Cultural life in Jordan

Cultural life » Daily life and social customs

Jordan is an integral part of the Arab world and thus shares a cultural tradition common to the region. The family is of central importance to Jordanian life. Although their numbers have fallen as many have settled and adopted urban culture, the rural Bedouin population still follows a more traditional way of life, preserving customs passed down for generations. Village life revolves around the extended family, agriculture, and hospitality; modernity exists only in the form of a motorized vehicle for transportation. Urban-dwelling Jordanians, on the other hand, enjoy all aspects of modern, popular culture, from theatrical productions and musical concerts to operas and ballet performances. Most major towns have movie theatres that offer both Arab and foreign films. Younger Jordanians frequent Internet cafés in the capital, where espresso is served at computer terminals.

The country’s cuisine features dishes using beans, olive oil, yogurt, and garlic. Jordan’s two most popular dishes are msakhan, lamb or mutton and rice with a yogurt sauce, and mansaf, chicken cooked with onions, which are both served on holidays and on special family occasions. Daily fare includes khubz (flatbread) with vegetable dips, grilled meats, and stews, served with sweet tea or coffee flavoured with cardamom.

Holidays that are celebrated in the kingdom include the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, the two ʿīds (festivals; ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā), and other major Islamic festivals, along with secular events such as Independence Day and the birthday of the late King Ḥussein.

Cultural life » The arts

Both private and governmental efforts have been made to foster the arts through various cultural centres, notably in Amman and Irbid, and through the establishment of art and cultural festivals throughout the country. Modernity has weakened the traditional Islamic injunction against the depiction of images of humans and animals; thus, in addition to traditional architecture, decorative design, and various handicrafts, it is possible to find non-utilitarian forms of both representational and abstract painting and sculpture. Elaborate calligraphy and geometric designs often enhance manuscripts and mosques. As in the rest of the region, the oral tradition is prominent in literary expression. Jordan’s most famous poet, Muṣṭafā Wahbah al-Ṭāl, ranks among the major Arab poets of the 20th century. After World War II a number of important poets and prose writers emerged, though few have achieved an international reputation.

Traditional visual arts survive in works of tapestry, embroidery, leather, pottery, and ceramics, and in the manufacture of wool and goat-hair rugs with varicoloured stripes; singing is also important, as is storytelling. Villagers have special songs for births, circumcisions, weddings, funerals, and harvesting. Several types of dabkah (group dances characterized by pounding feet on the floor to mark the rhythm) are danced on festive occasions, while the sahjah is a well-known Bedouin dance. The Circassian minority has a sword dance and several other Cossack dances. As part of its effort to preserve local performing arts, the government sponsors a national troupe that is regularly featured on state radio and television programs.

Cultural life » Cultural institutions

Jordan has numerous museums, particularly in Amman. The capital is home to museums dedicated to coins, geology, stamps, Islam, Jordanian folklore, and the military. The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts houses a collection of contemporary Arab and Muslim paintings as well as sculptures and ceramics. The ancient ruins at Petra, Qaṣr ʿAmrah, and Umm al-Rasass near Mādāba have all been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites; there are also several archaeological museums located throughout the country.

Tourism and history in Jordan

Tourism in Jordan

Jordan, a country of Middle East, is rich with a wide range of tourist attractions. Tourism is Jordan's most promising sector of the economy.
Tourism accounts for a large part of Jordan's economy. Jordanian hospitality is well noted by its rash of western tourists. In 2008, there were over 6 million arrivals with tourist receipts amounting to about 3 billion dollars. Its major tourist activities include visiting ancient sites (like the worldwide famous Petra) and unspoilt natural locations, as well as observing cultural and religious sites and traditions.
In addition to its historical sites, Jordan offers the following tourist attractions:
Health tourism is becoming very popular in Jordan. Many of the recipients of Jordanian hospitals are Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. Syrians, Yemenis, and South East Asians working in Jordan are also common visitors. Leisure tourism in the Dead Sea area offer world-class spas to visitors. Theuraptic tourism is an increasingly important sector of the Jordanian tourism industry.
Education tourism is also very popular in Jordan. Jordan's excellent education program is a favorite for westerners studying Arabic in the Middle East. Also, those who can afford it study in Jordan's European and American universities
Adventurers staying in Jordan can also rock-climb in Jordan's Wadi Rum and go for hikes in Jordan's northern mountainous region. Scuba divers can visit Aqaba's magnificent coral reefs.
Pop-culture tourism is also evident in Jordan because many western films have been filmed in Jordan
Shopping tourism is popular in Amman, Irbid, and Aqaba.
Pilgrimages are growing in Jordan. Mount Nebo and the Mosaic Map in Madaba are popular to Christian tourists. The Jordan River and the Dead Sea are also very popular. The numerous medieval mosques and churches are popular destinations for pilgrims.

