I never thought I would live to see the day when Jordanian women would be zipping through the streets of Amman on scooters. Apparently I was mistaken, as women in Amman are indeed scooting about! I have to admit, I’m loving it.

The woman in this picture is Haya Karadhseh Qubain who, according to Ahmad, is a teacher at an Amman school. It is worth noting that this woman comes from my hometown of Madaba. Here’s a profile of Jordan’s scooter woman as a PDF file from Al Rai (Arabic). Via: [360 east]

For the record, scooters and motorbikes were banned in Jordan until fairly recently. I believe the decision was made in the early 80’s after a series of fatal traffic accidents involving motorcycles. Nowadays, scooters are allowed on the streets of Jordan. Motorbikes, however, remained restricted. They are allowed for business but can’t be owned by individuals.