Downtown Amman, widely known as ‘Balad’ is one of my favourite places to go when my soul craves for some serious shopping. Balad is like the ‘Mustafa shopping centre’ of Jordan, it literally has everything. From Jordan’s national dish, the Mansaf, to quality thobes, to fresh figs. You get the idea. 

 

Balad is more of an experience than it is a shopping session, and here’s why. Usually I go to Balad, to have lunch there as the restaurants there are *chef’s kiss* and in addition to that, the price is relatively cheap! 

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After our scrumptious lunch, and with all the energy that comes with it, we begin shopping with a full tank of fuel until the sun sets but wait, how about my Maghrib prayer? Don’t worry for there is a mosque in the heart of Balad! Furthermore, it’s only a few minutes’ walk from wherever you are in Balad so it’s really convenient as you don’t have to worry about securing a place for prayer. 

 

After Maghrib prayers, we continue shopping till the once bright sky goes to rest and night time shadows over us, and usually by this time, we would have already walked till our legs dropped, and our hands, a bright red colour from carrying the bags containing various things that we bought from Balad. I’ll also let you in on a secret, most of what we purchase are wants more than needs hehe. And what better way to end the day with some piping hot fresh out the stove ‘Knafè’! Just mentioning it makes my saliva drool! 

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The only catch is that the traffic near the districts of Balad is like a can of tuna and you’ll have to get used to staring into the number plates of cars for some time. This goes to show how famous Balad actually is as a venue for shopping. In summary, Balad is amazing!

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