Jordan - Jordanien

location
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Short dates
Capital	Amman
Form of government	Constitutional monarchy
currency	1 Jordan dinar (JOD) = 1000 fils
surface	97,740 km²
population	10.458.413 (2018)
languages	Arabic (official), English is understood by the majority
Religions	Sunnis 92%, Christians 6% (mainly Greek Orthodox)
Phone code	962
Internet TLD	.jo
Time zone	CET 1h

Jordan is a country in near East. It is almost completely surrounded by land (the exception is a narrow bay of the Red Sea and the east side of the Dead sea). Bordering countries are Israel and Palestine in the West, Syria in the north, the Iraq in the northeast and Saudi Arabia in the south East.

Regions

Jordan can be divided into three major landscapes from west to east:

• Jordan Valley with the Dead sea.
• East Jordan mountainous country - this mountain range is up to 1,754 m high; here are also the largest cities in the country, Amman, Zarqa and Irbid.
• desert

Cities

Map of Jordan

• Amman - Capital.
• Aqaba - at the Gulf of Aqaba, with connections to the Red Sea and Sinai.
• Irbid - largest city in the north.

Other goals

• Ajloun - historical place with a fortress from the time of the crusaders.
• "Bethany across the Jordan" or Al-Maghtas is the name of the presumed baptism site of John the Baptist on the east bank of the Jordan
• Jerash - one of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins in the Middle East.
• Kerak - imposing crusader castle.
• Madaba - known for the mosaic map of Jerusalem.
• Pella - the city in the Jordan Valley belonged to the Bund der Decapolis
• Petra - Main attraction of Jordan, a city carved out of the rock. One of the New Wonders of the World.
• Salt - historical town in the northwest of Jordan
• Shoubak - Location of the crusader castle Montreal
• Dead Sea - The lowest point on earth and a sea in which one cannot drown.
• Wadi Rum - Fascinating sandstone formations contrast with desert sand. Location of Lawrence of Arabia.
• Umm Qais - the old Gadara and city on the border of three states
• Umm El-Jimal - the Nabatean city built from black basalt stone in the north

background

For most of the time since gaining independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King Hussein (1953-99). He was a pragmatic statesman who knew how to coordinate pressure exerted by the great powers (USA, USSR and Great Britain), the Arab states, Israel and the Palestinian people despite various wars and attempts at intervention. In 1989 he introduced elections and allowed slow political liberalization. In 1994 a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. Abdullah II, the eldest son of King Hussein and Princess Muna, ascended the throne after the death of his father in 1999. Since then he has consolidated his power and continued on the previous course. This also includes an extensive economic reform program. In January 2000 Jordan joined the World Trade Organization and in the same year signed a free trade agreement with the USA and in 2001 with the EFTA.

getting there

Entry requirements

Citizens from some Arab states do not need one visa for entry. If you want to enter the country several times, you need a visa to be applied for beforehand at a diplomatic mission abroad. In Central Europe these are:

• Consular section of the Jordanian embassy, Heerstrasse 201, 13595 Berlin. Tel.: 49 30 36 99 60 44. Download: Application form. (The Munich Consulate General was closed.).last change: Nov. 2018
• Consular section of the Jordanian embassy, Rennweg 17/4/2, 1030 Vienna. Tel.: 43 1 405 1026. Download: Application form. Also responsible for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.Open: Mon.-Fri. 9.30am-12.30pm.last change: Nov. 2018
• Consular section of the Jordanian embassy, Rue de Vermont 17, 1211 Geneva. Tel.: 41 22 7482 000. last change: Nov. 2018

The fees are set uniformly, but the consulates allow themselves more or less generous "conversion surcharges" so that the exact price can be inquired about. 1 entry (valid for 1 month) 40 JOD, 2 entries (3 months), 60 JOD, multiple entries (6 months) 120 JOD.

