A bit of Jordan

Today I leave you with an interest opinion from this nice shop owner we met at a store in Amman, about why Jordan manages to keep peace while most of its surrounding countries face war and social crisis. In his opinion it's all about the monarchy. I was surprised but he explained that Jordanians, as most people from countries around that area, all come from “tribes” that inhabited the deserts for centuries. Most families still trace back to some tribe from the desert and old tribal disputes and alliances still apply (a bit like Game of Thrones I guess).So even though they share the same country, doesn’t mean these people feel they have the same identity as a nation. Long story short, in the beginning of the twentieth century (1921 precisely), the Saudi Arabian king - Sherif Hussein sent his children to become kings of the lands that were going to be divided from the old Ottoman Empire: Syria, Jordan and Iraq. This means that the Jordanian kings don’t actually originate from Jordan, and therefore aren’t part of any of tribes that compose the country. Unlike the rest of the other countries which at some point got rid of their kings, Jordan remained a monarchy, with some very popular monarchs (for instance their much beloved Queen Noor). So in this man’s opinion, having a King that does not belong to any tribe is what avoids disputes over which tribe is getting favored by their supreme leader. All groups within Jordan feel equally represented, and this is what avoids civil wars and other conflicts!


I don't know if this man is right or not, but it is always interesting to come across people with their own different opinions and views of things, maybe they are the ones who know their country best! And here are some pictures…I am at work so it’s as closest to a trip I think I will get! 






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