Travel guide Jordan

Coffee is, for Jordanians, an important cultural symbol of hospitality. In Bedouin tradition, three rounds of coffee are offered first (one for the soul, one for the sword, and one in honor of the host), followed by tea. By accepting the coffee offered to you, you in turn signify your benevolence.

Tea arrived in the region with the British. It is traditional to welcome visitors with a glass of sweet tea. In the south, the Bedouins flavor their tea with wild sage gathered from the desert. In restaurants, you are more likely to be served mint tea. In the roadside stands, a plain tea.

At the time of the emperor Alexander the Great, ten cities were federated in the heart of a Decapolis intended to develop trade between the East and the West. Roads were built as well as temples, theaters, fountains, palaces... Their remains form today an exceptional testimony that one never tires of surveying.

The dumplings made of chickpea flour flavored with herbs, garlic and onion are the delight of Jordanians... at breakfast. Thus, the best falafels are eaten in the gargotes that open at dawn. Of course, you can eat them at any time of the day, preferably in a sandwich, crushed in an unleavened bread cake.

The Hashemite Kingdom has existed since 1946, but the origin of the reigning royal family is thousands of years old. It is descended from Hashim ibn Abdel Manaf, great-grandfather of the Prophet Mohammed. This family was the guardian of Mecca until the arrival of the Saud. It is composed of several branches. Thus, the pretenders to the throne of Iraq are Hashemites.

These are the hills or mountains in Arabic. The ancient city of Amman was built on seven hills that made historians say that it was the Rome of the East. The Jordanian desert is made up of rugged mountains in the hollows of which man has erected magnificent sites such as Petra, or which nature has divided into sumptuous wadis.

The keffiyeh is a square scarf folded into two triangles and held on the head by two knotted strings. Bedouins use it as protection against the sun and sand. The traditional Jordanian keffiyeh alternates red and white checks. The keffiyeh is also a sign of tribal recognition. The patterns change depending on the tribe.

Jordan's national dish traditionally consists of lamb cooked in fermented and dried goat's milk called jameed. Mansaf is served with rice, almonds and pine nuts. This heritage of Bedouin tradition is the dish of special occasions: wedding, birth, guest of honour, Eid... and it is eaten with the fingers!

The qasr, or "castles", are part of Jordan's historical landscape. These fortresses are found in the northeast of the country and on the Kings' Highway, and date for the most part from the Arab Umayyad dynasty. They were placed at strategic points, at the edge of the desert or on busy caravan and pilgrimage routes.

One does not smoke hookah in Jordan, one "drinks a sheesha" to use the literal translation of the country's dialectal Arabic. Until recently, coffee lovers could choose between molasses or apple flavors. Now, an explosion of flavors perfumes the country's coffees: apricot, melon, cherry, flowers, cappuccino or even cola..

The Bedouin dagger is known as a shibriya. All men carry this traditional dagger, as it symbolizes virility. It consists of a short blade curved in a double edge and often engraved. The handle is made of horn and the richly carved wooden sheath is equipped with a belt loop and is worn on the back side.

The wadi designates both a watercourse and a valley. They are often dry and form sandy beds that the Bedouins use to move around. But storms and rains can suddenly and violently fill them, transforming them into destructive torrents. They are also the result of geological evolutions as in Wadi Rum.