Visa-on-arrival

Visa-on-arrival is available for Europeans and citizens of almost all non-African countries unique tourist entry (but not if you have the Allenby Bridge comes). This privilege also applies to those who need a visa but have a residence permit that is valid for at least six months for the Schengen area, Japan, the USA or the GCC countries. On the other hand, there are restrictions or interrogations on entry for former citizens of certain Arab states or Palestinians or Jordanians. If in doubt, a consulate should be contacted in advance.

All others need a visa which they can acquire upon arrival at the airport or at most border crossings (Exceptions see below). Upon entry, a photo is taken and the fingerprint is saved. The visa fee must be paid in cash in Jordanian dinars (JOD); it is 40 dinars for a single entry visa.^[1] Exchange offices can be found at the border crossings.

Groups of more than five participants on a tour under a Jordanian tour guide by a Jordanian tour operator are supported by the Visa costs exemptif they stay at least two nights.

Anyone staying in transit at Amman Airport for up to 24 hours can get a free Zuwar transit visa received to visit holy places.

Departure tax

When leaving by land or sea, a fee of 10 JOD per person plus 5 JOD per vehicle is due. When leaving the airport, the tax is already included in the ticket price.

Stay extensions

Even if a longer valid entry notice has been issued, an extension must be approved by the police station responsible for the place of residence before the end of the first four weeks if you want to stay in the country for another four weeks. It is only issued if the entry stamp in the passport is and not on an insert, as is sometimes given at the Allenby Bridge. Extensions of up to six months are possible; a medical examination including an AIDS test may be required.

Those who exceed their stay will be asked to pay 1,500 JOD per day.

Customs regulations

Cash in foreign currency can be carried up to 15,000 JOD, but the national currency only up to 50 JOD. Radios and pornographic items are prohibited. Corals and antiques (all older than 100 years) may not be exported.

One liter of schnapps or two liters of wine and 200 cigarettes or 200 grams of tobacco are duty-free.

By plane

Jordan has its own scheduled airline, Royal Jordanian Airlines. Direct flights from Frankfurt are operated by Royal Jordanian and Lufthansa and usually take 4 hours. Many other airlines can fly to Amman from other airports in at least 8 hours. Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, other companies offer these flights with a stopover.

The Queen Alia International Airport is the main airport of Jordan, which was built 35 km south of Amman (on the main road to Aqaba) and has replaced the old city airport of Amman-Marka. The bus ride to the center of Amman takes around 45 minutes.

There are two other international airports:

• Marka International Airport to the east of Amman, the old city airport is still used for freight and VIP flights.
• King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba (mostly charter flights, several every week from Brussels).

By train

Museum train special trip in Wadi Rum station (2018).

The Jordan Hejaz Railway No longer serves general traffic, but is a museum railway.

The railway line used to run twice a week Damascus and Amman Trains. The train connections have been interrupted since 2006, however, and it is unclear whether and when they will ever resume Aqaba Railway only carries freight.

By bus

There are several long-distance bus routes from the surrounding countries.

In the street

A direct drive with your own vehicle from Europe is not possible due to the wars on the 2018 route.

Jordan is a signatory to the Geneva Agreement for international driving licenses. There is right-hand traffic. A Carnet de Passages is not mandatory, but makes sense. Customs must be cleared after three months. Permanent import of diesel cars is not permitted. Liability insurance must be taken out at the border.

In the event of an accident, the driver is always assumed to be at fault if he hits a pedestrian. After an accident, your passport and driver's license will be withheld and a case will take several weeks to process.

Border crossings

Crossing the land borders to Saudi Arabia and Iraq (border crossing in Al Karamah) will probably not be practicable in the near future due to the restrictive entry policy of these countries.

Israel

Those who use these border crossings are only allowed to travel to Oman or Egypt with the same passport in the Arab world. Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh also refuse entry if you can be shown to have been in Israel, i.e. recognizable by the stamp in your passport.

