Jordan has become famous for the high standard of crafts available to tourists and local people alike. A wide variety of crafts fill the shops of Amman and the bustling bazaars of the smaller towns and villages, far from the capital. Crafts as pottery, jewelry, embroidery , carpets, and traditional costumes. Also found around Amman are some of the finest glass blowers who continue to create fabulous glass objects in styles typical of the region. The nomadic Bedouin's flocks of sheep are fine providers of wool. Woven on small looms and made into all types of goods. One of the most rewarding purchases to make is that of an Arab oriental rug or carpet. Every rug has its own intristic character, its own special feel and unique design.

History Of Handicraft
Traditional handicrafts in Jordan have been passed down over many generations, from a time when all Jordanians met their domestic needs by weaving their own rugs and making their own earthenware and utensils. A rich cultural melange of Arab and Islamic imagery is reflected in Jordanian crafts, which include handmade glass, earthenware, basket and rug weaving and embroidery. Crafts produced on a smaller scale include sand bottles, sculpture and silver jewelry. These practical crafts were once threatened by the introduction of modern industrial products. Fortunately, however local artisans sparred a renaissance by incorporating new influences into time - honored traditions to produce modern versions of the ancient.

Ceramics:
Probably the most ancient craft in Jordan is the creation of earthenware products out of silsal (Arabic word for clay). Pottery was first invented in the Levant in the Sixth millennium B.C. and according to some, its invention may have been accidental. A lump of clay may have been mistakenly dropped into a fire and when the ashes cooled, the astonished discoverer noticed that the clay was hard as rock! The product of this discovery has become both a science and an intricate art. Creating sturdy, yet beautiful earthenware is a sophisticated procedure involving a good deal of experimentation with different raw materials and methods.

Glassware:
Like ceramics, glass blowing is a craft which combines practicality with beauty. Today in Jordan one finds vases, bottles and hand-crafted glasses in magnificent royal blue and rich green blown glass. The basic shapes and designs of traditional glassware, common in both Hebron and Jordan, have deep roots in the region. Archaeologists have discovered strikingly similar styles dating back as far as the first century B.C.

Embroidery:
An internationally admired Jordanian craft is embroidery. Cross-stitch is the most commonly practiced method, with the weaver employing a combination of various colors and designs on thobes (Arabic for dresses), shawls and cushions. In earlier days Palestinian and Jordanian women wove dresses for their own personal use. Starting at an early age young girls often embroidered their own wedding dresses.

Rug Weaving:
In the past, both nomadic Bedouins and villagers created hand woven rugs using ground looms or upright looms. This handicraft began to fade away as the Bedouins started to settle. In order to preserve the art, however, Jordanian artisans worked in partnership with the Save The Children Charity Organization and the Noor Al-Hussein Foundation to establish the Bani Hameeda Project,, a self -help rug weaving "Cottage Industry" which provides independent supplemental income for rural and urban women. Jordanians continue to weave handmade rugs in the traditional dark shades of green, red, black and orange, although in recent years light pastel colors have also become popular.

Sand Bottles:
For decades, bottles filled with brightly colored sand have been made by artisans in Aqaba & Petra. The bottles are inexpensive, and their playful patterns unique to Jordan. It is said that a Petra Native, Mohammed Abdullah Othman, taught himself the craft as a child, collecting his material from nearby mountains and caves. Since there are more than twenty naturally occurring shades of sandstone, Othman and his imitators have no need for dyes.