Jordania – Eu Aid Volunteers

For a long time, Jordan has been a country flying under the radar of a wider public. Talking with my friends in Sweden, it is just a handful that knows where the country is located, and even fewer have heard the name of the capital, Amman. The same seems to regard many other people across the world where Jordan has remained a hidden gem. However, something has happened after the Covid-19 pandemic where more and more tourists are streaming into the country. Queues to immigration are expanding, various languages are heard across the country, and an increasing awareness about Jordan seems to be the reality. After living here for nearly a year, I can only say it is about time.

Jordan first reached large-scale attention after appearing in the movies of Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones. The spectators were struck by the amazing landscapes that apparently existed on planet earth in the form of Wadi Rum and Petra. Then, after The Martian with Matt Damon as the main actor, new light was brought to Wadi Rum. Actually, Jordan has turned into a paradise for filmmaking with many directors using Therefore, an increasing amount of people are telling themselves and their friends in the living rooms, cinemas, or wherever movies are seen “wow, where is that? I need to go.” I can now tell you, it is Jordan and on occasions, the landscape are beyond my sense of reality and ridiculously beautiful.

However, for many, Jordan remains an undiscovered spot of the world, and for those with previous knowledge about the country, only Petra is mentioned, one of the world’s seven wonders. Petra is amazing and you have to hold you breathe while approaching the temple, but believe me, Petra is beautiful, but it is still not even the best place of Jordan. I could make the list incredibly extensive, ranging from all sorts of experiences, but I do neither want to sound repetitive or boring. However, some locations and places need to be addressed and elaborated upon.

Starting from the north, Umm Qais is located on Jordan’s northern border against Israel and Syria. To me, it is one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed overlooking the Golan Heights and Lake Tiberias in an incredibly complex historical site with well-kept ruins. Speaking about ruins, Jerash, located roughly an hour north of Amman, is one of the most well-kept roman cities of the world with stunning architecture, amphitheater, ruins, and temples, where you as a tourist actually are given a strong impression of what life could look like during the 500^th century.

Despite these astonishing places, to mention a few, I am from Sweden, a country of amazing nature, nature and landscapes has always been particularly appealing to me. Dana combines the best of sands and mountains through impressive ruins, perfectly bulbed-shaped rocks, and astonishing sunsets. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, is just as insane as it looks on the pictures. You enter the water not believing that you will be able to float like a cork, nevertheless, that is exactly what you do. You are laying in the middle of the sea, in the cradle of civilization, floating like it is the easiest thing to do. What has not reached the wider audience is the canyons, located in the Dead Sea region, stemming from the mountains of the central parts of the country. In Arabic, these canyons are referred to as “wadis,” and some of them have a remarkable landscape with water flowing through, smaller waterfalls, sincere greenery (which Jordan does not have a lot of), and cute narrow cracks.

I have now mentioned a few of all the incredible places in Jordan, but only touched upon the, in my opinion, most remarkable place of them all. Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a desert with sand in various colors, mountains in all its forms, ravines penetrating through these mountains, and just endless open landscape. On top of this, it is one of the places of this planet to see shooting stars, the milky way, and stargaze. As if this were not enough, you get the opportunity to sleep in the middle of the desert, being well-treated by the local population, the Bedouins. The Bedouins are not the only people of Jordan that are welcoming you with a smile. Wherever you go in Jordan, regardless of if you are in the capital or at various places across the country, people are always greeting you by the phrase “Welcome to Jordan.” I am starting to be long, and I have not even mentioned the food, the capital of Amman, the views, and the energy of the city. But that, that is for another time. In the meantime, please travel, visit, or live in Jordan, it is an amazing place that deserves to receive even wider attention.