I am researching for a book which deals with life in Amman, Jordan. 

I am looking for information that will bring this to life -
1) Clothes
2) Foods
3) Customs
4) Anything else that may be relevant

The family is Palestinian Muslim

I will pay additional $5 tip for a good answer

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Request for Question Clarification by hummer-ga on 29 Mar 2003 04:19 PST

Hi dogsbollocks,

Will this book suit or do you need a more recent description of life
in Amman?

Story of a City: A Childhood in Amman: 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0704380234/ref=lib_rd_ss_TBCV/103-5835827-9207812?v=glance&s=books&vi=reader&img=8#reader-link

hummer

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Clarification of Question by dogsbollocks-ga on 29 Mar 2003 15:16 PST

Hi Hummer,

Thanks, I am actually looking for a more recent account (appx 1990s),
preferably with pictures, to bring it to life.

Books, websites, encyclopaedias, etc.

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Request for Question Clarification by hummer-ga on 29 Mar 2003 16:45 PST

Hi dogsbollocks,

Ah, I see, I think I misunderstood your question. I thought you were
asking us to find you a book when in fact, you are actually writing a
book, right?  Thanks for the clarification. hummer

Welcome back, dogsbollocks,

I've done the best i can for you. You know where the Clarify Answer
button is. Please use it if necessary and I'll do  my best to
accommodate you.

The majority of Jordan's population lives in cities, and the largest
of these cities is Amman, the country's capital. Any information you
find below represents Amman as well as the whole of Jordan, unless
otherwise specified.

TRIVIA:

"Residents of Amman, a city of more than 1 million, are allowed
running
water only once a week."  The whole article is horrifying, but if you
want to go directly to Amman information, use the 'find' function of
your browser to access those references. I found five in total.

Fellows Stories
http://www.pewfellowships.org/stories/gaza/gaza_water.html


Here's an article which might interest you. It was written by a woman
who'd been 'away from home' for a half year, and she discusses the
rapid and noticeable changes occurring in Amman on many fronts. "There
was also an increase in the number of "no smoking" signs that somehow
resulted in increasing the number of smokers in the kingdom."

Window on Jordan: The return to Amman 
http://star.arabia.com/article/0,5596,152_4105,00.html


Now, I don't know if your book is going to be fact or fiction, but
either way here is some information about restaurants and nightclubs
in Amman. Names, contact info, and locations are provided for several.

Out and About - Night Life and Restaurants -
http://www.jdtours.com/out_about.htm


Next is a description of Amman's geography and a general overview of
what the city has to offer.

Jordan Tourism Guide, Amman
http://www.palguide.com/jordan/amman.htm


"... FSI supplied background information on Jordanian business
etiquette and protocol."

Going Global: Jordan Export Issues © 1997 Export Hotline
http://home3.americanexpress.com/smallbusiness/resources/expanding/global/reports/11136090.shtml


RELIGION:

The topic of the next article is about how Ramadan is observed. "Amman
is just another city in the Muslim world where daily life in Ramadan,
the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, takes a different beat. You
can't help noticing or directly experiencing the profound changes that
befall the spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of our life while
observing the ordinance of fasting, the fifth pillar of Islam, for 30
consecutive days."

WINDOW On JORDAN: The Festive Fever of the Holy Month 
http://star.arabia.com/article/0,5596,111_2766,00.html


FOOD:

What do Jordanians generally eat? The author of this page calls the
country's cuisine 'elusive' because he's been unable to turn up any
recipes. He does offer an overview of what sets Jordan apart from
other neighbouring Arab countries.

Jordanian Recipes
http://www.ochef.com/535.htm


Unlike the above website, I did find two traditional recipes -- one is
for mansaf, the Jordan national dish.

Jordanian Cuisine 
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/facts3.html


Another page has a recipe, too, but its real value lies in the good
information to be had about cuisine in general and the usual meal
routine.

Eating the Jordanian Way 
http://cwr.utoronto.ca/cultural/english/jordan/eating.html


Hey! This a great page! Each meal, especially lunch, is detailed and
the information is presented in a most pleasing fashion. "Amman is
famous for its formal dinner parties at luxurious residences, where
the meal may not begin until well after 10 pm... It is considered
polite to refuse offered food and drink up to three times; therefore,
don't be surprised if your host ignores your initial protestations
that you have already eaten too well. It is wise to ask for a small
"taste of everything" and promise to "come back for more."

How to Eat Like a Jordanian (Home cooking)
http://www.grumpygourmet.com/eat_like_jordanian_artamman.asp

In some ways the next page is a disappointment -- none of the links in
the middle column seem to be operative. However, you can get a good
overview of the Jordanian cuisine from the column (in blue) to the
left of your screen.

Welcome to the Comprehensive Jordan Tourism Guide, Restaurants, ... 
http://www.palguide.com/jordan/restaurant.htm

Bragging rights here from a notable Amman restaurant. I was bemused by
the photo which accompanies the visit by the queen and king. I saw no
'queen' in the photo, nor anyone else of female persuasion.

http://www.fakhreldin.com/
http://www.fakhreldin.com/Guest_Book/guest_book.html


PALESTINIANS IN AMMAN:

Palestinians are a hot topic when it comes to the relationship between
Israel and Jordan.

