Demystifying Traveling in Jordan As a Woman

Jordan ignited an insatiable craving in me for the Middle East. When I visited earlier this year in the “Lost City" of Petra—a UNESCO World Heritage site with ruins dating back to 400 B.C. which included towering buildings carved directly into pink sandstone cliff faces—relit my anthropological curiosity. Jordan is in the epicenter of where civilization began.

On the summit of Jordan's tallest peak, the 1,832-meter Jebel Um Adami, I gawked at Saudi Arabia's strikingly rugged mountains, and in the vast Wadi Rum—a reserve with rolling crimson-orange dunes and behemoth sandstone towers where I trekked by countless free-roaming camels. Such moments of awakening remind me of our planet's incomprehensible geologic timeline, biodiversity, and how we humans are conditioned to our immediate environments. Beneath the brilliant stars in the backcountry, I relished each bite of Zarb, a traditional meat dish that's cooked underground in an earth oven, while connecting with my Bedouin hosts, who graciously offered their hospitality.

The Near East, as Jordan is known, imprinted magic on me. Though, the most common questions when I returned stateside always circled back to my safety as a traveler and woman in the Middle East.

Photo credit: Morgan Tilton

I can understand why travelers who have never been introduced to this region feel skeptic. Unrest recently and historically oscillates in each country that surrounds Jordan: Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt. Due to the conflict in neighboring countries, Jordan suffers a safety misperception despite being stable according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association.

To help dissolve negative stereotypes, Jordan hosted the Middle East's first-ever adventure tourism conference in 2017—called Adventure Connect. This conference brings together the travel industry's international stakeholders so that they can connect and exchange ideas so their business ecosystem can flourish. With a progressive vision, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan recognized the benefits of the inaugural event and committed to hosting the conference for three consecutive years including the forthcoming Adventure Connect, in 2019.

According to Lina Annab, minister of Tourism and Antiquities, to date, forty new Jordanian adventure travel itineraries launched and tourism arrivals increased by 15 percent in the first quarter alone, compared to 2017.

Next year, local suppliers such as tour operators and accommodations are anticipating a revenue spike of another 13 percent.

Jordan Tourist Guide and Morgan Tilton; PC: Morgan Tilton

Jordan's tourism growth is supported by a surge of travelers from our fifty states. The number of U.S. citizens entering the country increased by 4% from 2013 to 2016, according to the World Tourism Organization and Intrepid Travel spotlighted the Middle East as the top-growing travel region in the world.

In my perspective, the flourishing and consistent health of Jordan's adventure tourism sector is an indication of social, economic, and political security. Of course, as visitors to another country and culture, it's essential for us to maintain a lens of safety precautions and etiquette for the cultural norms. Aside from my personal experience in Jordan, it's an ongoing mission of mine as a journalist to share other's views. Here, I speak with Jordanian Salam Shaqdeeh, operations manager for Abercrombie & Kent Jordan. She's worked for the luxury travel company for close to five years. Sharing Shaqdeeh's viewpoint helps to broaden our understanding of Jordan's local culture and demystify a few common misconceptions or misinformation regarding the female identity in Jordan.

Salam Shaqdeeh: The stereotype is that women areall covered, like in long sleeves and so on, but this is not the case. If you visit Amman, you will notice that this is a modern city where women walk freely, go to work, drive cars, go to nightclubs—they do everything. Of course, we have the conservative part of our culture, such as people who are veiled [author's note: the veil is also called a hijab], but we have the contrary as well.

SS: For my clients and all of our guests, I always recommend layered clothing, especially in places like Petra, because the people of Petra are of the Bedouin tribe.

That's it—you don't need to cover up. Jordan is not a conservative country.

In this context, layered clothing does not mean covering your hair, but like having a jacket and shorts on, because the weather changes. In the morning hours, it's a bit chilly. At noon, it's a bit hot, so you can take the jacket off. At night, you need a jacket, because it gets chilly again.

SS: My personal opinion—not societal opinion—is that the hijab stems from religion. It is not only for Islam but is also for Christianity: [we] see nuns who are covered up.

Some people here in Jordan also think of the hijab as a traditional practice. If you're a girl and reach puberty, around 13 or 14 years old, you cover your head. In that case, it's not something accustomed by the religion.

SS: Yes, and some Jordanians do wear the hijab as a tradition, to show our traditional outfit and to show that they are a true Jordanian.

SS: Jordan is centralized, unfortunately, in a crazy neighborhood. People see Jordan as a scary destination where you have to be careful, and you don't go out unless you are accompanied by someone of the local culture.

I always receive the same question whenever I have guests staying in Amman; they ask me, 'What's the best place to go out for cafés or souvenirs?' I recommend areas where locals are present and scattered so that travelers can do a walk safely and it's okay to walk by themselves. I personally spend most of my time walking in late hours and at night and no one touches me or harasses me.

Jordan is safe to walk around, even in places like Petra or Wadi Rum, because you are in the hospitality of Bedouins, and with the local people. They do not attack visitors. They would see it as really shameful if you were harassed or if someone was annoying you. They perceive you as a guest, and they need to protect you. They protect everyone.