Culture of Jordan

The culture of Jordan is based on Arabic and Islamic elements with significant Western influence. The Jordanian Kingdom had always been the intersection of the three continents of the ancient world and always seemed to have a form of diversity at any given point due to its location. Notable aspects of the culture include the music of Jordan as well as an interest in sports, particularly football and basketball as well as other imported sports mainly from western Europe and the United States..

More than 60% of the population lives in the metropolis of Amman, concentrating the culture of Jordan in that city. Jordanian pop culture is heavily influenced by the "West". European and American music, movies, fashion and other forms of entertainment are popular among Jordan's people. Clubbing and partying culture is present in Amman, especially in the Western half of the city. A small minority of youth, mostly the rich in West Amman, exhibit counter-culture traits like face piercings and tattoos. Amman is consistently stated to be one of the most westernised and modern cities in the region. Malls, Western-brand stores, and hotels are important elements in Amman's urban life, especially in West side. English is widely understood and even spoken in lieu of Jordanian Levantine among Jordanians in the upper class and upper middle class. Westernization is occurring due to the heavy Western and especially British and American influence on the nation's political life and foreign affairs. In addition, many people from western Europe and America had been moving to Amman and calling it their new home in the past few years, this increased trade links with the West and reshaped the culture. Cuisine is borrowed from other surrounding nations especially Egypt, Syria and Turkey.

Nonprint media has played the most impactful role in Jordanian culture. Television production in particular has thrived due to high quality acting and creative, interesting story lines that challenge and critique contemporary Arab society. Print media too, however, continues to play a large role in Jordanian culture; newspapers include ad-Dustour ("The Constitution") and Al Ra'i ("The Opinion") are the most widely read of the Arabic language newspapers. Additionally, the country has one daily English newspaper The Jordan Times, and one weekly English newspaper, The Star. (See List of newspapers in Jordan)

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