"In November 2000, Amman froze the sending of a new ambassador to Tel
Aviv in protest at Israeli repression in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip."
Jordan Times
Thursday, February 7, 2002
Peres: Jordan is not a substitute state for Palestinians
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/02072002002.htm


I really think you'll appreciate the information found in the next
site I have for you, since your book deals with a Palestinian Muslim
family. It's from a larger report which can be accessed in its
entirety at
( http://almashriq.hiof.no/general/300/320/327/fafo/reports/FAFO177/
). The page you'll need is:

FAFO Report 177
Jordan: Amman
http://almashriq.hiof.no/general/300/320/327/fafo/reports/FAFO177/2_4.html

It's sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Another interesting page, with an article dating from 1998:
"Older Palestinians in Amman find the apathy among some Palestinian
youth painful."
Clash of lifestyles: Partying vs. prayer
http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Islam/islam37.htm

The author of 'The Michigan Daily - On visiting the place of my birth'
can be reached at zahrag@umich.edu. From his article you'll learn a
bit about the Palestinian experience in Amman.

http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/07/30/3cb3001c23036?in_archive=1


How many Palestinians live in Jordan? According to the following
chart, almost 58% of those living in other countries combined.

Estimated of Palestinian Population in Diaspora by Place of Residence
(End Year 2001)
http://www.pcbs.org/english/abs_pal/abs_pal3/tab01.htm


BUSINESS:

This is the website of the Amman Chamber of Industry.
ACI Homepage
http://www.aci.org.jo/

Another business site:

Amman Chamber of Commerce 
http://www.ammanchamber.org/default_en.asp

Women in business:

AMMAN –– The entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in some very ... 
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/12072001003.htm

AMMAN:

This brief encyclopedic entry emphasizes the importance of
Palestinians to the growth of Amman.

Encyclopedia of the Orient
http://i-cias.com/cgi-bin/eo-direct.pl?amman.htm


From this site you can link to a slide show for topics such as people,
sights and scenery. The problem is that the photos aren't enlargeable,
nor are there any captions to tell you what it is you are seeing.   :(


Jordan - Amman - MiddleEastUK.com
http://www.middleeastuk.com/destinations/jordan/slideshow.htm


CLOTHING:

The following URL takes you to tourist information. Although I
key-worded 'Amman clothing' for my search, I got information overviews
for a variety of topics concerning visitors.

Jordan Travel Tips : Weather : Clothing etc of the Hashemite ... 
http://www.asinah.net/jordantips.html


JORDAN IN GENERAL:

CIA - The World Factbook 2002 -- Jordan
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/jo.html

Jordan Tourism Board
http://www.see-jordan.com/

Library of Congress / Federal Research Division / Country Studies ...
http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/jotoc.html


WOMEN:

Progress Over the Years
http://www.nic.gov.jo/jmaw/progress.htm


Search strategy:

Palestinians in Amman
://www.google.ca/search?q=Palestinians+in+Amman&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Palestinian lifestyle Amman
://www.google.ca/search?q=Palestinian+lifestyle+Amman&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Amman fast foods
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+fast+foods&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Jordanian culture
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+fast+foods&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Jordanian customs
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+fast+foods&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Jordanian etiquette
://www.google.ca/search?q=Jordanian+etiquette&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Amman
://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Amman&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Amman clothing
Jordan Travel Tips : Weather : Clothing etc of the Hashemite ...

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Clarification of Answer by revbrenda1st-ga on 30 Mar 2003 15:36 PST

Hi again,

I thought since I had some free time, I'd do a little more exploring
for you.

SHOPPING:

Not a long article, but generally informative.

Jordan / Amman / Shopping
http://www.asiatour.com/jordan/e-03amma/ej-amm12.htm


GENERAL INFO:

A few small images here.

Amman Capital of Jordan
http://members.fortunecity.com/tourism1/amman.html

Some nice images and great text:

Amman
http://www.geocities.com/amin_travel/amman.html


PUBLIC TRANSPOTATION:

Some good information, but paints a bleak picture about the public
transportation system in Amman.

Amman & Around
http://www.1000traveltips.org/amman.htm

"The quality of life in a city depends greatly on its friendliness to
the pedestrian, but unfortunately, the pedestrian does not seem to
figure anywhere in the plans of those responsible for the city of
Amman."

"Efficient public transportation systems can go a long way in solving
traffic congestion problems since they reduce dependence on private
cars. However, it does not seem that any serious steps are being taken
in Amman to create such a system."

Article by Mohammad Al-Asad
http://www.worldarchitecture.org/articles/alasad04.htm


HOUSING:

As well as housing information, there are charts for cost of water and
electricity and other consumer information (within the body of the
text).
Conversion Rate JD1 = US$ 0.7

Housing
http://www.cbj.gov.jo/docs/investment/710.html

An article from 1999 whose topic is completely described in its title:

King instructs govt to allocate JD70 million to finance housing ... 
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/091299001.htm


Hope the above helps.

Regards,
revbrenda1st



Search strategy:

Amman public transportation
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+public+transportation&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Amman bazaars
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+bazaars&btnG=Google+Search&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Amman housing
://www.google.ca/search?q=Amman+housing&btnG=Google+Search&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8