Amman's Subjective Cartography

Hand-drawn maps, navigation by landmarks, calling from rooftops -- these are just some of the navigational devices utilized by residents of Amman, Jordan, a city that until only two years ago had unlabeled streets and unnumbered buildings.

"'It's totally normal to be lost and confused,' says photographer Regina Mamou...Little has changed even though many houses now have numbers. Mail is
still delivered to P.O. boxes; even Fed Ex officials call and ask for an 'interpretation' as to where a spot is located."

"This form of urban living has meant that people form very personal
relationships with their neighborhoods. But it also means Jordanians may
be less likely to explore a city as a whole. 'Living in the Middle
East, there's a lot of different ways in which the subjectivity of the
landscape is present. As a woman, there are places you will go or won't
go,' Mamou says. 'It also depends on where you are in the economic scale
as well.'"