Karma Hijawi

Sun Bird

Palestine Sun Bird

Not HD at all...but couldn't help but post it! This was outside my window! A male Palestine Sun Bird feeds its little ones and flies off.

Palestine Sun Bird
L 11cm. Despite the resemblance, sunbirds are not closley related to hummingbirds. The Palestine Sunbird has a long curved bill. Male are dark with iridescent blue, green, and purple colors. Females are gray with lighter underparts. They feed mainly on nectar and insects.
Habitat: Rocky valley in western Jordan with acacia, oleander, and other flowering plants. Occurs in Wadi Al Seer, Dana Nature Reserve, and Petra. Builds nests suspended from branches.
Copied text from 'Field Guide to Jordan' Book.

Dolmens & Menhirs of Jordan

Jordan has a large amount of Dolmens and Menhirs they are about 10,000 years old, but unfortunately they are endangered and disappearing very fast.
Menhir meaning standing stone and Dolmen meaning stone table.
They are most often standing in groups known as dolmen fields, they seem to have had a burial function and can be found in many areas in the Middle East, starting at the Turkish border in the north of Syria, close to Aleppo, down to Yemen. Their most concentrated occurrence is in a large area on both sides of the Great Rift Valley, with greater predominance on the eastern side.
A good book to read is 'Megalithic Jordan' by Gajus Scheltema.

Dolmen
Wadi al Jadida, North of Jordan.

Largest dolmen i've seen in Jordan.
Wadi al Jadida
Image by Anees Maani.

Dolmen, Rawda Area.

Row of three Dolmens, Rawda area.

Menhir in Mreighat area where a large archeological field exists with numerous Dolmens. I hope they are still there; for the last time i visited the area the miners were eating up the whole field.

A row of sixteen (i think) standing stones in Lejun area.

Dolmen in the north of Jordan.

One of the most beautiful Menhirs I've seen in Amman!
In 2005 it was threatened by digging and building on that land; so it was moved safely to a secure place but hasn't been re-erected until this day.

Shmeisani Dolmen
Also a beauty amid the shmeisani residential area, but unfortunately it was bulldozed down a couple of months ago.

Dolmen, North of Jordan.

Eastern Desert

Burqu Fort water reservoir in the eastern desert.
Built by the Romans in the 3rd century AD to defend the Ghadir Burqu water spring. Although the spring was distant from major cities, controlling it was important both to protect trade routes and to deny enemies access to water. The fort is a square structure with a 4 story tower surrounded by rooms, walls, a gatehouse, and a nearby spring-fed, dammed water reservoir. The Fort became a Byzantine monastery n the 3rd and 4th century AD, and then an Umayyad palace around 700 AD.
Location: Northeastern Jordan, 20 km northwest of Ruwaished.
GPS Coordinates: 32.6133', 37.9672'

text copied from 'Field Guide to Jordan' book.

Bedouin land mark showing a territory or sometimes routes.

Vast landscapes of volcanic desert.

Black & White

Some of my old black & white photography taken in Jordan.

Autumn

Just for fun!!

Yes, its dead!

The dead sea is nine times saltier than the oceans and has minerals that constitute up to 35% of its weight. The high salinity and minteral content make it 30% denser than freshwater, giving it an oily feel and a remarkable buoyancy. The Dead Sea is rich in calcium, magnesium, bromine and other minerals.

text copied from 'Field Guide to Jordan' book.