Photo Essay – Colors of Jordan

Before my trip to Jordan, I had this mental image that Jordan was mostly a desert. I knew Jordan faced the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea and I recalled from my quick visit to Petra (on a day trip from Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt), that Petra would have some reddish color to it. But it’s like, if I thought how Jordan would look like, I would have said “fairly mono-chromatic”.

OK, I exaggerate a little.  But the range of vivid colors I encountered during my visit became quite apparent once I was home walking through each of the 3,000+ pictures I took during my 9 days there (yes, quite a few were duplicates as I tried different settings and angles for a given “scene”; so far I am down to around 2,000).  What I found out is that that desert color was a perfect background for all the others colors to pop.  And pop they did!

So, I have decided to share where I found color that caught my eye that will, hopefully, give you a glimpse into Jordan!  When you are done, I would love to hear back from you on which of these photos you like the most (photos are numbered for ease of reference!).

I found color in the landscapes in Jordan…

Much as I had experienced back in 1998, I got to see the colors typically associated with deserts.  But on this trip, I also saw the color of canyons and gorges.  White, sand, red – all colors represented in the landscape around me as I hope the following pictures show…

Desert road Jordan

1. On the way to Mt. Nebo from Mardaba – sand color everywhere except the asphalt

Sand dune Wadi Rum Jordan

2. Shifting sands in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan

Wadi between Dana and Feynan, Jordan Olympus

3. Canyon we hiked through from Dana to Feynan – great mix of white and red with specks of green on the mountains around us

Canyon walls in Petra Jordan with Canon Rebel

4. Colorful canyon walls in Petra, Jordan!

Colorful canyon walls in Petra, Jordan Canon Rebel

5. More colorful canyon walls in Petra, Jordan

Colorful rocks in Wadi Mujib, Jordan Olympus camera

6. Colorful rocks in the waters of Wadi Mujib, Jordan

Colorful rocks in Wadi Mujib, Jordan Olympus camera

7. Colorful rocks in the walls Wadi Mujib, Jordan

I found color in the markets of Jordan…

Jewelry sold by folks around Petra, Jordan

8. Jewelry sold by folks around Petra

Camels with color in Jordan

9. Who knew camels would be so colorful!

Arab headscarves in Jordan Canon Rebel

10. Headscarves in the traditional colors worn by many around Jordan

Fruits in the fruit stands in the market in Amman, Jordan Canon Rebel

11. Fruits in the fruit stands in the market in Amman, Jordan

Colorful market roof in the Amman, Jordan market Canon Rebel

12. Colorful market roof in the Amman, Jordan market

I found color in the architecture – old and new – in Jordan…

Ruins column Jerash Roman Jordan

13.  Color of old ruins in the Greco-Roman town of Jerash, Jordan

Ruins Jerash column blue sky Jordan

14.  A still-standing column in Jerash makes a great contrast with the perfectly blue sky

King Abdullah Mosque blue Amman, Jordan

15.  The blues of the dome of King Abdullah’s Mosque (the Blue Mosque) of Amman and the blue of the sky

Inside view of the dome of King Abdullah's Mosque in Amman, Jordan (blue mosque)

16.  Inside view of the dome of King Abdullah’s Mosque (built in the 1980s)

Petra's Treasury in Jordan

17.  The unforgettable Treasury at Petra, Jordan

I found great blues in the waters around Jordan…

Blue sky and Dead Sea

18. A sea and a sky both drapped in great blue!

Beautiful blues in the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, Olympus

19.  Beautiful blues in the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba

I found color in sunsets over the Dead Sea…

Sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan, Canon EOS Rebel

20.  Sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan

Sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan, Olympus

21.  Double sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan

Sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan, Canon EOS Rebel

22.  Sunset over the Dead Sea in Jordan

I found color in Jordanian artisans’ art…

Raw material for creation of mosaic art in workshop in Jordan

23.  The raw materials that will create beautiful mosaics are colorful on their own…

Mosaic art Jordan

24. Mosaic art: not only the great colors but also the shapes draw me

Art handicraft craft Jordan

25.  Beautiful art in this colorful vase

And I found a colorful people in Jordan!

Schoolchildren in Jerash, Jordan

26.  Schoolchildren visiting the ruins of Jerash – singing and showing their pride in their country – a colorful bunch!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Thank you to the Jordan Tourism Board for showing me all the colors in Jordan.

Pin Jordan to your travel board!!!

Jordan, Canyon, color, nature, outdoors, adventure, photo, travel, explore

Comments

  1. Great photo essay from Jordan! Never been there but looks like I really should start planning.
    Nina recently posted..Spring Photo essayMy Profile

  2. Beautiful photos, Raul! I have always dreamed of visiting Jordan and this just made me want to visit even more. My favorite one has to be the first sunset, with the birds. Amazing!
    The World Wanderer recently posted..Southern Africa’s Specialties.My Profile

    • Erin, that is one of my favorite photos too! It came out better than I expected 🙂 The sunsets were definitely some of my favorite moments. You could see in the distance near the ridge of those mountains the “skyline” of a city which I assume was Jerusalem.

