KINGDOM OF JORDAN (continued)
What to Buy
Duty-Free Shopping
Where to Shop
How to Shop
Sales Tax
Shopping Time and Transportation
Shopping Hours
Shopping Amman
Downtown
Suburban (West Amman)
Major Shopping Centers
Hotel Shops
Best Shops
Shopping Aqaba
Shopping Petra
Shopping Jerash
Shopping the Dead Sea Area
Shopping the Border Crossings
One of the best ways to learn about Jordan, meet the locals, and discover interesting and talented artists, craftspeople, and shopkeepers is to go shopping. Indeed you should have a great time sleuthing for treasures you can acquire and appreciate for years to come.
What to Buy
While by no means a shopper's paradise on the par with Istanbul or Dubai, nonetheless, Jordan has a great deal to offer visitors in search of quality handcrafted products. If you are looking for unique home decorative items, jewelry, antiques, art, clothes, handicrafts, souvenirs, gift items, and duty-free imported goods, Jordan may surprise you with its many offerings.
In Jordan you'll find a wide range of locally produced products loosely classified as arts and crafts or handicrafts.
Products range from tacky souvenirs and tourist kitsch offered by vendors near major tourist sites to high quality arts and crafts found in handicraft boutiques and hotel shops. Some of the best quality products are produced through rural development projects operated by foundations supported by members of the royal family, especially Queen Rania (www.queenrania.jo) and Queen Noor (www.noor.gov.jo). Here’s what you can expect to find when shopping in Jordan: - art (paintings and sculptures)
- antiques
- home furnishings
- jewelry (Bedouin, traditional, and modern)
- gold (traditional)
- silver
- hand-embroidered items (clothes, cushions, textiles)
- textiles
- carpets
- ceramics
- pottery
- woodwork
- spices
- water pipes
- daggers/weapons
- copper and brassware
- clothes and accessories
- souvenirs
- Dead Seas bath and rejuvenation products
- duty-free imported goods
While many of these products are produced in Jordan, others are imported from craft centers and artists in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco.
Duty-Free Shopping
Duty-free shopping is ubiquitous at Jordan's international airports in Amman and Aqaba and at major border crossings. It's a big business contributing millions of dollars to the Jordanian economy. It is likely to become ever bigger in the future as tourism continues to grow along with demand for name-brand international products.
As in many other countries, duty-free shopping has become increasingly popular in Jordan. You can't miss it if you arrive or depart by way of Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. Operated by Jordan Duty Free Corporation, the airport offers 24-hour duty-free shopping centered at The Mall, a large shopping area that links Terminal 1 with Terminal 2. Here you’ll find high quality international name-brand products generally found in other duty-free airport shopping centers of the region: - Electronic equipment
- Leather goods
- Pens and fine writing sets
- Watches and jewelry
- Cigarettes and cigars
- Perfumes and Cosmetics
- Wines and liquors
- Chocolates and traditional Arabian sweets
- Books
- Toys
Several shops here also offer an excellent selection of quality Jordanian handicrafts and gift items - embroidered dresses and decorative items, clothes, dolls, hand-painted pottery, blown glass, silver jewelry, and carved olive wood.
Aqaba (www.aqaba.jo) was actually designed as a duty-free shopping zone when the governing Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) was established in 2001. ASEZA encompasses all of the tiny Jordanian coastline (26 kilometers), the seaport, an international airport, and the historical city of Aqaba, which has a population of 86,000.
As Aqaba expands its tourist infrastructure and attracts thousands of visitors each year, duty-free shopping is expected to expand accordingly.
Many of the duty-free items appearing in airports and shops of Amman and Aqaba - from liquor and tobacco products to jewelry, clothes, and accessories - come from all over the world. Like most duty-free shopping, such shops and products appeal to last-minute shoppers - especially individuals needing gift items - and those in search of quality international brand-names at ostensibly bargain prices - and those needing to kill some down-time at the airport!
Where to Shop
Not surprisingly, most of the good stuff finds its way into the many shops of Amman. Outside Amman, the best shopping will be found in Aqaba. A few shopping opportunities are available in Petra, Jerash, and other popular tourist sites.
But it's Amman that is the focus of most shoppers. Here you'll find: - shopping centers
- street shops
- hotel boutiques
- souks (markets or marketplaces)
- street peddlers
Don't expect to find in Jordan huge markets or grand covered souks comparable to the famous ones of Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, Cairo, and Marrakesh. Most of Jordan's shopping is centered on commercial street shops and in shopping centers. Some of Amman's best shopping can be found in residential areas where large homes have been converted in to shops and galleries.
Unlike many nearby countries, Jordan does not have a significant souk tradition. So don't waste your time looking for big covered souks here. Try the large shopping centers which tend to operate according to Western commercial practices, including periodic sales and promotions.
How to Shop
While many shops in shopping centers and hotels have fixed prices, other shops are open to bargaining. However, don't expect big discounting since the haggling tradition in Jordan is less pronounced than in the souks of Syria and Turkey, and local merchants are reputed to be less willing to bargain these days.
Nonetheless, you should practice your bargaining skills when purchasing any high-ticket items, especially jewelry, carpets, antiques, and art, or when purchasing several items together, or dealing with street vendors and small shops near tourist sites and in the congested Downtown area.
Many of these places inflate prices for tourists who often are willing to pay the asking price. For information on the art of bargaining, see our separate article on this subject.
Most major shops in tourist areas and shopping centers accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to a lesser extent), although many merchants prefer cash transactions in order to avoid paying credit card company commissions (as high as 5%). You'll always in a better position to bargain if you indicate that you plan to pay in cash.
Look for discounts, sales, and special promotions in shopping centers and at duty-free shops.
Sales Tax
Jordan levies a hefty 17 percent government sales tax on many goods and services, especially on hotels and restaurants. One exception is found in Aqaba's special economic zone, where the tax is 7 percent.
Shopping Time and Transportation
Since the best quality shops are in Amman, be sure to include an extra day or two in this city just for the pleasure of shopping.
When shopping in Amman, you are well advised to hire a car with driver (he should speak some of your language) for five reasons: - You will need to travel long distances between shops - it may take 45 minutes to cross the city.
- You will need help with Amman's difficult addresses and signage -absent or in Arabic.
- You will need to store your purchases when you are out and about shopping.
- You may need help with language, customs, and shipping issues.
- You will appreciate having a friendly face waiting for you rather than deal with the hassle trying to catch a taxi every time you leave a shop or shopping center.
The main reason for having a car and driver in Amman is simple - it's a smart way to shop for people with limited time and who want convenience and comfort!
Shopping Hours
Shopping hours vary, with many places closed on Friday. Most shops are open Saturday through Thursday, from 9 or 10 AM to 5 through 10 PM. Some close from 1:30 or 2 PM to 4 PM each day.
Shopping malls are generally open Saturday through Thursday, from 10 AM to 10 PM, and Friday from 2 PM to 10 PM.
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