Art in Jordan

Every year on April 15th, the world comes together to celebrate World Art Day—a global occasion that honors the power of creativity, imagination, and cultural expression. Here in Jordan, art integrated into the very fabric of our identity.

In this blog, we’ll explore five unique aspects of art in Jordan that highlight the country's rich creative spirit and its growing role in shaping a more inspired future.

1.    Mosaics:

A mosaic is a pattern or picture made using many small pieces of colored stone or glass. And Jordan is home to a ton of these beautiful masterpieces spread around the kingdom. A city is named solely after them, what more can we say? The “City of Mosaics” aka Madaba, home to none other than the “Madaba Mosaic Map”; the oldest map of the Holy Land. The majority of mosaics found in Jordan, however, dates back to the 6th century AD during the Byzantine period. You can find plenty of these handicrafts in the Umayyad Palaces of al-Qastal, al-Hallabat, and Qusayr ‘Amra, several churches at Madaba, Mount Nebo, Ma‘in and Umm ar-Rasas.

Not only do you get to enjoy seeing these beautiful mosaics, you can actually learn the basic of mosaic-making by booking experiences to create your own pieces inspired by the Jordanian traditions.

2.    Street Art

Street art has become progressively popular in Amman over the past couple of years. With diverse, colorful and meaningful murals around the city leaving you tilting your head up high searching for the next one; where some refer to Amman as an open-air art gallery. You can find many of these murals in Jabal Luweibdeh, Sweifiyyeh, Jabal Amman and intensely in the Rainbow Street which ironically, is not the reason behind the naming.

3.    Art Galleries

Jordan has a countless number of art galleries, and Amman is where you will most likely find most of them. It’s becoming a hub where local and regional artists are showcasing their art in all its forms such as fine art, contemporary art, sculpture, paintings, installations, and photography. The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Darat Al Funun, Orient Gallary, Dar Al-Anda, Wadi Finan, Nabad are just a few examples of these art hubs.

4.    Islamic Art

Jordan is a haven for early Islamic art and architecture; a fine example of this are the famous desert castles. Their beautiful mosaics, frescoes, stone and stucco carvings and illustrations, inspired by the best in Persian and Graeco-Roman traditions, tell countless stories of the life as it was during the 8th century.

5.    Christian Art

Byzantine, Russian and Western frescos, paintings and icons can be found in churches all over the country. With meaningful stories behind each one, and delicate details you will surely be star-struck by the beauty of these artworks.

So, whether you’re an art advocate, a history lover or just an explorer, a bit of art would surely make you connect to the culture of Jordan and the beauty of it when visiting.

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