"Making the Most Out of Only One Summer Session in Amman" by Nora Elsetouhi

Only Being in Amman for less than a month, it seemed impossible that I would get to see and do everything I had wanted to in the city. However, with a game plan and an eagerness to explore you can definitely leave feeling fulfilled: and here’s how!

In my opinion, the most efficient and convenient way to explore Amman is through its cafes. The summer sessions are no joke when it comes to study and workload, so constantly looking for new internet cafes to do your homework in is the perfect way to be productive while making the most of your time in Amman! Pictured here is the view from Manara Cafe!

If you really want to get a feel for Amman, honestly, just walk around! The streets are filled with vibrant and unique murals that will both give you a story about the city while also being extremely easily accessible, especially for somebody with limited time.

You’ve probably already had this suggested, but Rainbow Street is a great and easy way to explore Amman. The street is filled with cafes and restaurants perfect for doing work, it’s the location of markets and shops that are great for souvenir shopping, and the overall environment is great for simply walking around and taking in the sights.

Speaking of Rainbow Street, I cannot make this blog without mentioning Souk Jara. This market is so close and easy to get to while also being a hub of cultural art, clothing, and food galore. If you really want to take in Amman’s culture while feeling like you’re not setting aside your work too much, I definitely recommend Souk Jara!

What you see here is a concert taking place at the Roman Theatre and it is by far one of the biggest things I recommend you do when you’re in Amman. The experience of attending a concert in a place with so much meaning and history behind it is surreal and the best part is, you barely have to go out of your way to do it! Just look out for whenever a concert taking place there comes around, buy the tickets, take a short Uber and voila!

All the previous pictures have mostly surrounded smaller things you can do while in Amman since the mixture of the short stay plus the large amount of class and homework could make it difficult to go for anything too big. However, I want to say that if you have an experience in Jordan you want to do, do it: it is possible! This is a picture of the sun setting over the Dead Sea, which we did as a day trip. Believe it or not, despite the short timeline of your program, the Dead Sea is a very feasible outing which you can easily do in one day and even make it back in time to do some homework if you want.

Often you might hear that Petra and Wadi Rum, being quite far away from Amman, are not day trips, and require at least an overnight stay. Now, an overnight stay isn’t impossible for people staying for a single summer session: you can always plan something on Friday and Saturday; however, it might be inconvenient. This picture I took at Petra is meant to show that if you really want, a trip like Petra can be done in one day and you can definitely still enjoy it. I won’t say that you won’t be tired, but I think I can say for myself that it was worth it.

This photo was taken at Wadi Rum, and that was a trip I actually took the same day I went to Petra. So, if you want to hit those spots in Jordan but are worried about timing, these photos can at least go to show you that one day is actually enough for them! I would recommend searching up day trips from Amman to Petra and Wadi Rum if you’re interested.

Photo credit for all images: Elsetouhi, 2023.

Overall, I want this photo essay to essentially say: do not limit yourself! Staying in Amman for only a single summer session is admittedly a short amount of time, but if you play it right believe me you can leave having no regrets about time wasted or time better spent.

Nora Elsetouhi is a student from Fordham University, and participated on Amideast’s Intensive Arabic program in Amman, Jordan for the Summer, 2023.