Trips: Jordan - Max Travels

Jordan

In January 2024, I set out on a solo 11-day journey through the fascinating of Jordan. Along the way, the warm hospitality of the Jordanian people left a profound impact on me, their generosity and spirit offering lessons of their own. Equally captivating was the country's natural beauty and the remarkable ways in which different civilizations have thrived here over thousands of years. The collection below is categorized into Landscapes, People, and Human Interactions with Nature. Prints of all images are available upon request.

Landscapes

This collection encapsulates the stark landscapes of Jordan, where red sand finds its way into every landform. Experiencing this landscape first hand, one cannot avoid to think about how the desert sand is everything, and how with the passage of geological eras, everything will eventually become a small grain of desert sand again.

Cliffside view to the Dead Sea with a clear blue sea beside reddish-brown mountainous terrain under a soft haze.

Wide-open desert vista with smooth red sand dunes under a blue sky with wispy clouds.

Rock formations and striated cliffs in a desert landscape under a bright blue sky.

Expansive view of undulating desert with layers of rock formations extending into the distance under a gradient sky.

Rocky desert terrain with deep orange hues, under a sky streaked with light clouds.

A solitary figure in the vast desert, dwarfed by the massive scale of the surrounding rock formations and dunes.

Soft light casting shadows on the ripples of a vast sand dune field, with a mountainous backdrop at sunset.

Close-up of a red rock face with intricate layers and textures against a backdrop of distant mountains and a sky dotted with clouds.

Close-up of a fuzzy caterpillar and a green plant on smooth red desert sand.

Beetle traversing a rocky desert ground with red stones.

Panoramic view of a desert from a high vantage point, showcasing layers of mountains fading into the distance under a gradient sky.

People

The people of Jordan are truly unique in their warmth to strangers. Everywhere you are met genuine smiles, not the kind that says "give me your money foreigner" but the kind that say "thank you for wanting to experience my culture, let me help you". From chefs insisting on giving you their falafel free of charge, a solider giving you his own tea and biscuits to make you feel welcome, to a local showing you around Amman on his day off because you looked curious. The stories could go on and on, below are snapshots of the life and people of Jordan.

Man sitting inside a small cluttered shop with shelves, smoking and looking contemplatively outside the doorway.

First-person perspective of hands holding a glass of tea with a solider in the background within Petra archaeological site.

Elderly man in a blue shirt behind a food stall with a bowl of falafel, with boiling oil in a frying pan in the foreground.

Silhouette of a person cooking over an open fire in a desert campsite with rocky terrain in the background at dusk

A smiling Jordanian man standing behind two large traditional silver tea pots with steam rising, a bunch of mint leaves on the cart in front of him.

A Bedouin man wrapped in traditional headgear sitting by a fire inside a tent, with smoke rising in the dimly lit space.

Elderly man with a white beard and traditional Jordanian headscarf sitting on a rug outside a teal door.

Group of people with umbrellas at a street demonstration, with banners and Jordanian flags, in Amman, Jordan.

Human Interaction with Nature

In a region where humans have existed for so many thousands of years, there are many remains of past civilisations and traditions. Here it feels as if humans have left their mark on nature in a way that feels natural, a way that they have not ignored it, but incorporated it into the then modern civilisation. Weather it is the ruins of the ancient city of Petra, Bedouin culture, or modern technology,

A narrow canyon view leading to the ancient facade of Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) in Petra, with towering sandstone cliffs on either side.

Natural sandstone archway in Petra, showing layered rock formations with carved steps.

Landscape view through a rock-cut frame in Petra, with a solitary figure standing in the distance.

The Monastery in Petra with a man and donkey in the foreground against a clear blue sky.

A Dark military vehicle parked in Petra, surrounded by rock formations.

View from inside a Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum, overlooking a serene desert landscape.

Natural rock arch in Wadi Rum's desert landscape with mountains in the background.

A man in traditional Jordanian attire standing beside a camel in the Wadi Rum desert with mountains in the background.

A mounted man in Jordanian uniform on a decorated camel in the desert of Wadi Rum, with sand and mountains around.

A man in a keffiyeh riding a camel through Wadi Rum's red sands, with a clear sky and rock formations in the distance.

Trip Itinerary

For those who are map curious, check out the rough locations of each of these photos on this Story Map. Just hold your mouse over the map, and scroll down.

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