Ancient history

Evidence of human activity in Transjordan dates back to the Paleolithic period (500000 - 17000 BC). While there is no architectural evidence from this era, archaeologists have found tools, such as flint and basalt hand-axes, knives and scraping implements.

An old Roman Temple in Erak al Amir
In the Neolithic period (8500-4500 BC), three major shifts occurred. First, people became sedentary living in small villages and concurrently, new food sources were discovered and domesticated, such as cereal grains, peas and lentils, as well as goats. The population increased reaching tens of thousands of people.
Second, the shift in settlement patterns was catalyzed by a marked change in the weather, particularly affecting the eastern desert, which grew warmer and drier, eventually becoming entirely uninhabitable for most of year. This watershed climate change is believed to have occurred between 6500 and 5500 BC.
Third, between 5500 - 4500 BC pottery from clay, rather than plaster, began to be produced. Pottery-making technologies were likely introduced to the area by craftsmen from Mesopotamia. The largest Neolithic site is at Ein Ghazal in Amman. There are many buildings, divided into three distinct districts. Houses were rectangular with several rooms, and some of them had plastered floors. Archaeologists have unearthed skulls covered with plaster and with bitumen in the eye sockets at sites throughout Jordan, Israel and Syria. A statue was also discovered at Ein Ghazal that is thought to be 8,000 years old. Just over one meter high, it depicts a woman with huge eyes, skinny arms, knobby knees and a detailed rendering of her toes.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Welcome to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a young country dense with history, a well traveled bridge between sea and desert, East and West.

Above the layers of antiquity, discover a land of mesmerizing beauty: the Jordan Valley, fertile, inventive, ever changing, and remote desert wadis, immense and still. Here are little known desert castles, the haunting wilderness of Wadi Rum, Red Sea coral, restful spas, and monuments from every age of humanity, crowned by the rock carved city of Petra.

Experience, too, the modern Jordan, founded by King Abdullah in the wake of World War 1.

The late King Hussein, Abdullah's grandson, has ruled as constitutional monarch since 1952 - 1999, achieving a remarkable measure of peace, stability, and economic growth. Now The King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is King Abdullah Bin Al Hussein The Young & Dynamic King.

Business and the arts are thriving, and you will find first rate hotels, restaurants, galleries, and shops.

Above all, as a privileged and honored guest, you will delight in the unrivaled hospitality of the Jordanian people.


His Majesty King Abdullah II
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He assumed his constitutional powers as Monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7th, 1999, the day his father, the late King Hussein, passed away.

Born in Amman on January 30th, 1962, King Abdullah II is the eldest son of His Majesty the late King Hussein and Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein. He began his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, and later attended St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England. For his secondary education, he attended Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States of America.

He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (U.K.) in 1980 and was commissioned as second Lieutenant in spring of 81. He then served as a Reconnaissance Troop Leader in the 13/18th Royal Hussars Regiment (British Army) in the U.K. (and West Germany).

From 1985 to 1993 he served mainly in the Armoured Corps (3rd Division) in all related command appointments at platoon, company and as battalion second in command positions, until finally commanding the Second Armoured Battalion, 40th Armoured Brigade with the rank of lieutenant Colonel from January 1992 to January 1993. During this period he attended several military courses in the U.S. and the U.K. including Staff College Camberley (U.K.) 1990-1991. He also has several attachments to the Special Forces and a year as a tactics instructor with Jordan Army's Anti-Tank, Cobra Helicopter Wing.

The beginning of 1993 saw him as Deputy Commander of Jordanian Special Forces till he took full command in November 1993. He commanded these forces till October 1996, when he was instructed to re-organize this and other elite units into the Special Operations Command (SOCCOM). In 1998, as SOCCOM Commander, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and continued this command until the passing away of His Majesty King Hussein in February 1999.