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June 27, 2022: Petra, Rose City of Jordan

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Famous for its kaleidoscope-colored rock architecture and ingenious water system of dams , cisterns , and conduits, the magnificent “Rose City” of Petra was built by the Nabateans as early as 312 BC. It was obviously a must-see on the itinerary for Ed’s first trip to Jordan.  The day was already warm when our intrepid group of Dima, Ed, Maya, Jawad, and me arrived from Amman at about 10:40 a.m, and began walking through the entrance of the Siq, a narrow gorge leading to Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, by now famous synechdoche for the city of Petra. In 2007, Al-Khazneh was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. A reedy local girl called Hala joined our group early and tagged along, plying her postcards (10 for 1 Jordanian dinar). She was feisty and even directive at times, pointing out the treasury and carved-out shapes of caravan camels and driver in the rock walls of the Siq. Maya in the Siq   Al-Khazneh Soon we struck an agreement with Hala to guide us up the rocky ...
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Street Art in East Amman, June 2022

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  On Saturday, June 25, 2022, we visited Hashimi Ashamali, a neighborhood in East Amman and home to thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. It is a poor and marginalized community. People have low educational levels and very few opportunities to escape poverty and suffering. Introduced to hiphop in his teenage years, Aladdin, tour guide and son of this community, spoke about how he and his friends would come home from school and crowd around a TV to watch hiphop competitions broadcast from around the world. Hiphop widened the horizon of what was possible. He took our group around the neighborhood, stopping at the most arresting or storied murals done by local and international street artists . Many of these murals were done during Baladk, a highly successful festival that draws street artists from around the world, who create murals based on annual themes. The murals attract growing numbers of tourists, changing the neighborhood. Any financial benefit for the resid...
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