Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
liant sunshine cut through the dusty air, lighting up the eight faces gathered in intense concentration around the half-
built mosaic. The team worked rhythmically together, tapping and snapping, inching and coaxing the stones into a
tree of life. With a little definition in malachite and sandstone, the women could have found their own immortalisa-
tion in stone.
Copperware
Some of the oldest copper mines in the world are traceable in Jordan (especially near
Feinan, now in the Dana Biosphere Reserve). Copper is used in everyday utensils, as well
as for heirlooms such as the family serving dish, copper tray or coffee pot. These pieces
are mostly replicated for the tourist industry, but you can still find the genuine articles -
with a bit of spit-and-polish they'll light up the corner of a room back home. Quality
pieces can be found in the antique stores in Amman, many of which are attached to top-
end hotels. You won't find an antique older than about 50 years (and it's illegal to import
anything older than 100 years), but the items are likely to have been much loved by the
families who once used them.
Jewellery
A bride traditionally receives a gift of jew-
ellery on her wedding day as her dowry, and
this remains her personal property. The most
common designs are protective silver amulets,
such as the 'hand of Fatima' (daughter-in-law
of the Prophet Mohammed). These are used as
protection from evil spirits known as
djinn
(from which we get the word 'genie'). Antique items such as silver headdresses decorated
with Ottoman coins and ornately decorated Bedouin daggers (straight, rather than the fam-
ously curved Yemeni and Omani versions) are becoming harder to find. Many of the most
beautiful antique pieces were crafted by Circassian, Armenian and Yemeni silversmiths in
the early 20th century.
See the boxed text (
Click here
)
for an idea of the cultural significance of jewellery in
Jordan.
Heather Colyer Ross looks into popular art forms in
The Art of Bedouin Jewellery,
a useful asset for
those contemplating purchasing some pieces.
