What do jordanian people look like

Jordanians are known for being one of the most generous Arabian people. They wholeheartedly offer you their food , homes , help , and company. Along with their trademark hospitality come common customs, some endearing and some strange, only understood by locals sometimes not even by them.

This rule is a bit complicated. And every Jordanian home has a plastic bag containing all the other plastic bags, which are used to line trash cans or store even more plastic bags in later on. To be honest, this tradition is not understood even by Jordanians themselves. Whenever a family expects guests, everyone rushes into a manic cleaning race. Greeting the large number of visiting guests or relatives can be more stressful than expected. This is also why handshakes are impractical—imagine how much more time that would add to the ritual.

Jordanians tend to ignore organization in any form, in any situation. For instance, I was followed by a bunch of teenage boys for at least an hour through the whole of Salt. They had a great time, running around and making jokes. My mistake was to try and get away.

I should have stayed and talked to them, lived up to my role and — best of all — taken a picture. The door was locked, the shades were down. I happened to glance up. The following morning, when I saw Mr Peeper in the lobby, he stared right at me without an ounce of shame. Being spied on is no surprise in any culture, but his lack of shame was a cultural lesson for me — not about relations between men and women in Jordan because I think Jordanian women command a great deal of respect , but rather because I was assumed not to question his rights over my body.

You can regulate the respect you receive according to the way you dress. It also signals your intention to understand. The assumptions about Western women are so image-based that changing your image will change your reception. Modifying my dress and behaviour to match social norms helped immensely. Just wearing loose clothes and long-sleeved shirts made me feel more confident and relaxed, especially in more traditional areas, and allowed local people to take me seriously. But I came to accept that in some places, as a foreigner, I was an exotic sight to be seen, as much as Jordanian people are exotic to visitors.

Since most women adopt a serious, frozen expression on the street it was a great surprise, smiling tentatively at a woman passer-by or exchanging a few words of greeting, to see her face light up with a broad smile in response.

I had an immediate, spontaneous connection which surpassed words and cultural differences. Rather than nodding, yes is indicated by inclining your head forwards and closing your eyes. Many people in the south of Jordan will instinctively touch their right hand to their heart after shaking hands. One hand held out with the palm upturned and all five fingertips pressed means wait.

A side-to-side wrist-pivot of one hand at chest level, palm up with the fingers curled, means what do you want? You can make the same gesture to ask for the bill check in a restaurant. Pointing at someone or something directly with your index finger, as you might do at home, in Jordan casts the evil eye; instead you should gesture imprecisely with two fingers, or just flap your whole hand in the direction you mean.

Beckoning with your palm up has cutesy and overtly sexual connotations; instead you should beckon with your palm facing the ground and all four fingers together making broom-sweeping motions towards yourself.

In all Arab cultures, knowingly showing the soles of your feet or shoes to someone is a direct insult. Foreigners have some leeway to err, but you should be aware of it when crossing your legs while sitting: crossing ankle-on-knee means your sole is showing to the person sitting next to you. Copying the Jordanian style of sitting on a chair — always keeping both feet on the floor — is safest. Sitting on the floor requires some foot-tucking to ensure no one is in your line of fire.

Putting your feet up on chairs or tables is not done. Most diners and restaurants offer toothpicks, which should be used surreptitiously behind your palm. In tribal bedouin culture, where the mark of a man is how he treats his guests, and where what is unsaid has as much or more resonance than what is said, coffee plays a hugely significant symbolic role.

He brews the coffee with cardamom in a dalleh, a long-spouted pot set in the embers, and then serves it to everyone present in tiny thimble-sized cups, always beginning with the guest of honour and proceeding clockwise around the circle. Then, and only then, can the social interaction or discussion begin. However, if the guest of honour places their first cup in front of them without drinking, this is a signal that they have a request to make of the host — or that there is some underlying problem between them.

Only when the request has been met, or the problem solved, will the guest drink. The country has many cultural events and festivals including the Jerash Festival in July which celebrates Jordanian arts and culture. Another very important event in Jordan is Muharram which marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year. The date of this event varies depending on the moon cycles but it usually falls in January. Events and festivals in Jordan offer an insight into local celebrations — though visitors should be prepared for towns and cities to become extremely busy during significant events.

