Underground Amman: Jordan's walking tour takes tourists through the city's burgeoning street art scene


Amy McConaghy
  • English
  • Arabic

Jordan’s capital Amman could seem monotonous at first glance, as it has few green spaces and beige, uniform houses staggered upon a hilly landscape. Yet, between the narrow alleyways and along building walls are vibrant bursts of colours, elaborate artworks adorning local neighbourhoods. This is the street art scene, the sign of a burgeoning youth presence fighting to brighten up the city.

Street art is relatively new to Jordan; it's part of a locally cultivated hip-hop culture that has been developing among the country's youth for the last couple of decades. For young people with limited opportunity and spaces to feel free, street art has become an accessible form of expression; all they need is cheap spray paint and the city as their canvas.

See some of Amman's street art in the photo gallery below:

“There is so much waste for the energy of young people here [in Jordan],” says Alaeddin Pasha, a hip-hop artist and founder of Underground Amman tours.

"We don’t have enough parks, we don’t have enough spaces for youth. Youth really needs something, and hip-hop or street art became one of the ways."

Pasha started Underground Amman tours about a year ago. It is a walking tour of the city during which he guides tourists and visitors through the street art scene. He starts on the hill of Jabal Amman and then weaves through stairways, hills and narrow streets, before ending up in the neighbourhood of Jabal Al Weibdeh.

I want to show them the best of my city, my people and me

A variety of art adorns the streets he walks; messages from young artists to the city’s citizens. From joyful images of flamingos and twirling dervishes, to more profound messages of equality, strength and hope, the artworks' styles and sizes vary on each wall and street.

Along a staircase lined with bookstores and coffee shops, the painted face of Mahmoud Darwish stares out at you, alongside colourful sunflowers and obscure sketches. On another, a poem, a play on the writing of Al-Mutanabbi, a famous Abassid poet that states: "Not everything you wish for you get... The wind does not blow as the vessel desires." This one turns that statement on its head: "If you want something you will get it, even if all of mankind and the spirits fight you... The wind comes in the way the ship intends."

Scenes from the Underground Amman Tour, led by founder Alaeddin Pasha. Amy McConaghy / The National
Scenes from the Underground Amman Tour, led by founder Alaeddin Pasha. Amy McConaghy / The National

On a busy day, one could walk past these images without even noticing them. But through the tour, Pasha transforms the city into an art gallery, rich with stories, talent and hidden messages.

"Most of my clients are foreigners. Most likely they go to Petra, Wadi Rum, but they don't really know what we have in Amman. Which is street art. They get surprised," he says.

The development of street art and the hip-hop scene was a challenge to Jordan’s traditional societal norms, as here rap music, dancing and graffiti have been considered taboo. In more conservative circles, the sight of street art was seen as a sign of devil worship.

This was not a deterrent to artists like Pasha. Driven by creative passion and the restlessness of youth, they pursued their work and, over time, it has become more accepted. “Since 2014, the street art in Amman has been booming,” says Pasha. “There were so many difficulties, but little by little people started understanding that this is a form of art, this is something beautiful.”

Pasha sees the tour as an opportunity to shine a light on the overlooked talent of Amman’s youth and the hip-hop scene in general. And while the local social stigma is being shattered, Pasha also hopes to carve out a new narrative that challenges international stereotypes surrounding Jordan and the Middle East.

“I want to show them the best of my city, my people and me,” he says. “Most people outside, they have a strong image of us, about the Middle East, Jordan, Arabs, Muslims. But once they come here, they change their mind.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The BIO:

He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal

He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side

By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam

Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border

He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push

His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Results

STAGE

1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56

2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14

3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21

4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24

5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05

2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05

3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18

4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33

5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Fixtures

Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am

Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')

Sevilla 0

Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)