Amman has numerous antique dealers littered throughout the city. Those located in the western parts of the city will most likely be serviced by those with a competent grasp of the English language, but you run the risk of the items being a bit overpriced. For the more adventurous, some of the best tourist shopping can be done in downtown Amman (the Balad). Shopping in the Balad has a more primitive feel with shop after shop filled with wares and prices not always clearly marked and extremely negotiable.
Some interesting, original souvenir items that one may consider taking home are:
a keffiyeh, the traditional checkered headpiece of Jordanian men
an antique brass tea/coffee pot, distinctly Middle Eastern with its artistic etching and curved spout
olive wood carvings of various objects or figures can be purchase nearly everywhere
hand-crafted Jordanian daggers
hand-made Bedouin-style embroidered clothing
For the coffee lover, Amman's Starbucks locations (Swefieh, Abdoun, City Mall, Mecca Mall) offer various mugs, tumblers, and to-go cups with distinctive Jordanian and Middle Eastern flair.
Those who crave gourmet coffee have a number of choices such as Broadway in Abdoun, or Wakim and Chez Helda in Swefieh, or Paris Cafe in Elwaibdeh.
Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor, etc.), can be purchased in a couple of shops found on Mango Street (parallel to Rainbow Street) in the Christian neighborhood of Jabal Amman, just down from First Circle; and many other liquor stores scattered around the city. Drinking age is 18 but some bars/cafes might card you and admit 21+ customers only.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Amman
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Amman - updated Apr 2024
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Amman Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
