Off to the Holy Land

Over a year ago, I booked an OAT trip to Israel and Jordan.  Finally, this past November, the departure date arrived.  The itinerary began in Jordan, and I must admit that I had a preconceived notion that Jordan was primarily endless sand where camels outnumbered people.  As soon as I got to my hotel in Amman, I realized the extent of my ignorance.  The Thousand Nights Hotel was certainly no tent in the desert.  Located on a busy commercial street in a modern section of the city, it was not only up-to-date but quite luxurious. 

Since I had arrived a day before the OAT tour officially began, I was looking forward to a day on my own to form some impressions of the Jordanian capital.  First, however, I needed to fuel myself at the breakfast buffet.  The extensive offerings included some of my favorite foods – hummus, eggplant dip, feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, freshly baked pita, and even halwa– although I don’t normally consume them at breakfast.    Actually, I soon realized that it was a good idea to load up on calories in the morning because we would need plenty of energy to keep up with our packed schedule.  

On my very first morning in Amman, I made my first new friend of the trip.  I saw a woman about my age standing just outside the hotel. It wasn’t hard to identify her as fellow OAT traveler. Sue, from San Francisco, turned out to be an experienced hiker and a veteran of several previous OAT adventures. Together, we set out for a walk around the neighborhood. 

The area seemed to be fairly new, with a mixture of businesses ranging from banks to small grocery stores and restaurants along the main road. At one shop, an intoxicating aroma and a beautiful window display of spice pyramids drew me inside where I sampled half a dozen different types of za’atar(the ubiquitous hyssop and sumac mixture that is sprinkled on salads, yogurt, etc.).  We both tried some plump dates and dried apricots, and examined a variety of colorful Jordanian sweets.  

A small grocery in west Amman

Baking bread at a street stand near the hotel

Modern residential buildings in west Amman

With the heavy traffic and frequently missing sidewalks, this part of the city wasn’t especially pedestrian friendly.  After a while, we took refuge in a bustling restaurant frequented by locals (judging from the fact that almost all of the women were wearing hijabs).  I wondered if we’d have problems with the language, but the waiter produced an English menu and we had no trouble ordering very reasonably priced lunch of falafel and tea. 

In the afternoon, Sue and I decided to try the traditional Turkish bath house (with separate men’s and women’s facilities) located on the lower level of the hotel.  I don’t normally get massages or go to spas so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Based on a previous visit to a Japanese-style spa in Santa Fe, I was anticipating a calm, tranquil environment where I could be reflective, solitary and inner-focused. However, I was in for quite a surprise. The Turkish bath proved to be an extremely social and eye-opening cultural experience, filled with laughter, talking and even singing and dancing. Women who normally appear covered up in public or in mixed company must feel liberated in the female-only setting. Like them, I found it easy to shed my inhibitions along with my clothing. Even though we didn’t share a common language, we communicated with gestures and facial expressions, and it was a joy to feel included in their sisterhood.  The session included time in a steam room and a Jacuzzi tub, an invigorating exfoliation and a body scrub under a mountain of bubbles while lying on a heated tile platform, and a 15-minute massage, all of which helped my sore and stiff muscles recover from the long day of travel.  

The entrance to the Turkish bath house 

Around dinnertime, Sue and I got our first glimpse of our Jordanian tour guide. Nader, in a typical red-checkered Arab headdress, came striding across the hotel lobby to introduce himself. Tall, handsome and powerfully built, Nad could easily be mistaken for an actor in the classic film Lawrence of Arabia.  His American-accented English was perfect and the twinkle in his eye hinted at his charm and charismatic personality.  Sue and I were immediately smitten. 

Our guide, Nader (Nad, for short) 

So “Yalla!” or “Let’s go!” as they say in Arabic.  It was time to get acquainted with Amman.  

The following morning, we met the remaining 10 members of our group and, under Nad’s direction, set out to explore the Jordanian capital.  Nad gave us a quick overview of the city’s development. The original name of the city was Ammon, i.e. the city of the Ammonites. You may recall from Bible stories that the Ammonites were one of the tribes that King David battled.  While Amman has an extremely long history, the older eastern part of the present city dates back to the early 20^thcentury while the newer western part of the city (where our hotel was located) was built over the last twenty to thirty years.  Here, the predominant color is white, since most of the buildings are constructed of the local limestone.  

As we drove through the city, I was surprised to see that it was so hilly. In fact, Nad informed us that Amman is built on seven hills, like Rome. We began our tour in the western part of the city with a stop at the King Abdullah Mosque, built in the 1980s.  The exterior of this structure, with its beautiful blue dome, is decorated with geometric designs and geometric style calligraphy.  After the women in our group donned long robes (provided free of charge by the mosque) and covered our heads, we were ushered inside.  Nad told us that the lines on the carpet guide the male worshippers, helping them arrange themselves in straight rows, shoulder to shoulder, when they pray.  There is a separate area for women.  We sat on the carpet for a very informative question and answer session with one of the leaders of the mosque.  

King Abdullah Mosque with geometric decoration 

Interior of the King Abdullah Mosque 

From the mosque, we proceeded to the Citadel in the older section of the city, where we saw remains of city walls built during the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BCE). Here, you can find ruins dating back to ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic times.  Most impressive was the 5000 seat Roman amphitheater, built in the Greek style, i.e. carved right into the hillside.  It is still used today for theatrical performances.  

Roman ruins

After a short walk in the old city, we came to the legendary Hashem Falafel Restaurant.  As the oldest falafel restaurant in Amman, it’s extremely popular with locals as well as with tourists.  Our group enjoyed a traditional meal served family style.  It included two types of hummus, eggplant dip, fresh tomatoes, warm pita, a fiery red sauce, and a special type of falafel stuffed with sautéed onions and coated with sesame seeds.  We topped off the filling meal with glasses of mint tea.  

Typical street in east Amman 

Everything was delicious, especially the stuffed falafel, at Hashem. 

Despite having stuffed myself at lunchtime, I ventured out to try the local ice cream shortly after we got back to our hotel.  (Oh, the sacrifices we must make in the name of culinary research.) The intriguingly named Arabic ice cream caught my attention.  It was delicious but I had trouble identifying its unusual taste.  I later learned that it derives its distinctive flavor from mastic gum, a substance that comes from the resin of the mastic tree. The aromatic resin is sun-dried into small translucent golden pieces, which can be ground up for flavoring. Arabic ice cream is definitely worth trying if you ever come across it.  

The culinary challenge continued a couple of hours later at our group dinner, a lavish feast at the well-known Tawaheen El Hawa restaurant.  I could have made a meal from the assortment of mezze that we shared. Of course, these were just the appetizer course, which was followed by the main course.  I chose mansaf, Jordan’s national dish. Mansafis lamb cooked with yogurt and a salty cheese, which form a richly flavored sauce.  The meat was so tender that it was falling apart. It was served over a mound of rice, and was quite tasty.  

Woman making bread in the restaurant

Mezze (appetizers) 

Mansaf, Jordan's national dish 

It was a busy day and a great way to kick off our exploration of Jordan. Tomorrow, we’d be heading out of the city, and I was eagerly anticipating more discoveries and surprises.