Jordanian Topiaries

Jordan is dry.  So, so dry.  It is one of the driest countries in the world.  We have to be very careful with our water usage.  But that’s ok.  I grew up in the desert.  I can do dry.  I can conserve water with the best of them.

Jordan is also dusty.  Dustbowl dusty.  I constantly feel like there is a film of dust all over my skin.

But there is one thing that perplexes me about Jordan.  Why are all of the buildings the same color as the dust?  The color of the architecture in Amman varies from off-white to slightly more off-white, and all the shades of off-white that fall between those two shades … of off-white.  My guess is that the architects figure that the buildings are going to be covered in dust anyway, so why not just make them that color to begin with.  If you can’t fight ’em, join ’em.

I haven’t purchased Legos in Jordan, but it makes me wonder if they only come in off-white.

As you can imagine, with all the off-white structures, it can be rather difficult to distinguish one building from the next.  But, the resourceful Jordanians have come up with a way to distinguish one building from the next, and it has nothing to do with the actual building.  It’s all in the greenery in front of the building.

Amman is filled with amazing topiaries!  And yesterday while I was running errands, I took a few pictures of the topiaries in my neighborhood.  These are all within about a two kilometer radius of my house; some on my very street.  Enjoy!