  3. What a beautiful blend of colors, the landscapes (1 is my favorite), the rocks (7 is beautiful) and the ones of the sea, especially the sunsets should be enlarged and framed. What an amazing artist is our God!!
    Thank you Raulito for sharing.

  4. Great photos! Keep up the good work.

  5. Andrea Satter says

    Really neat! Dead Sea is something to see!

  6. A lot of colours indeed! I loved following your Jordan Journey!
    @mrsoaroundworld recently posted..My Flight: Qatar Airways business class @QatarAirwaysMy Profile

  7. 4, 8 and `7 were easily my favourites although there were so many beautiful shots. #20 – the first of the sunset series is also stunning! Thanks for sharing Jordan – I hope next year to be experiencing Jordan myself….such a captivating place.
    Anita Mac recently posted..Paris Is Always A Good Choice!My Profile

  8. Oh, these beautiful photos make me long to go back. I’m so happy I was able to share Jordan with you.
    Leah Travels recently posted..Reflections of My Jordan JourneyMy Profile

  9. Absolutely stunning photos. We wanna go there so bad! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Stunning! I love capturing natural landscapes and color.
    Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted..An Unexpected Career PathMy Profile

  11. 4, 9,16, 19 – too many to count! Love the painted camels, so pretty!
    Fiona recently posted..Designer Ibiza: Hotel Ocean DriveMy Profile

  12. Magnificent, it really makes me want to go and visit Jordan!

  13. Cindy Steuart says

    Love these photos! Jordan must be a fascinating place, filled with beauty, history, and culture. I’d love to visit!

    Thanks, Raul, for another great blog.

    Cindy

  14. Cindy Johnson says

    This would be a fabulous destination for Trekking for Kids! I’d really like to chat with you about this sometime!

    All the best,
    Cindy

  15. Simply beautiful Raul…awesome photos! Love them all!

  16. Incredible shots Raul…The canyon ones blow my mind with all the layers…
    D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..A Bird’s Eye View of the Oasis of the SeasMy Profile

  17. LOVE these photos, raul, especially the one of the women with all of the beautiful scarves. looks like the trip of a lifetime!
    thelazytravelers recently posted..foodie break: bangpop, melbourneMy Profile

    • @LT, yes, I liked the colors of the scarves and the hair. These were schoolgirls on a school trip to this site. There were tons of schoolgroups there and they were very lively singing songs and laughing.

  18. What a beautiful set of photos – and I love the theme of colour. Hope to see Jordan one day as that desert scenery is a huge draw.
    Leigh recently posted..8 Great Canadian Train TripsMy Profile

  19. great photos & stunning colors for sure. i never get tired of photographs of stunning blue water. my favorite!!

  20. jrschmitt says

    love this photo essay of jordan – i like that you picked up the details and shared the colors of your trip. when i think of jordan, i never would have imagined such colorful moments were there. that may be the desert images we westerners have in our minds’ eye, but clearly jordan offers so much more. thank you!

    • Thank you, @Jenny. Yes, as I looked at my pix, that was the one thing that struck me: how much color in many different forms was part of the scene anywhere I went in Jordan! Neat to discover!

  21. Matt Payne says

    This is a beautiful photographic journal. Thank you for sharing!

  22. Great work Rauli. #12 is great. I like the detail. I once crossed the border to get to Jordan…never made it anywhere past the frontier because it was snowing And the buses couldn’t travel…SNOw! In Jordan!

    • Wow, snow?? I would have never thought of that. I know it snows in Lebanon because of the high mountains but did not know it was possible in Jordan. How unlucky/lucky for you! Yes, I love 12 for the detail and how the colors contrast. Thanks for stopping by!

  23. What an amazing trip! Thank you for taking us along with you via your blogs and pictures. Jordan is full of color as you showed us. I hope to experience it myself sometime in my future.

  24. Cindy Johnson says

    What a visual feast! Jordan must be a fascinating and beautiful place. Very cool.

  25. Wow, so beautiful, I want to go! I’d love to see the Treasury at Petra, crystal blue sky reflecting in the water, birds at sunset and rainbow camels! What a great trip!

  26. Kathleen says

    You really did find the color, Raul. I love these pictures – Jordon looks so intriguing – the water, the sunsets, the markets – a little for all. Thank you so much for sharing so great images!

  27. What beautiful photos of a beautiful area! I will have to put this on my “to-visit” list!

  28. This totally makes me want to go shopping in Jordan.

  29. Andreas says

    Raul,
    Great pictures. Make me want to grab my stuff and catch the first flight out there. The rock formations are incredible…mother nature showing you her beauty.

  30. Andreas says

    Raul,
    Can you post more pictures of PETRA?

  31. Raul, your images are making me very excited about my upcoming trip to Jordan in the fall of 2014 with Trekking for Kids! Thanks for the great work!

  32. Katherine E Bland says

    mother nature showing you her beauty.
    Katherine E Bland recently posted..Buy Essays Online | The Most Advanced Writing Company is Right HereMy Profile

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