Delightful Souq Jara

First and foremost - Ramadan Kareem everyone! Fasting and non-fasting, I wish you a blessed month and not too many thirst induced hallucinations! *wink* 

There's a quaint Friday market just off of Rainbow Street called Souq Jara. It's open from sometime June-ish until late September, and attracts a mass of local handicraft groups, artists, chefs and trinket sellers who set up under colourful umbrellas and sell a variety of things. 

Louis and I have managed to go once a year since 2012 and we enjoy it more each time we go. I remember the first time I visited it I wasn't extremely impressed. I'm not the greatest fan of markets as it is and I felt this one was a little bit small, cramped and didn't offer many new or interesting things. However, I actually enjoy walking through the cobble stoned street and having a little nosey. What I like the most though is that a lot of stalls are run by women's organisations or groups who use the proceeds to further their individual causes and create better opportunities for their communities. It's nice to see local made products and help contribute to someone's life directly. 

We found ourselves in Souq Jara on Friday and it was the perfect opportunity to take some photos and share them with you. They've expanded the Souq to now include a separate food hall, which previously you could find in the main part of the market. Souq Jara is open for probably a couple more months and if you get a chance to go see it, I would recommend it :) 

Sx

Viewing spot from Rainbow Street of the Citadel.

A busy Rainbow Street.

Adorable key hangers.

Bees makin' honey.

Traditional Jordanian clothes.

Mosaic ceramics.

Show of hands if you ever owned one of these.

You can find the most random of things.

Vintage cameras.

Fell in love with these adorable binoculars.

More vintage cameras and other random stuff.

 

A life size Monopoly piece.

The food hall at the end of the market.

Spectacular view.

Umm Qais Umm Qais

I'm sorry this is SO late! I can't even remember when it was that we went to Umm Qais! So let's just say that this post will not be too wordy (lucky you eh?)...

Umm Qais is located practically at the northern border of Jordan. To drive there will take you around 2 and a half hours, as you go through some northern cities like Irbid. Umm Qais is an ancient Roman town and is steeped in history due to its location. You can read a bit more here. 

I'm glad that we managed to visit Umm Qais, even though I am tempted to say that it isn't worth visiting if you have a limited time in Jordan. For me, I enjoyed having a look over the border, especially to see the famous Golan Heights and the gorgeous Lake Tiberias. We were informed by our guide that there are various hikes that would lead into the valley and near the Yarmouk River. We didn't have time to do that though.

I feel we've done quite well in seeing Jordan. A couple more places I'd like to visit are Karak castle and Ma'en Springs, so hopefully do that sometime in the future :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sx

Leading into the Ampitheatre.

 

At the top of the Ampitheatre.

The Terrace.

Love the volcanic black columns, so different to the white ones commonly seen.

The Golan Heights.

The view from our table at the Umm Qais Resthouse.

Grilled halloumi is always a good idea.

View of Lake Tiberias.

Cactus flower.