Stories of Our City

Rawan Maraqa is an up-and-coming Arab artist who is literally making her mark in her native Amman, Jordan—having recently completed her very first street mural near the bustling downtown area in the capital city. 

Making pottery can be a lot like life, according to Tovah Anavian Presser, a Jewish glass and ceramic artist with Persian roots. It doesn’t always turn out the way one wishes. But with patience and perseverance, one can often eventually experience the joy of watching it become what it was meant to be.

Yousef al-Amareen proudly carries on the traditions of his nomadic Bedouin ancestors in Jordan, as well as the traditions of Islam— including the yearly celebration of Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice).

Anton Razzouk represents the 28 generation of an Egyptian family of  tattoo artists who have specialized in pilgrimage tattoos in the famed city  of Jerusalem for the last 500 years. 

Making pottery can be a lot like life, according to Tovah Anavian Presser, a Jewish glass and ceramic artist with Persian roots. It doesn’t always turn out the way one wishes. But with patience and perseverance, one can eventually experience the joy of watching it become what it was meant to be.

Although the holiday of Thanksgiving is only officially celebrated in a few countries in the world, people everywhere have something to be thankful for. For this episode, we sat down in Amman, Jordan, with a few English language students from various countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa to ask them what they are thankful for. We hope their answers encourage and inspire you to also...

Homsi Mills, a family business founded in 1942 and currently run by brothers Majdi and Abu Azz Al Homsi, is reportedly the oldest establishment that sells coffee in the city of Amman, Jordan.

Having learned the Jordanian craft of bottled sand art from his father, Abdullah now hopes to pass it on to future generations to help preserve this artistic custom for years to come.

Prayer beads are used by adherents of various religions worldwide, including Muslims. Khalid and his family have been working in the field of making, repairing, and selling prayer beads ( misbaha in Arabic) for generations.  

Like many fellow natives of the historic town of Bethlehem, Khader Shebat practices the trade of olive woodcraft as he seeks to share this artistic and traditional craft from the Holy Land with the world.

For Ibrahim Al-Ahlas, owner of Rahaf Tea in Amman, Jordan, tea is more than a beverage—it’s a culture. A culture that he celebrates and shares with both locals and expats alike.

Rewriting history is far from a thing of the past. And presently, Bassem Nabeel, a content creator in the Middle East, is putting a new take on the concept by combining his love for both sculpting and history in presenting neutral analysis of historical figures as he sculpts them in stop-motion videos.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Zidane Mitoubssi (Zee-dan Mit-w u b-see) was a newly graduated college student entering a workplace for which he found himself somewhat unprepared. And then he and a friend had a bright idea.

Beauty is worship, according to Kamal Aldeen Abu Halaweh. And ruin is just an ingredient for making something beautiful.

For Radwan Hashem, cycling is more than a sport—it’s a lifestyle. After undergoing a series of knee surgeries, the bike became a lifeline for him—as well as a teacher.  

As an essential part of their culture, the dagger is sacred among the Bedouin (nomadic) people, according to craftsman Nayif Abu Muhaysin, whose family has been making daggers for four generations. As such, he aims to help continue preserving traditional Bedouin heritage for future generations through his traditional, handmade daggers.

Ahmad Adnan Al-Eriqsousi’s love for the historic version of his hometown inspired him to begin to immortalize it through three-dimensional miniature models during his retirement.

Even at the young age of fourteen, Ghazal Al-Madadha already has quite an extensive acting résumé and began reciting poetry as young as six years old. As a Jordanian national arts ambassador, she aims to empower other girls to make headway in Arab society and culture through the arts and beyond.

As a self-proclaimed small town kid who grew up on her grandfather’s farm, Aubrey learned the value and joy of hands-on labor from observing and working alongside her family. During a successful run in the corporate world, various factors—including impending burnout—led Aubrey to begin seeking a creative outlet to combat and manage stress. A chance encounter with a scrapped piece of furniture at t...

When Gazi Khattab began practicing Arabic calligraphy as a child, he would go downtown to study the plethora of shop signage and advertisements on display for guidance and inspiration. This exposure to the environmental street décor of Jordan’s capital city eventually led him to begin collecting and preserving old signs—some of which are now on display in his Old Signs of Amman Museum in the heart...

When Sanad Albokhari was a child, he had two recurring dreams. One was seeing the ocean. The other was living a rustic life—like a cowboy.

Javier was only five years old when he was separated from his mother and older sister as they tried to cross into the United States from Mexico. His family made it. But he was sent back. After two further failed immigration attempts with a protective stranger, little Javier made a solo attempt in hopes of finally being reunited with his family. Could he find the way? Listen as Javier shares the de...

Osama Al-Issawi first learned how to work with stone from his father, who was a grouter, during summer breaks in middle school. His craftiness and respect for the environment eventually led Osama to seek to turn other people’s trash into treasure by upcycling various objects—namely cardboard—into works of art and décor.

Welcome to a new season of Stories of Our City—real stories from real people around the globe.  This week's story comes from Lima, Peru. The daughter of Mexican immigrants to the United States who was born during the Great Depression, Gloria Aguilera Nichtawitz ( Nēsh-ta-vitz ) has a can-do spirit that perseveres. Coming from a line of honest, hardworking people, she found a way through various ob...

Hip-hop is more than a genre of popular music; it’s a global culture and lifestyle. Having left its mark across the globe in the last several decades, no place has been untouched—not even the farthest islands. Ireland is no exception. Irish native Stevie G, both a music and radio DJ and one of the many worldwide influenced by this global phenomenon, has taken up the mantle of passing the history a...