Have you been to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State? Or Tel Aviv in Israel? If your answer is in the affirmative, then you are in a familiar terrain. Then, hop into this flight and let’s cruise to Amman, the capital and largest city in Jordan. Like Dutse, like Tel Aviv, Amman is a city of enthralling contrasts. A unique blend of the old and the new, this fascinating city is situated on a ring of hills located between the desert and the Jordan Valley. It’s undulating topography, its unique architecture, its temperate climate and air of prosperity that swirls everywhere, and its people’s hospitality are some of the delightful features that not only make your stay enjoyable but tempt you to want to come again and again.
For 10 days last month (precisely between May 17 and 27, 2013), I had the rare privilege of savouring the beauty and alluring ambience of this distinctive elegant city that accounts for half of the population of Jordan. The privilege came my way courtesy of the International Press Institute, IPI, which invited us, its members, to congregate for its 62nd annual congress.
Although, it sits right in the midst of countries touched by the fire of revolution that swept through some Arab countries until recently, otherwise known as Arab Spring, Amman is unfazed. In contrast, the city wears a quiet mien and beckoning tranquility that could be likened to calm in the midst of storm. Majority of the citizens give thumbs up for their American/British trained-monarch, King Abdullah II-who was crowned as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7, 1999, and has used his education and management acumen to transform the country and meet the yearning of his people.
Despite that, his people still daily call for democratic change. In a speech he delivered to over 1,000 medic executives for the congress on May 20, 2013, Dr. Abdullah Ensour, Prime Minister of Jordan, underscored this point when he said: “The past few years have been momentous in our region. The Arab Spring has opened new opportunities, created new needs and added more urgency to old ones: Generating jobs, especially for the youths that form the majority of Jordan and this entire region’s population, developing transparent and inclusive governance. Ending the injustice that the Palestinians have been suffering and that has kept the region in crisis. Mobilizing help, global help, for the Syrian refugee emergency; and for a political solution in Syria, to stop the bloodshed and maintain unity and territorial integrity.”
In case you didn’t know, Amman shares borders with Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and, as it has been state, it is built on a ring of as well as a plateau. Moving round the city, you are confronted with a scenic view of several mountains, rings of hills, and caves that were inhabited by people till the early 1970s. If you are a Christian and familiar with the great Bible stories, you would see vividly how biblical sages, like Abraham, Esau, Jacob, Saul and David, had wondered among mountains and deserts. They lived in caves and had tents on dusty plains. Our tour guide told us that Amman was the capital of the Ammonites, popularly referred to, in the Old Testament, as Rabat-Amman. One of the revealed sites is named Jericho.
Hitting Amman
At the start of the trip, I had left Nigeria on May 17 aboard Ethihad Airways for the 12 hour-flight to Jordan, with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, capital of United Arab Emirate (UAE). By the way, Ethihad Airways is the national carrier of United Arab Emirate, UAE, while Emirate Airline is privately owned. In the aviation world, these two airlines are rated and proudly referred to as “5-Star Airlines”. Flying in and out of Nigeria two times daily, Ethihad Airways has many brand new planes on its fleet and boasts of one of the best in-flight services you can get anywhere in the world.
There was no waiting on my arrival at the imposing Queen Mia International Airport in Amman as a taxi was already waiting to take me to my hotel – Le Royal which also doubles as the venue for the IPI Congress. As I settled down in my room on the 17th floor of the hotel, I intuitively peeped out of the window and was struck by the enthralling beauty of this city that seems to fall behind the mountains as the sun recoils into its shell at sunset. Apart from these, one cannot but be overawed by the culture of the locals who showered us, and other tourists, with profuse affection at every point.
Political Administration
At the head of Jordanian Administration is a king. Known, in full, as the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, he is Jordan’s Head of State and monarch. He serves as the head of the Jordanian monarchy. According to Wikipedia, the Hashemite Dynasty of Jordan was established in 1921 by Abdulai bin Al-Gysseub Ali. He was succeeded, in 1951, by Talal, his eldest son (1902-1972). Fate, however, scuttled Talal’s reign, as he had to abdicate in 1952 due to ill health. He died in 1972. King Hussein became the first crowned King of Jordan in 1953 at the age of 18. He died in 1999, and was succeeded by the incumbent monarch, King Abdullah II. He was crowned the second king in June 1999.
Culture and worship
In Jordan, Muslims constitute 95 percent of the population while the rest are made up of Christians. The working week begins from Sunday while Fridays and Saturdays are free days, strictly devoted to Islamic worship. The city virtually shuts down during these two days while almost all social and commercial activities grind to a halt.
Jordan, like most countries in the Arab world, has its own peculiar charm and its own set of rules. And whether written or unwritten, cultural differences abound here too. To avoid any problem, IPI, organizers of the congress, alerted and ran participants through some of the norms as follow:
Greetings/salutations
MAN GREETING MAN: Men usually greet one another using the phrase ‘Salaamu Aleikum’ (meaning: ‘peace be upon you’). The appropriate response is ‘Wa’aleikum as-salamma’(meaning: ‘and peace be unto you’). This is accompanied by warm handshake (always use the right hand.) This will follow with a series of three to five kisses to the cheek.
WOMAN GREETING WOMAN: Women greet each other in a similar manner to men. Handshakes (always use the right hand) and kisses are common.