The local food in Jordan tends to consist of rice, yogurt, lamb, olives, and a range of herbs and spices. Baked pastries are also very popular in Jordan especially sweet dishes including baklava. At most restaurants in Jordan, visitors are likely to find a large number of mezze dishes. This style of eating is popular in Jordan and consists of hot appetizers and cold appetizers which are shared across the table, followed by a large meal.

Torn pieces of bread are folded in half and used to scoop the food. The left hand is never used to feed oneself. Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. When people visit family and friends, tea, Turkish-style or Arabic-style coffee, or fruit juice is served.

Often this meal includes sweets, especially on holidays. The national main dish is Mansaf, which consists of lamb cooked in dried yogurt and served with seasoned rice on flat bread. Mansaf is always served on holidays and special family occasions such as visits to relatives or friends, engagements, and weddings.

Basic Economy. The economy is based on free enterprise. The service sector, consisting of government, tourism, transportation, communication, and financial services contributes the most to the economy, employing 70 percent of the workforce.

Amman has developed into a regional business center. Land Tenure and Property. Land ownership is the goal of many, but few can afford the cost. Except for the very wealthy, most people live in rented housing. Commercial Activities. Because most of the country is desert, less than 4 percent of the land is cultivated. Natural resources are scarce, and no oil has been found.

The country's archaeological sites draw more than two million visitors a year. Major Industries. Potash, phosphate, and gypsum mining and the manufacturer of cement, fertilizers, and refined petroleum products are the largest industries.

Jordan is among the world's top three potash exporters. Since the Gulf War, the number of immigrants has increased greatly, leading to a severe trade deficit and a labor market that has not produced enough jobs.

Division of Labor. Jordan's economy is heavily impacted by its location in the Middle East, the arid landscape, its relationship with its neighbors, and its dependence on foreign aid. Its largest sectors are finance, which employs 22 percent of its labor force; transportation, which employs 16 percent; and the industrial sector, which employs 17 percent.

Tourism offers the greatest prospect for development. Jordan's political and social systems are a mix of new and old, traditional and non-traditional, Bedouin and Palestinian. Classes and Castes. All social and political systems of Jordan are centered around extended patriarchal family units based on ancestry and wealth. Family units are often led by sheikhs whose rule depends on the size of their families, their wealth, and the will of their personalities.

After the death of a sheikh, the eldest son ascends to the position of head of the family. Symbols of Social Stratification. The emerging modern Arab culture values a college education, Mercedes cars, and a home in an urban area as symbols of success.

However, in traditional Arab culture, camel breeders are still considered to be highest on the social scale. Traditional clans consider anyone outside their clan to be inferior, so the tradition of only marrying a person from within their families continues. Since , Jordan has been a constitutional hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary form of government.

It is politically stable, with freedom of religion, the press, and private property guaranteed. There is an ongoing program of democratization. In parliamentary elections were instituted, and since that time, martial law has been lifted and political parties have been legalized. Elections were held in and Leadership and Political Officials. In , King Hussein, the longest-serving head of state in the world, died. Hussein's oldest son, Prince Abdullah, Buildings in Amman, a city that reflects western influence.

King Abdullah Ibn al-Hussein has indicated that he intends to follow his father's policies. He wields wide power over the government and appoints the prime minister. Jordan's present legislative branch consists of an eighty-member elected Lower House and a forty-member Upper House.

After a bill is approved by the Lower House and Senate, it is given to the King, who either grants consent by Royal Decree or returns the bill unapproved. Jordan's Constitution guarantees an independent judicial branch, dividing the courts into three categories: civil, religious, and special courts. Social Problems and Control.

Many of the country's laws are based on the Koran and the Hadith, a collection of Mohammed's sayings. These laws are enforced in religious courts called Sharia courts, which have jurisdiction over personal matters. Chastity is demanded of all single women. If a woman's chastity is compromised, a male relative may feel obligated to murder her to save the family's honor.

