Jordan's official language - Arabic

Arabic

The official language in Jordan is Arabic. Besides Jordan Arabic is an official language in another 25 countries. Arabic belongs to Semitic languages along Hebrew and Aramaic languages. It is spoken by 280 million poeple. Arabic has many dialects that are mutually unitelligible. Modern Standard Arabic derives from Classical Arabic, it is taught in schools, universities, and used in workplaces, government and the media. Classical Arabic it the liturgical language of Islam.

Distribution of Arabic as sole official language (green) and one of two or more official languages (blue)


Some words in English are derived from Arabic. For example words like sugar (sukkar), cotton (quṭn) and magazine (mahazin). Other examples are words: algebra, alcohol, alchemy and zenith. .

Tourist attractions in Jordan Part 1

Petra

is a historic city that has rock cut architecture. Petra is Unesco World Heritage Site since 1985. Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die". It is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourism attraction. It is unique city, carved into the rock face by Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is over 400 metres (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on te Earth. The main atractionaction is super salty water which is ten times saltier than sea water, and rich in minerals. The salinity of the water makes possible for people to float without swimming

Tourist attractions in Jordan Part 2

Old and New Testament places

There are many biblical places in Jordan connected with events in Old and New Testament. One of the most important is Bethany Beyond the Jordan. It is a place where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist - Gospel according to John, Chapter 1, 28.

Another important place is the Mount Nebo which is the place where from Moses could see the Holy Land that he would never enter. From the Mount Nebo it can be see the Dead See, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho and the distant hills of Jerusalem. Mount Nebo became a place of pilgrimage for early Christians from Jerusalem and a small church was built there in thcent to commemorate the end of Moses' life.

Religion in Jordan

Religion in Jordan

Jordan is predominantly a muslim country. Islam is an official religion in Jordan. Muslims make up 92% of population. Christians form in Jordan approximately 6% of the population.

The majority of Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church, but there are also Greek Catholics, a small Roman Catholic community, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and a few Protestant denominations. Several small Shi'a and Druze populations can also be found in Jordan.

Islam

Islam is a major world religion, with over 1 billion followers worldwide (1/5 of the world population). It is considered one of the Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths, along with Judaism and Christianity. Although usually associated with the Arabs of the Middle East, less than 20% of Muslims are in fact Arab. Muslims believe that Islam completes the revelation of God's message to humankind. Islam means submission in Arabic. A person who follows Islam is called a Muslim. Muslim means - one who surrenders to God. Muslims believe that God, or Allah, as He is known in Arabic, revealed his final message to humankind through the Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Qur'an which is the holy book of Islam.

Five pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are the most basic tenets of the Islam. They are:
1. Faith in the oneness of Allah and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad. The expression of the Faith is "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".
2. Keeping of the five scheduled daily prayers (salah).
3. Almsgiving (zakat).
4. Fasting (sawm).
5. Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca for those who are able.

The Quran -- the Book of Allah

According to Muslims, the Quran was revealed by Allah the Archangel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. He dictated it to his followers who memorized the fragments of the Quran and later after Muhammad's death wrote down. The Quran consists from 114 chapters called Suras.

The Sunnah -- the "Way" of the Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad is considered the "ideal man". He is the model for all Muslims in how they should conduct themselves. It is through Muhammad's personal teachings and actions how Muslims discern what is a good and holy life. Details about the Prophet - how he lived, what he did, his personal habits - are very importat knowledge for any faithful Muslim.

Ramaddan

is the main feast for Muslims. It lasts one month. Between sunrise and sunset all Muslims are obliged to fasten from food and drinks.
Ramadan is also a time when Muslims should focus on reading the Quaran and self-reformation throug prayer, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others. After sunset it is celebrated Iftar which it the evening meal that breaks the fasting during Ramadaan.

Jordan - Basic facts

Jordan

is a country in the Southwest Asia. Its territory is 92 300 km2. The country has borders with Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel and West Bank.

The highest mountain is Jabal Umm al Dammi 1,854 m. The lowest point is the Dead Sea -420 m below the sea level.

Jordan has 6,316,000 inhabitants, 98% of them are Arabs. Islam is a dominant religion in Jordan, 92% of population are Muslims. The capital is Amman which has 1,919,000 inhabitants. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. Jordan belongs to the most democratic and safe countries in the region. The offical language is Arabic.

The territory of Jordan consists of a forest plateau in the east, highland area in the west. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan, the West Bank and Israel.

The climate in Jordan is semi-dry in summer with average temperature in the mid 30°C and in winter with temperatures with a average around 13 °C.

The Jordanian flag is black, white and green. Those parts are connected by a red triangle. The colors represent particular Muslim Caliphates (empires). The red triangle stands for the Jordanian king dynasty - Hashemite dynasty. The seven pointed star in the midle of the red triangle stands for the seven versen of sth first surah in Quran.