated.

Alternative : Accommodations

Hotels are rare outside Amman and Aqaba. The primary alternatives elsewhere are the government Rest Houses in Petra, Karak, Azraq, Umm Qeis, Wadi Rum, and Dibbin National Park. Not all Rest Houses have overnight facilities, and rates vary among those that do. If you plan to stay at one, especially in the spring or fall, reserve a room in advance with the Tourist Investment Department, P.O. Box 2863, Amman, Jordan (tel. 81 32 43).

Hotels : Accommodations

Jordanian hotels are inspected annually and regulated by the government according to a five-star system. Bargaining is difficult, but hotel owners may be more flexible in the off-season winter months. Fall and spring are the busiest times throughout Jordan, though sunny Aqaba sees the most activity during the winter and spring seasons. Single women may feel uncomfortable at some of the cheaper hotels, and may on occasion not be admitted. Jordanian law bars unmarried couples from sharing a room. The law is rarely applied to foreign travelers, but if you are asked to split up, console yourself by remembering that in cheap hotels, the price is usually per bed rather than per room.

The Ministry of Tourism provides a comprehensive list of classified hotels and their prices (available at the Ministry’s Public Relations Office in Amman). No matter how hard the government tries, however, chaos still prevails; every hotel has the official prices listed in Arabic (for instance, JD14 for singles in one-star hotels, JD18 for doubles), and cheaper prices listed in English.
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Accommodations

Though the Jordanian government has gone to great lengths to establish adequate, J regulated accommodations for some tourists, budget travelers have been for the , most part left out. Regulated tourist hotels charge prices as high as Jordan’s midsummer temperatures, though the devaluation of the dinar in recent years has made ‘. some regulated prices reasonable. Jordan has no Hostelling International hostels.

Business Hours : Money Matters

Jordan’s business timetable has been shaped by various natural, religious, and economic forces. The desert sun converts the lunchtime hours into a Mideastem siesta. Most stores and offices open around 8-9:3Oam, close from 1-3 or 4pm, and open again in the late afternoon. In Amman, retail stores usually close around 8 or 9pm, when the transportation system also dwindles. In some areas, such as Jabal al-Hussein, stores often close as late as 1 lpm. Banks and government offices retain only a skeleton staff in the afternoon; if you care about getting something done, take advantage of the morning. Government offices are open Sat-Thurs., 8am-2pm (9:3Oam-2;3Opm during Ramadan).

Friday is a holiday throughout the Muslim world, although it is less scrupulously kept in Amman and Aqaba. Government offices and institutions ciose everywhere, but some shops are open in the morning (until about noon).

Foreign banks and offices generally observe both Friday and Saturday as weekday holidays, though they may keep longer hours during the rest of the week. Museums are closed on Tuesdays. The only reliable schedule for the last few centuries has been the Islamic ‘ call to prayer: five times per day, the faithful kneel facing the holy city of Mecca.

Tipping : Money Matters

A tip of 10% is expected in restaurants, unless “service included” appears on the menu. Taxi drivers do not expect tips, but will round off fares to their advantage. If you are with a large sight-seeing group, tip the bus driver about 500fils. A small tip (3OO-5OOfils) to the room cleaners and porters in hotels is appropriate.

Currency and Exchange

The Jordanian dinar (JD) is a decimal currency, divided into lOOOfils. Prices are always labeled in fils, but the usual spoken practice is to call lOfils a piaster (pt). Thus, 500fils will be written as 50()fils, but referred to as 50pts. A piastre is also sometimes called a qirsh and a 0.5pt is a t’arifeh. Clear? Bills come in denominations of JD20, 10, 5, 1, and 500fils. Coins are silver for 250fils, 100, 50, and 25, and copper for 10 and 5- Since confusion enriches life, the numerals Westerners call “Arabic” are not used in the Arab world, so it’s a good idea to learn the Arab forms (see Arabic Numerals in the Appendix and look at car license plates that are in both scripts). The currency itself is marked also with Western-friendly numbers.

Currency exchange is easy to find in Amman, but harder elsewhere. Bank exchange hours are regularly 9:30am-12:30pm, with some banks opening from 4-5:45pm as well. Branches of the national Housing Bank are the best bets outside of Amman. Queen Alia Airport has exchange facilities for incoming passengers. A passport is always required to change traveler’s checks. Credit cards are not accepted except in expensive hotels. There are ATMs in Jordan, but they don’t take anything but the cards of the particular bank; don’t bank on them.

Hitchhiking

Let’s Go does not recommend this. Service and minibuses are cheap enough to make hitching unnecessary except in remote areas such as along the King’s Highway. For those feckless die-hards who ignore this sound advice, rides between small towns (Jordan Valley, Amman environs, Irbid area) are easy to come by. As with anything in the Middle East, be aware that even short waits in the sun can be dangerous; bring lots of water and cover your head with a straw boater.

When hitchhiking within a city (Amman, Irbid, Jerash, Ajlun), empty taxis will pester you with their horns as they careen by. The steady stream of trucks serving the port facilities compensates, with many drivers eager for company on their long trans-Jordan hauls. To flag down an approaching vehicle, travelers stick their arms out with their palms facing the ground.

We repeat: Let’s Go does not recommend hitchhiking. Women especially should never hitchhike alone. Hitching in the Wadi Araba highway is prohibited for all.

