Life in Jordan: Amman

Somewhat surprisingly, Jordan has become one of the more significant countries in my home story. And since it's a pretty cool place that doesn't get a lot of attention, I thought it would be fun to write some about all the great places in this little country.

Disclaimer: Life is confusing because I both live in Jordan and am married to Jordan. I shall try my best to indicate which one I'm talking about. Also, I'm in no way an expert on life here, just sharing my own experiences.

Some basic facts about Jordan. Arabic is the official language. It's comparable in size to Austria, or Indiana. Most of the population is Muslim, with about 10% being Christian. About 6.5 million people live here, and while statistics are tricky to pin down, at least 2.5 million are Palestinian refugees who had to flee their home country and now permanently reside here. There is also a large Iraqi population following the recent Iraq war, and now thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the current conflict in Syria. Jordan, despite being a poor country with few natural resources (including water) has an admirable spirit when it comes to refugees. As one of the few stable countries in a region filled with uncertainty they have done more than their share for the surrounding people. They also let us live here, and in a world that will more than likely shut it's doors on you, that's something I consider to be a real gift.

Most of Jordan is desert, but Amman (the capital, where I live) has the benefit of some elevation, between 700 and 1,100 m (2,300 - 3,600 ft). This means that our summers, while hot, are not unbearable like they are in most of the surrounding countries. It also means that we can get snow in the winter time. Most of the time we have rather pleasant weather and can enjoy the nice desert sun. Also, sometimes we have sand storms.

Amman is a very scenic city, built on 7 hills, there's often a view to be had, but it's a beast to walk around, especially since the idea of sidewalks hasn't been fully developed. It also has some great history, with a Roman amphitheater and the ruins of a Roman citadel looking down on the city.

The amphitheater is down in the city and the citadel up on the hill. You can just barely see the columns at the top center of the photo

Amman has some great markets, and delicious food, but I'll save that for another post. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to leave them below in the comments and I'll try and answer them in a future post.