When these cases go to court, often the charges are dropped or the murderer receives a short sentence. Jordan has a low crime rate by international standards, with few petty crimes such as robbery reported. Military Activity. Jordan maintains an army, an air force, and a small navy. The total strength of the armed forces in was , active members and 35, reserves. There is a paramilitary force that includes twenty thousand civil militia members and ten thousand public security officers.

Jordan is a leader of peace efforts in the Middle East and is at peace with its neighbors. There is not a comprehensive welfare scheme, but the government administers medical and health services. Nongovernmental organizations are involved with the environment, women, children, and economic issues.

The royal family is supportive of many charitable foundations. The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development has social development centers throughout the country that help women and children. Division of Labor by Gender. Most women have their lives controlled by their closest male relatives. Despite the limitations placed on them, they have made advances in education in a country where the practice of educating women only began three or four decades ago.

Balancing customs and traditions at home with obedience to their husbands and the demands of a career remains a difficult challenge. When women work, they receive extensive benefits and sometimes equal pay. The census placed the proportion of women in the workforce at 14 percent, up from 8 percent in The unofficial unemployment rate for women is 65 percent. The Relative Status of Women and Men. Sons are prized, and this status continues throughout adulthood.

Most Muslim women cover their heads with scarves. A small minority cover their heads and faces with a veil. Segregation of the sexes occurs all public situations, and there is limited interaction between Workmen lay a water pipeline in the Jordan Valley.

Most of Jordan is desert. It is common for women to eat apart from men in restaurants. Unless they are married or related, men and women do not sit together on public transportation. Getting married and having children are top priorities.

Most marriages are arranged by the father of the bride. Often cousins marry each other, and the couple may barely know each other until the engagement is announced. The wedding has two celebrations: an engagement party and a wedding party. After the engagement party, the process of dating and getting to know each other begins. After the engaged woman and man have signed the papers at the engagement party, they are legally married. If they choose not to proceed, even though they have not lived together, they must divorce.

Brides must be virgins on the wedding night. After marriage, every aspect of a woman's life is dictated by her husband. She cannot obtain a passport or travel outside the country without his written approval.

At any time, a husband may take another wife. Polygamy with up to four wives is legal. Divorce is legal. When there is a divorce, custody of the children automatically goes to the father, and for this reason, women choose to remain in a marriage even when there are other wives. Divorced women are viewed as outcasts. Domestic Unit. The typical family is extended, with family size decreasing since to about six members per family.

The scarcity of natural resources, especially the chronic shortage of water, makes population control vital. To slow the rapid growth rate, birth spacing programs have increased awareness of the benefits of family planning, and many wives now use contraceptives. Inheritance is guided by Islamic law. A woman receives half the amount that a man receives. Kin Groups.

Kinship relationships are patriarchal. Extended family ties govern social relationships and tribal organization. Infant Care. Women are primary caregivers for infants and small children. After the first son is born, the father and mother take the name of the son. If the son's name is Mohammed, the father becomes Abu Mohammed, meaning "father of Mohammed," and the mother becomes Om Mohammed, or "mother of Mohammed.

Bedouin woman preparing a meal. Free-wandering Bedouins have lived in the traditional way for thousands of years. Child Rearing and Education. Children love to belly-dance with people watching and clapping their hands and women making a vocal expression by moving their tongues rapidly back and forth between their lips.

Primary education is free and compulsory, starting at the age of six years until a child is sixteen years old. Outside the classroom, children participate in few activities away from the family.

Higher Education. All students are required to take an extensive examination called Tawjehieh before graduating from secondary school and as a prerequisite for entering universities and colleges.

The top male and female students attend state universities and numerous private colleges. The literacy rate is over 86 percent. Greetings and farewells are lengthy and sincere. Even answering a telephone involves saying "how are you? Women dress modestly and often are offended by exposed flesh. Most Muslims do not drink alcohol. Shoes are always removed before entering a mosque, and this custom extends to homes as well. Shib-shibs flip-flop sandals are always put on before entering a bathroom, the feet and are never put on a coffee table, footstool, or desk.

It is forbidden and disrespectful to expose the bottoms of the feet.