Crafts @ the 2nd circle

Today I went to visit 2 different shops, one very exciting, the other a bit less. They are located not far from each other just next to the Intercontinental hotel and behind Reems, our famous sharwama stand at the second circle.

The first one, the "exciting one" is Alaydi, the Jordan Craft Development Centre. It is hidden in a private villa.

So what do they sell? Rugs and carpets, a great display of old bedouin rugs, kilims and cushions. There is jewellery, embroidery, pottery and much more. You will find small souvenirs and furniture. I really fell for this place, it's great. My friend who recommended it, asked me if I needed to spend money and that it shouldn't be any problem as they accept Visa! I did buy a few things, including some last Christmas decorations. It is well worth a visit.

The other shop, much smaller, is located a bit further down the road. It is called Alburgan.

You will find some nice things here as well, most decorations, cushions...

a shop in downtown: it's all about Christmas decorations

So today, we took a small trip to downtown Amman. I don't go to downtown as much I would like. It is always so hot, so crowded, dirty - so, I feel not really a place for Bibs. My Australian friend (yes her again) told me about this little shop where she ordered Christmas decoration; she needed to go back to pick up her order so she took me along, with one of the other mums but without Bibs. Located on King Talal street, it is a tiny place, but we received such a warm welcome by the Armenian owner, Mr. Kokozian.

The Shop

The owner and artist, Mr Kokozian

The paint

Work in progress

He blows the glass and does all the painting himself. It is possible to buy the things exposed in the shop or to make an order. Obviously for Christmas he is very busy, but he works all year round. I ordered some balls for the tree, one with Bibs' name on. Price-wise the small balls are 7JD, the bigger ones 15JD and the biggest candle holder is 30JD.

Some of the decorations below

This one is a gift from the owner, I love it!

I am sure that the decorations will look beautiful on our tree! 

National Gallery of Fine Arts

This has been on my to-do-list for a little while, and yesterday I finally made it: to the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.

The gallery is located in 2 different buildings, on each side of a small park and houses a permanent collection of contemporary art from Jordan, the Arab world and other developing countries, mainly Africa and Asia.

Building number 1 as it is called, the one with the terrace on the top on the picture, is definitely the most interesting out of the 2. It is much bigger and the collection, I found, easier to understand and more approachable. I thought this one was impressive: it is views of street walls in Palestine.

On the 2nd floor there is a small library, specialised in arts of course. They have a small selection is Arabic, English and French.

There is also a small cafe, unfortunately closed when we were there. And then a small terrace with an amazing view over Amman and the Blue Mosque.

I found this picture very interesting. You can see the King Abdullah Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque, recognisable with its blue dome. It was built as memorial to the late King Hussein's grandfather. It is possible to visit it, so I really want to go. Just in front there is a church, other mosques around and then of course the building sites, squattered across Amman.

In the second building there is a small souk Zara outlet. It is handcrafts type of shop which can also be found mainly in hotels in Amman (Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental) but also in other hotels across the kingdom (Dead Sea, Petra, Aqaba). They offer jewelry, ceramics, postcards, woodwork, mosaics... Unfortunately it was closed in the middle of the afternoon... The entrance is 5JD per person (we didn't pay for my friend's daughter who is 10).

We had a nice afternoon. It is a small but interesting museum. There is access to strollers, wheelchairs... A good point as it is rare in this country.

There is also a nice garden and a cafe, will talk about that in a separate post. I took also plenty of pictures of the area, because the architecture is very different to the part of Amman where we live. All to come...

Souk Jara - a lovely outdoor market in Amman

In 2004, in order to maintain and preserve the identity of the Jabal Amman area the residents created an association named JARA (Jabla Amman Residence Association). It is a very attractive area, lovely to walk around in, lots of old houses to look at.

During the summer months, on fridays, there is a small outdoor flea market called Souk Jara which has been organised. It is located off Rainbow Street, next to the Jordan River Foundation. I think I remember that I have read somewhere that the market is open from 9am to 9pm.

The entrance to Souk Jara

Views of the Market

We went just before lunch and there wasn't that many people, it was still possible to walk around with Bibs in her stroller. There are 40 so stalls selling everything from hand made jewelry, honey, frames, handcrafts. The girl with the soaps, that I met at the Farmer's market is there as well. She told me that in the evenings there are concerts as well. I guess the crowd is a bit different then. There is a playground for kids and a small alley with lots of food stalls as well.

Food stalls - very busy!

If you are in Amman on a Friday during the summer months, it is definetely worth a visit. I really liked it. I think I will be going back next week and browse for a couple of gifts to bring with me when we are going back to Europe.

A little bit before the market on the opposite side of the street, there is a small shop selling handcrafts. There are some really lovely things - a bit expensive though.

As usual I am updating my map, you can find a link to it at the bottom of the page.