South East Asia Travel Blog

You Are Here: CushTravel > Asia > Middle East > Jordan > Amman

Sweifieh: The Ultimate Shopping District of Amman

By Leave a Comment

If you are seeking a good place to go shopping in Amman and ask a local for assistance in this venture, you are most likely going to be directed to Sweifieh, the primary shopping district of the Jordanian capital.  This district falls within the territory of the Valley of Orchard municipality on the northwest edge of the city, and it has fast turned into one of the most modern places in the city.  The district does have a double-sided character though, one that not all tourists shall notice immediately.  This is because you need to visit the area twice to see it: once in the day and once after the sun has gone down.

sweifieh, jordan,amman
Sweifieh – Shopping District

Sweifieh is known for its odd juxtaposition of day entertainments and dark ones.  There are family-oriented shopping centres here, a profusion of shopping malls for general patronage, and a great many international education institutions of good repute.  However, …

Souq JARA in Amman

By Leave a Comment

Souq JARA, also spelled Souk Jara, is among the best events the city of Amman has to offer.  It takes place each year, typically when the city is experiencing the onset of spring.  To find out when the souq is going to take place in the year that you do visit, look up announcements online from the Jabal Amman Residents Association, after which the market is named.  This association manages and organises the souq every year, as is natural given that it takes place within their territory, in Fawzy Malouf Street on Jabal Amman.

souq jara, amman, jordan
Souq JARA

The street is now known as JARA Street, so that may be an easier way to find it if you do enter the city and want to ask for bystanders’ help in getting to the location.  Just ask for JARA Street, and you should be directed to it.  The souq typically takes place every Friday …

The Jordan River for the Amman Tourist

By Leave a Comment

The Jordan River is among the most popular sites for tourists in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for obvious reasons.  This is among the most prominently represented of all the bodies of water in the region when it comes to the Biblical scripture: not only has it been the site of the baptism of Jesus, it is also where the Old Testament prophet Elisha ascended to heaven as well as the site of the famous crossing of the Israelites into their promised land under the leadership of Joshua.  Indeed, this has to be among the places you visit if ever you do come to the country.

jordan river, amman
Al Maghtas – the Baptism site of Jesus Christ

The Jordan River is actually only about 20 kilometres away from the capital of the kingdom, Amman, which makes it immensely …

Mount Nebo of Jordan

By Leave a Comment

Near Amman in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the peak known as Mount Nebo.  This is not one of the highest mountains in the world: it stands a mere 817m in height, which means it does not owe its repute to its stature.  Rather, its popularity stems from its supposed place in Biblical scripture and Jewish history.

mount nebo, amman
Mount Nebo of Jordan

It is necessary to note, for the sake of scientific clarity, that there are still a good number of scholars and historians who contest the matter of whether or not this is the same Nebo as the one referred to in the Old Testament or Torah.  Given how much topographic designations can vary and how difficult it can be to properly identify the actual locations for such ancient texts as the ones involved, …

Hadrian’s Arch in Jerash

By Leave a Comment

The city of Jerash, which is about 48 kilometres away from Amman, is another of the famous tourist locations of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and it has a lot in common with the country’s capital. Like Amman, Jerash went through a significant period of Roman rule, and both cities have a wealth of relics left over from that era, from amphitheatres to temples. Indeed, most archaeologists compare the ruins and structures of either city to each other regularly. There are particular structures that one city has that the other cannot boast, though. For example, Amman has the ever-popular ruins of the gigantic Hercules statue that once stood by the Temple of Hercules on its Citadel (which temple is comparable to Jerash’s Temple of Artemis, by the way). On the other hand, Jerash has Hadrian’s Arch, also often called the Triumphal Arch of Hadrian.

hadrians arch, jordan, amman, jerash
Breathtaking Hadrian’s Arch

While this structure is indeed situated in old Jerash-modern Jerash being another town next to it-it may be included in a roster of …

Darat al-Funun in Amman

By Leave a Comment

There is a splendid arts complex in the capital of Jordan that is situated just north of the Amman’s Downtown. Going by the name Darat al-Funun, this gallery aims to promote local arts in the city as well as the region in general, and does so by holding regular exhibits as well as displaying a growing permanent collection.

darat al funun, jordan, amman
See art galleries at Darat al-Funun

The small house of the arts (this is the literal translation of the name) is located almost at the very centre of the city of Amman, in a place generally regarded as the artistic centre of the city too. Near Darat al-Funun are several other art galleries, in fact, including the …