After spending the day among the ruins of Jerash (post here), Nick and I decided to spend the rest of the day on foot in Amman. Our driver, Crazy George, brought us to the stunning King Abdullah Mosque before before dropping us at the Citadel, an ancient fortress that sits atop one of Amman's many hills. The commanding location allowed us to see the entire city, including the massive, 6,000 seat Roman theatre nestled at the foot of the hill. After taking in the views and orienting ourselves a bit, we set off on foot back to the hotel, zigging and zagging through unknown city streets.
We passed street vendors and spice markets, floating amid the current of early evening traffic. With no specific place to go, we haphazardly wandered. The markets were bursting with beautiful fresh fruit - a reminder of the bounty available in this arid corner of the world. The fish market was photogenic, but the catch trucked in from the Red Sea and Mediterranean was pungent. As we strolled through the butcher's district, Nick said, "I think that's camel." I was initially skeptical, but one look at the large carcass confirmed his suspicion.
As evening fell, the activity in the streets began picking up. We started to see people hurriedly walking through the streets holding massive platters covered in foil, while on the corners people were handing out small containers. We quickly realized the foil-covered platters were communal plates of food, and the containers - at this point being passed out to pedestrians, passengers in cars, cart vendors, shopowners, children on bikes - were water. Small, impromptu banquets began to spring up, and people slowing began gathering outside of shops, spilling off the sidewalks. We watched as they greeted and hugged one another, and felt the energy of the city change. With sunset approaching, we suddenly remembered it was the last day of Ramadan, and everyone was celebrating Eid al-Fir (celebrating the last day of the Islamic holy month of fasting). As the last rays of sun hit the tallest buildings, a joyful cheer erupted throughout the city. People hugged and kissed new friends and old as they broke the fast. As we strolled past each block, strangers smiled and waved, beckoning us to join them at their table - tables of laughter, joy, friendship, and love.
I know very little about Muslim culture, but I feel extremely blessed to have been able to witness such an amazing communal, cultural, and religious event. It's moments like this when I'm reminded how traveling opens our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to ideas and cultures that are foreign to us. Our time in Jordan was punctuated with a million sights, sounds, and smells - but none of those memories resonates with me quite like this one.
