Words by Matthew Teller
[ THE BUSINESSMAN ]Mohammed Hallak
“We go a lot together to visit Rainbow Street, in the Jabal Amman district. It’s becoming a very unique area: young people today have been discovering more and more how to preserve what is left from the older generations of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. We have a lot of history in Jordan and Rainbow Street is one of the best examples. People have been trying to maintain it as it is. There are wonderful old cafés boasting rooftop views over the whole city: we love to go for coffee or for breakfast at the weekends, and just enjoy the atmosphere. Our children couldn’t care less but, at our age, we love this kind of thing! What’s especially good is Souk Jara, a market area beside Rainbow Street, where local families sell handicrafts, jewellery and great food. It only happens on Fridays in summer, running until midnight or 1am. We were really surprised and proud to see this, proud of our city – everyone is so friendly, it’s really a pleasure to walk there. We usually stay for hours.” www.rentareliablecar.com [ THE TOUR GUIDE ]Yamaan Safady
“My special place in Amman is the live animals market on Saqf Al-Sayl, the main downtown street. It only takes place on Friday mornings, when farmers come into the city to sell chicks and ducklings. It has a lively atmosphere, with sellers shouting to compete with each other. My father used to take us down there at the beginning of the summer holidays when I was a kid. We’re not from the country – my father was a university professor of English literature – but he encouraged us to learn how to take responsibility for animals and for our own lives. We’d buy some chicks, take them home and raise them during the summer, feeding them and taking care of them. At that time we lived in the Jabal Al-Hussein neighbourhood, not far from downtown, in a flat on the ground floor. It had a big garden, which is how we had the space for the birds. I was about 10 the first time, but we did it each summer for several years. At the end of the summer, we’d either go back and sell the chickens again, or quite often they ended up as lunch. I still love visiting that market.” www.adventurejordan.com [ THE JOURNALIST ]Ramsey Tesdell
“I’m a firm believer that social media needs to be social. The most successful projects come out of personal interaction: they build off you. For about a year I’ve been living in what’s become known as the Rainbow House – a big old house just off Rainbow Street in Jebal Amman, near the Royal Film Commission. A couple of friends and I were looking for a place to stay and found that this whole building was empty. We talked to the owner, moved in and now it’s turned into this interesting experiment in communal living. Right now we have 10 people. Over the summer we had even more – fun, but a bit out of control. There’s always a balance of men and women, locals and foreigners. Everybody pays the same rent and we all contribute towards food. But the most interesting part is that it’s become a hub, a place where people can come to talk or think, to sit on the roof or in the beautiful garden. It’s become a small space for community. Some people are studying or doing art projects. We run 7iber from here and engage with the families who live locally – they tell us how to pick our olives and we talk to them about recycling. I see the Rainbow House as a testing ground, to try out ideas of social interaction.” www.7iber.com [ THE FILM PRODUCER ]Nadine Toukan
“My special place is in downtown Amman – Habiba Alley, a little street where there’s a branch of Habiba, selling the best knafeh (a sweet pastry served hot). I always thought I went there for the knafeh, but I realised I went there to watch people. It’s a whole world – a cross-section of everything in Amman: low-income passers-by, people in fancy cars stopping to buy pirated DVDs, rich women browsing at the exclusive tailor’s shop round the corner, beggars selling cigarettes – and the odd tourist or two. Then there’s Abu Ali’s bookstall at the end of the alley – it’s been there forever and a half. It’s part of the fabric of Amman. People ask for a particular book and he knows where it is straight away. Across the street is the main downtown police station: there’s always a lot of activity there… I just stand with my plate of knafeh and observe. And because I’m holding that plate, I can get away with staring. I’ve been going to that alley as long as I can remember, sometimes to stand for 10 minutes or sometimes for two hours. I go there to clear my head, to re-engage. You have to know the place you live in.” www.urdunmubdi3.ning.com |
Born in Lebanon and raised in Kuwait, Mohammed Hallak, 38, graduated in computer science from Jordan’s Mu’ta University in 1995 and went straight into business. He now has an MBA and is the owner of Reliable, one of Jordan’s most successful non-franchised car rental firms. He spoke to J Magazine with his wife Lina.
Yamaan Safady, 33, is one of Jordan’s most accomplished adventure guides, regularly leading local and international groups on wilderness treks – notably the stunning four-day route from Dana to Petra. Last October, he won the silver prize at the 2009 Paul Morrison Guide Awards, a global competition sponsored by Wanderlust magazine in the UK.
Ramsey Tesdell, 26, writes and consults on social media. He is also one of the guiding lights behind 7iber.com, a platform for citizen journalism that has gained a reputation for breaking stories and showcasing issues ahead of Jordan’s traditional media.
Producer of Captain Abu Raed, Jordan’s first entry in the Best Foreign Film Oscars category for 2009, Nadine Toukan, 42, organises media workshops, exhibits, forums and events around Jordan linked to cultural affairs. She is also one of the founders of Creative Jordan, a forum devoted to nurturing innovation in the economy.