Cars

Some of Jordan’s greatest attractions are not served by the public transportation system. For groups of four to six, renting a car can be an affordable and efficient way to reach less accessible sights. With a car, for example, the round-trip to Azraq via four or five desert castles can be done in 8-12 hours. The unsurpassed Kings’ Highway route, hardly served by other modes of transportation, can be seen from a private car in another full day. Some rental agencies will even let you return a car from Amman in Aqaba; ask around.

If you can’t split the costs, car rental in Jordan will break your budget. Most rental agencies charge from JD22 to JD29 per day, including insurance, plus 45 to 55fils per kilometer. Unlimited mileage deals are cheaper (JD17-2O per day), but you must rent the car for at least a week.
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Buses

Public buses supplement the service taxis in Amman. The intercity bus network is sparse due to the monopoly granted by the government to the Jordan Express Tourist Transport (JETT) company. Private buses, however, cover the most popular routes, and private minibuses travel to more remote areas. Regular service on JETT buses is limited to daily schedules from Amman to Aqaba, Petra, Ma’an, and the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge, from Amman to Damascus, and to Cairo via Aqaba and the Sinai. (See Amman Practical Information for details about schedules and the station.) JETT also sponsors tours to Jerash, Madaba, Petra, Ajlun, and the Desert Castles. For information, call 66 41 46/7.

The Arabella and Hijazi bus companies travel to Jerash and Irbid. Minibuses are usually used for intercity transport. Bus fares are slightly lower than service rates, but buses travel more slowly. The JETT luxury coaches cost more than regular buses, but are usually air-conditioned, and those running from Amman to Aqaba come with hosts, professional wrestling videos, and highly dramatic Egyptian movies. Do note, however, that you will be charged for each and every “in-flight” bologna and mayo sandwich you eat, regardless of how earnest the attendant seems when handing you one. The buses depart more or less on schedule. Booking ahead is advisable and often necessary. Most towns have one main terminal shared by intercity buses and service taxis; Amman and Irbid have several. In Amman, most buses follow the pattern of service, with traffic to the north leaving from Abdali Station and buses to the south leaving from Wahadat Station.

Taxis

Private taxis, useful mainly in Amman, are yellow and conveniently have “taxi” written in Roman letters on them. Jordanian taxi drivers take their horns seriously, their fares a little less so, and the law not in the least. Insist that the driver use the meter. Most will. A few, however, specialize in ripping off newly arrived tourists; be wary of those driving souped-up, chrome-encrusted Mercedes. The starting fare is 150fils. Drivers may also charge extra (illegally) for large amounts of baggage. Service taxis are shared taxis, usually white or gray Mercedes with a white sign written in Arabic on their roofs (sj~i). The front doors have the route and number on them (again in Arabic letters only). Service can be hailed en route.

Payment takes place whenever the rider feels like it, traditionally just as the cab is negotiating an insanely sharp curve on two wheels. With drivers sneering at speed limits and holding their cars together with tin foil, service rides range from entertaining to traumatic. Travel within Amman is generally easier on foot (except when you have to go uphill, which somehow appears to be the case most of the time), but the service taxis are invaluable for intercity travel. There are specific service routes in Amman and between the central transport terminals in the larger cities. Within Amman, service cost 70 to 120fils; a ride may cost up to JD3.5OO from Amman to Aqaba. Shared taxis rarely run in the evenings and the long-distance ones may make only two or three trips per day. Schedules are (predictably) unpredictable—they leave when all five seats are occupied. If you get into one alone and want to leave before it’s full, you’ll have to pay for five. (See Amman Practical Information for routes and rates.)

Once There - Getting Around

Most visitors to Jordan stay long enough to see the major sites at Petra and Jerash, yet not long enough to master tlie chaotic transportation system. Organized bus tours and private taxis can cost JD4 to JD50 per day. The country has a fine train system, but only for freight, and the only reliable long-distance bus company, JETT, has a limited number of routes. Fleets of shared taxis (called service and pronounced “ser-VEES") and collective minibuses shuttle between all cities, towns, and villages. Hitchhiking is a common practice among Jordanians, though more so in the north than in the south, where a wagging thumb gesture is often mistaken for a friendly wave. Let’s Go, however, does not recommend hitchhiking.

Jordan

Take it from King Hussein’s mouth: “Jordan itself is a beautiful country. It is wild, with limitless deserts where the Bedouin roam, but the mountains of the north are clothed in green forests, and where the Jordan River flows it is fertile and warm in winter. Jordan has a strange, haunting beauty and a sense of timelessness. Dotted with the ruins of empires once great, it is the last resort of yesterday in the world of tomorrow. I love ever;’ inch of it.”

Now, he has to say that, because he’s the king of every inch of it (The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, that is). But he has a point. It is a beautiful country, and the geographic diversity is fascinating and appealing. Jordan’s countryside is indeed strewn with imperial rubble.

In ancient days, this was the land where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the famous Jordan River. Once a remote branch of desert trade routes and of the Roman Empire and later a neglected chunk of the Ottoman vilayet of Syria, modem Jordan (Al-Urdun) was created by a stroke of a British pen ("Now a giant mixing machine called the West has thrown us together,” wrote former Prime Minister Kamcl Abu Jaber, “and here we are loving it and hating it, constantly adjusting and readjusting….").

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