🇯🇴 Jordan
Ajlun travel guide
Ajlun is a forested highland town in northern Jordan topped by the remarkably intact 12th-century Islamic Ajlun Castle (Qal'at Ar-Rabad), built to defend against Crusader incursions. The surrounding nature reserve offers some of Jordan's best hiking through oak and pine forests.
Language
Arabic (some English in tourist sites)
Currency
Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
Timezone
Asia/Amman
Best time
March–May, September–November
Budget/day
$40-70/day
When to visit
Jan
2 to 9°C
Feb
2 to 10°C
Mar
5 to 14°C
Apr
9 to 19°C
May
13 to 24°C
Jun
17 to 29°C
Jul
19 to 31°C
Aug
19 to 32°C
Sep
16 to 28°C
Oct
12 to 23°C
Nov
7 to 16°C
Dec
3 to 11°C
Safety
9Ajloun is entirely safe. Modest dress (covering shoulders and knees) is essential in conservative northern Jordan. Locals are extremely hospitable but photography of women requires explicit permission.
Women travellers
Jordan is among the safest Middle Eastern countries. Ajloun is a conservative small town — modest dress strongly recommended.
Culture & etiquette
- + Accept if offered tea or coffee by locals — refusing hospitality is considered rude in Jordan
- + Dress modestly in the town and castle — long sleeves and trousers/skirt below knee
- + Learn a few Arabic phrases — it is enormously appreciated in smaller towns
- - Don't photograph locals without permission — particularly women
- - Don't visit with any items showing Israeli stamps in your passport — politically sensitive
- - Don't drink alcohol in public — Ajloun is a conservative Muslim town
Food to try
Mansaf (national dish)
Jordan's definitive meal and the dish of hospitality — a vast platter of lamb cooked in jameed (dried fermented yoghurt) sauce on a bed of rice mixed with toasted flatbread; eaten traditionally by hand in a circle around the communal dish; the jameed gives a tangy, slightly sour depth unlike any other sauce; present at every celebratory occasion in Jordan
Zaatar and olive oil flat bread
Northern Jordan's staple breakfast — fresh taboun bread baked in a wood-fire domed oven, torn and dipped in olive oil mixed with dried thyme (zaatar) and sesame; Ajloun hills produce some of Jordan's best wild thyme; served at every guesthouse and local restaurant
Grape leaf dolma (Warak dawali)
Stuffed grape vine leaves — a Levant classic done with Jordanian spicing, using lamb and rice filling with lemon juice and cinnamon; northern Jordan's vine-growing hills provide fresh leaves May-October; a comfort food of the region
Hidden gems
Details are indicative and may change. Verify visa, safety, and entry requirements before travel.