There are three road crossings from Israel and the Occupied Territories:

• 32.49699935.5754341 Sheik Hussein Bridge(32 ° 29 '49 "N.35 ° 34 ′ 31 ″ E). To Irbid 42 km. After on the R35 and 60: 92 km, on the R35: 117 km.
• At Jericho it is 31.87425535.5408012 Allenby Bridge / King Hussein Bridge(31 ° 52 ′ 27 ″ N.35 ° 32 '27 "E.). You can only enter Jordan with a visa that has been applied for at the consulate beforehand. There is none here visa-on-arrival. Just over 50 km to Amman.
• Between Eilat and Aqaba is that 29.57512334.9782563 Wadi Araba Border Crossing(29 ° 34 '30 "N.34 ° 58 ′ 42 "E) (‏معبر وادي عربة). There has been here since 2016 visa-on-arrival only for Israelis. Taxi from town to border approx. € 10.

Israel levies a hefty exit tax (2017: 105 and 176 ₪). The crossings are only open from Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m.

Syria

The border crossing at 32.52958236.2006914 Jaber (مركز حدود جابر) / Nassib (نصيب)(32 ° 31 '47 "N.36 ° 12 '3 "E) was reopened in October 2018. Amman is 88 km on the R15.

The limit at 32.58003636.0428815 Ramtha(32 ° 34 '48 "N.36 ° 2 ′ 34 "E) (‏مركز حدود الرمثا) Was closed in 2011 and not reopened until November 2018.

By boat

Jordan's only port city is Aqaba, which is sometimes called at by cruise ships. There are ferry connections from Egypt (Nuweiba, daily) and off Sue and Jeddah (weekly).

mobility

By plane

The only domestic connection is between Amman and Aqaba.

By bus

Minibuses (service taxis or shared taxis) run between smaller cities without a timetable; they depart when the bus is full.

In the street

Jordan, typical top speeds

The highways are in good condition, but this does not apply to the drivers and vehicles alike. Quite a few trucks and buses drive with worn tires or defective brakes. In the more southern and more rural parts of the country, some drivers think they can see better without lights. It is best not to drive outside of the capital, Amman, after dark.

The main route is the Desert Highway, from Aqaba above Ma'an, Amman until after Damascus in Syria.

The other route of interest to tourists is that Kings Highway, a winding country road west of the desert highway. The Kings Highway begins south of Amman and leads to Kerak, Madaba, Wadi Mujib and Petra before joining the desert highway again south of Ma'an.

Always keep to the maximum speed when driving. There is the so-called sleeping police officers, these are bumps in the road surface that can be uncomfortable at high speed. These are also found on the motorways, they usually draw attention to residential areas in the immediate vicinity, bus stops and crossroads. Central Europeans are also unfamiliar with the fact that they are allowed to turn left on motorways.

The Jordanian police operate checkpoints at road junctions, at which regular checks are carried out; Police officers in their vehicles under sunroofs at the edge of the road watch over the traffic.

The minimum age at rent a car is 21. Some companies do not rent to drivers older than 65.

language

Arabic is the official language in Jordan. Almost all signs, shops, etc. are also translated into English. The new Arabic numbers, as they are known in Europe, are also used for price information. Many people speak English, which is more or less good depending on the region. Some also speak German or French.

shop

For € 100 you get (as of 11/2018) 81 Jordanian dinars (JOD). Cash is exchanged at banks and official exchange offices, and some hotels also offer this service (with poorer rates). Credit cards are accepted in some hotels and shops. Money can now be withdrawn from many ATMs using an EC (Maestro) card. It should be noted here that many ATMs either do not work at all or do not dispense any money despite entering them correctly. The maximum amount for withdrawals at the machine is 250 JOD. The fee for a withdrawal is around 6 euros, but it can vary depending on the bank.

The monthly average wage in 2018 is 450 JOD, the official poverty line 70 JOD.

The US dollar is welcome as a substitute currency and is accepted almost everywhere (conversion rate roughly estimated 4 USD for 3 JOD), it is important to note whether the prices are given in dollars or dinars.

