Economy of Amman

Amman serves as Jordan’s commercial, industrial and administrative center. Important industries in Amman include the manufacturing of tobacco products, textiles, batteries, leather products, ties and cement and the processing of food products.

Petroleum refining and the extraction of phosphate are also important industries. The growth of Jordan’s economy in the past decade has been due in large part to the subsidized oil the country receives.

Amman has diverse shopping opportunities from haute couture from Paris and traditional dress from the Bedouin tribes people. Craft shops sell a variety of hand made items, including jewelry, sand painting, hand blown glassware, and hand stitched fabrics.

Amman’s downtown gold market is located in the center of the city on narrow walkways lined with small shops. Here the price of gold is sold at a fixed rate per gram, based on the current world market. While bargaining is no longer very common in Amman, keepers of the downtown souvenir shops will still haggle with tourists over prices.