Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan tried their hands at traditional crafts on a visit to Umm Qais, Jordan. Instagram / Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan tried their hands at traditional crafts on a visit to Umm Qais, Jordan. Instagram / Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan tried their hands at traditional crafts on a visit to Umm Qais, Jordan. Instagram / Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan tried their hands at traditional crafts on a visit to Umm Qais, Jordan. Instagram / Queen Rania Al Abdullah

'I cannot recommend them enough': Queen Rania and Princess Iman try their hands at traditional Jordanian crafts


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

She has remained largely out of the public eye while studying at Georgetown University, but Princess Iman this week stepped out with her mother to help shine a light on Jordan's heritage arts and crafts.

The royal, 23, joined Queen Rania Al Abdullah for a visit to Umm Qais, a village in northern Jordan, on Monday.

As part of the engagement, the mother and daughter toured Beit Al Baraka, a bed and breakfast hotel, where they took part in a number of traditional experiences.

Queen Rania and Princess Iman tried basket weaving and embroidering Jordanian scarves. The sessions offered by the hotel aim to teach guests more about the country's heritage.

The royals can be seen giving the arts and crafts a go in a video shared on Queen Rania's Instagram account on Wednesday.

The duo also visited Galsoum’s Kitchen, a restaurant focused on creating traditional Jordanian dishes, where they helped prepare Eid cookies.

The visit to Umm Qais was designed to put a spotlight on the country's sustainable tourism options that preserve "Jordan’s cultural heritage and natural resources", said Queen Rania's office.

"Loved spending time with both Iman and the wonderful people at Beit Al Baraka and Beit Al Ward in Umm Qais today," the royal told her six million Instagram followers. "I cannot recommend them enough!"

Queen Rania and Princess Iman also attended a class on traditional rock carving, before learning about local plants and making seed bombs at Beit Al Ward.

Beit Al Baraka, a six-room hotel, is set on a hillside with sweeping views of the Sea of Galilee and the Yarmouk Nature Reserve. Rooms start from $85 (Dh312) a night, according to the B&B's website.

The craft sessions, meanwhile, are organised by Baraka Destinations, a Jordanian initiative that works with Umm Qais locals to promote the country's cultural heritage.

Baraka Destinations also arranges cycling and hiking tours in the area.

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A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

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