Picturing Jordan

Sharing Jordan with the world — one picture at a time.

Contemporary Arab Design at the Jordan River Foundation Showroom

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.

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Sheikh Zayed Mosque: the Pearl of Aqaba

Beautiful mosque by the sea, surrounded by palm trees

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 façade. Sadly, Aqaba itself isn’t much to write home about.

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Aqaba is Dirty and Disappointing

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

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 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 The Martian, but where he goes snorkeling on a coral reef instead of growing potatoes.

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