There is a counter at the airport for reimbursement of VAT paid; Minimum purchase is 50 JD and stores must have receipts stamped (details on jo.premiertaxfree.com)

In many places, prices are traded on markets and souvenir stalls, the starting prices are often many times higher than the real value. In the large tourist centers, especially in Petra, the prices for souvenirs, headscarves, etc. are much higher than in the province. Along the “Desert Highway” there are numerous rest stops where, in addition to the café bar and toilet, a souvenir shop invites you to rummage. Here the prices are often excellent, sometimes with fixed discounts. It is worthwhile to keep the prices for the most important souvenirs in mind when you are bombarded by souvenir sellers in places frequented by tourists.

kitchen

Food

Mezzes - starter plate.

Mansaf.

Knafeh for dessert.

Jordanian cuisine is similar to that of neighboring countries. Flatbread (called khobez) is sold for little money in bakeries, it is very tasty fresh, but loses its taste due to drying out.

coffee is - as in other Arab countries - as Arab Coffeee seasoned with cardamom and served freshly brewed, with a different amount of sugar added as desired. The coffee is left to cool in the cup until the set has settled. Often times, Nescafé is also thinner than American coffee offered, espresso corresponds to the Italian counterpart and under the name cappuccino there is more of a kind of milk coffee than the espresso with milk foam that is familiar from Italy.
tea is served generously by the Bedouins and is usually heavily sweetened, swirling the tea glass means that you do not want to be refilled. Black cumin is one of those spices that cannot be missing in Jordanian cuisine.

To the breakfast Flatbread and humus and sometimes falafel are served in Jordan. In addition to humus, fresh vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes, local yoghurt and cream cheese, breakfast buffets in hotels and restaurants usually also include the usual European breakfast rolls, cheese and jam, muesli mixes and corn flakes with milk and various egg preparations.

To the Having lunch rice or cous-cous are served with grilled meat (chicken or lamb), with an offer of fresh vegetables or salad. Humus, cream cheese or yoghurt sauces are served with the salad.
The national dish is classic Mansaf, grilled lamb is placed on a bed of rice and served with yogurt sauce. All guests serve themselves from the large platters together, traditionally they eat with the (right) hand.
Mezze, the starters typical of the Levant and served on numerous small plates, are available (not only) in Lebanese restaurants. When eating, you drink water, sometimes mixed with lemons and fresh mint, or fruit juices. Alcoholic beverages, beer and wine, are usually only offered in the tourist-oriented restaurants of the international hotel chains.

To the dessert fruits, figs or dates come on the table, as well Kanafeh (melted (sheep / goat) cheese with a sweet crust made from noodle threads and pistachios, poured over with sugar syrup) or Karufa, a sweet pastry with nuts.

As in the whole of the Levant, there are also numerous snacks with the local "fast food" variants such as Shawerma (which corresponds to the Turkish doner kebab and the Greek gyros) and Falafel. Well-known local chains are:

• Abu Jbarah: famous for its falafel
• Al-Daya'a: sandwiches and dishes with Shawerma(Arabic doner kebab).

As everywhere, the international fast food chains such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Burger King are represented here in the cities. Western cuisine restaurants are not difficult to find, the hippest and most expensive in luxury hotels. Italian restaurants and pizzerias abound in Amman, Madaba and Aqaba.

Prices 2018: A 1½ liter drinking water bottle 350-600 Fils. A simple meal costs 4-8 JOD. A better restaurant for two around 30 JOD.

nightlife

Although Jordan is an Islamic state, there are discos, nightclubs and bars in Amman. Some restaurants also serve alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. You can get alcohol in pubs and hotels in some supermarkets, which, however, only have a limited selection. In “Liquor Stores”, on the other hand, you have a very large selection of all kinds of alcoholic beverages from international brands. You can also buy many different beers there. This includes the Jordanian Amstel beer as well as Becks, Heineken etc. The Jordanian wine, mostly from Mount Nebo, is also very good. All alcohol is allowed from the age of 18.