MAN GREETING WOMAN: Social interaction between non-related members of the opposite sex is not common. Consequently, handshake is usually not included in the introduction. You will be able to tell if the person you are introduced to is leery of a handshake as they will fold their hand up and across their chest to let you know they do not intend to shake hands. Always wait for the woman to initiate, if at all.
It is important to note that when meeting a group of people, greetings start with the person on the right and continue on to the last person on the left.
Transportation:
Women do not sit in front seat of taxis. And it’s uncommon for an unrelated man and a woman to be seen alone together as this can lead to awkward or potentially dangerous situation.
Other laws that are strongly enforced and can result in lengthy prison sentences. Please, note that preaching about any religion other than Islam or speaking negative words against the royal family and the king is a serious offence.
Tourism as oxygen
Despite the booming of guns and mortar fires in neighbouring countries, Jordan is a country enveloped in peace. It is a country with huge potentials that could make less-endowed countries turn grey with envy. It is not an oil- producing country yet it taps enormous wealth from tourism to keep the economy afloat. Of course, Jordan does not allow anyone to monkey with taxation. It ensures that every citizen pays his or her tax. It boasts of a strong currency as one US Dollar exchanges for 70 Jordanian Cents. It is also worthy of note that crime rate is very low in the country, but advance fee fraud is nearing epidemic proportion.
The city called PETRA
After the congress, the organizers took us on a guided tour of an old ancient city called PETRA which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, renamed The nine wonders of the world. The inhabitants, called Nabateans, were moved from their enclave and abode inside rocks and got resettled outside the enclave in modern estates and jaw-dropping buildings that had been furnished to the hilt with basic amenities. Little wonder UNESCO turned the once habited enclave into a money-spinning tourist destination for Jordan. PETRA is a city carved in stones by Nabateans in 400 B.C. A huge rock formation that grew from the ground forms an alley way to PETRA city. Horses and carriages line up on both sides of the way, waiting to transport people who could not walk down and up the alley into PETRA. In other to savour the scenic scenes spread ahead of us, I decided to walk with my colleagues-Maida Wada, Publisher/CEO of Peoples Daily, Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman/CEO Trust Newspapers and Garba Shehu, a prolific journalist and tested columnist. We also had in our company, Jim Clancy of the CNN and others.
Walking around PETRA helps to appreciate the awesome power of God, especially the wonderful manner He employed nature to protect the early inhabitants. How they comfortably lived in caves, got water running from rocks saved in rock shaped cisterns to cook their meals with make-shift cooking utensils, remains a marvel. On the average, our guide told us, more than 1,000 people visit the site daily. Our entourage also visited other areas like the Dead Sea, the Baptismal Site and the Nebo Hill where Moses went and never returned. Over all, and from whichever perspective on looks at it, it was a soul-lifting and unforgettable historical experience.
PostScript
Let Arik be
I am not a public relations officer for Arik Airline, but what I saw on this trip begets this brief comment. I flew Ethihad Airline for the first time and was highly impressed by its services. I have flown many airlines in my numerous travels around the world-British Airways, Air France/KLM, United Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Emirate Airline, to name but a few. However, flying Ethihad was thrilling experience. As I said earlier, it is the national carrier of UAE while Emirate Airline is privately owned. But the two are blazing the trail in air travel. Both operate two flights everyday from Lagos. If these two airlines are flourishing from UAE and are enjoying rock-solid support from their home-government, I can’t see any reason why the government of Nigeria should not support Arik Airline and a few other private airlines that are doing well to expand and succeed even more. Up till now, Nigeria is yet to have a national carrier, a luxury that smaller and struggling countries like Niger take for granted.
It’s time the incumbent Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, translated her promise to assist private airlines into reality. Though I appreciate her vision to remodel and transform the nation’s airports, the situation is still far from what it should be. This country still needs another international airport and a national carrier. Those who designed Murtala Mohammed and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airports in Lagos and Abuja, respectively, were so myopic that they never thought of future expansion. See how transformation of major airports in the world is being pursued on daily basis. Nigeria should join the bandwagon of getting a befitting International Airport. The cosmetic renovations going on in some of our airports are insufficient. Let the Federal Government find a big virgin land for this structure.
JEWELRY SHOP
You may be wondering what took me to a jewelry shop on my way to Nigeria on May 27, 2013. I had a six-hour stopover at Abudhabi International Airport. To ward off boredom, I decided to go window-shopping. I got to a jewelry shop where a Nigerian lady asking for the price of a pin-sized gold earring attracted me. The seller brought out his calculator to convert the price in local currency into dollars, and announced without looking up: US$8000.
Holy Moses! Eight Thousand what? I became curious. And I paused to watch the lady’s reaction. I thought she would hiss and walk away. How wrong was I! She calmly took out her Visa card and handed it over to the cashier who swiped it and smiled. Our young lady had paid US$8000 in a jiffy. I was dumbfounded. Involuntarily, I looked at my wallet, I had less than US$600!!
The point I’m making is this: If I didn’t witness that purchase, there was no way I could have cast a second at that lady, especially to see those earrings. Even if I looked at the earrings, there was one chance in a million that I would, on the surface, know that she was wearing a fortune. That means that our ladies that adorn themselves with gold jewelries are actually wearing a fortune on their fragile ears. Imagine what you can achieve with US$8000. Imagine how far you can go in providing shelter for some poor people in your neighbourhood. Lord have mercy!!!
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