Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Prophet's Birthday
Celebrated on 12 Rabi' al-Awal.
Eid al-Isra Wal Mi'raj
Celebrates the nocturnal visit of the Prophet Mohammed to heav-
en.
Ramadan
Ninth month of the Muslim Calendar.
Eid al-Fitr
Starts at the beginning of Shawwal to mark the end of fasting in the preceding
month of Ramadan.
Eid al-Adha
Commemoration of Allah sparing Ibrahim (Abraham in the Bible) from sac-
rificing his son, Isaac. It also marks the end of the hajj.
Ramadan
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, having sex
and smoking during daylight hours in accordance with the fourth pillar of Islam. Even
gum chewing is considered haram.
Although many Muslims in Jordan do not follow the injunctions to the letter, most con-
form to some extent. Foreigners are not expected to follow suit, but it is bad form to eat,
drink or smoke in public during this period.
Business hours during Ramadan are erratic and tempers tend to flare towards the end of
the month. After 6.30pm many villages turn into ghost towns as people go home to break
their fast. Tourist attractions and hotel restaurants remain open and public transport gener-
ally functions normally, but the serving of alcohol may be restricted to room service or
simply be unavailable.
Telephone
The telephone system in Jordan is privatised, so visitors can make a call from a private
telephone agency, call from a hotel or shop, or buy a telephone card from one of the 1000
or more payphones throughout Jordan.
Local calls cost around 150 fils for three minutes. The easiest place to make a call is at
your hotel, where local calls are often free. The cost of overseas calls from Jordan varies
widely: check with your service provider.
Overseas calls can be made at any card payphone or from hotels, but are substantially
more expensive. Reverse-charge telephone calls are not normally possible.