Young people's life pulsates at night on Rainbow Street in Amman. In addition to bars, there are also shisha lounges etc. The street is one of the most tolerant and western streets in Amman. Just like Abdoun.

accommodation

There is a wide range of hotels and Air-Bnb accommodations. In terms of price comparable to the prices in major German cities. There are many luxurious hotels, such as the Rotana, which is located in the very modern Abdali area. International chains are represented.

public holidays

Some holidays are based on the Gregorian calendar:

The religious holidays are based on the Islamic calendar. Since this has 11 days less than the Gregorian, the holidays are postponed accordingly. Important festivals are

There may be shifts due to different calculation methods.

security

One can move relatively safely in Jordan, the risks are certainly not higher than in Western countries. One of the security measures is that luggage is x-rayed even after (!) Landing, before leaving (!) The airport. In shopping malls and hotels, too, (very superficial) controls take place every time you enter (metal detectors, scanning).

There is a very high police presence on the streets and highways (checkpoints and police cars that monitor the flow of traffic under sunroofs) and some residential areas are partly guarded. Care should be taken not to accidentally photograph officials.

health

Emergency call: ☎ 911

Health care is considered to be the best in the Arab world. State hospitals are on western standards.

One of the biggest health risks is getting involved in a traffic accident. Be careful, check the condition of the vehicle and avoid driving in the dark.

Other health risks:

• Tap water or ice cubes made from tap water
• Salad and herbs - these are difficult to wash and can cause an upset stomach. Jordanian dishes like tabbouleh are tasty and nutritious, but eat in reasonable places and slowly get used to the foreign food.

Climate and travel time

Climate zones according to Köppen-Geiger.

Climate diagram for Aqaba.

The best travel time is spring and autumn, as the temperatures are pleasant then.

behaviour rules

With the exception of Aqaba and the Dead Sea, Jordan has no beaches. The locals often go into the water fully clothed, only at the pools of the large hotels you can keep your western bathing habits. You should always wear bathing shoes on public beaches, not just because of sea urchins or corals.

Despite all its openness compared to other Islamic countries, Jordan is shaped by its Islamic traditions and rules of conduct. Women traveling alone are a specialty that deserves appropriate attention. Decent clothing is recommended, arms and legs should be covered (long, airy clothing also cools better). Wearing a wedding ring often helps to avoid many questions. Traveling itself is not a problem.

Tips

½ to 1 dinar per day for individual services such as porter or housekeeping. Rounds up in the taxi. Bakshish fishing is much less common than in Egypt.

Practical advice

When visiting antiquities, foreigners will be eight to twenty times the Local price unbuttoned.

Cellular

There are three mobile phone providers, each of which has roaming contracts with foreign providers. These are JMTS (GSM 900), MobileCom / Orange (GSM 900) and Umniah Mobile Company (GSM 1800). You should inquire about the exact tariff with your provider. Coverage is very good in cities, but reception is limited in the desert. Data connections (e.g. Blackberry service) are possible, although not every Jordanian provider makes this available for every German provider. Details can be obtained from the respective provider.

In the border town of Aqaba (Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), the Telekom shops are specialists in dual SIM cell phones!

Literature / media

• Frank Rainer Scheck: Jordan: Peoples and Cultures between Jordan and Red Sea, ISBN 3770139798 , Mair Dumont
• is worth seeing on Youtube Jordan: The Royal Tour, in the 2001 production, the journalist is led by King Abdullah as a travel guide to his favorite places in Jordan on the Discovery Channel.

Web links

• Security advice from the Foreign Office
• Jordan Tourism Board (JTB; Ger.)
• Map of holy places in Jordan
• Ministry of Tourism and Antiques (engl.)
• inch (engl.)

30 ° 35 ′ N. 36 ° 14 ′ E

This is a useful article. There are still some places where information is missing. If you have something to add be brave and complete them.