500 Jordanians come together for ‘Kingdom’s largest selfie’

AMMAN — Around 500 Jordanians took part in what organisers are hoping will be the largest selfie in Jordan during an event in the Amman Citadel on Saturday. 

Event organiser Camerji, a local photography initiative brought people together to encourage them to take up the hobby of photography, according to its founder, Ammar Alnubani. 

“We wanted to bring together as many people as we can — who represent all segments of society — in one photo,” he told The Jordan Times after the selfie was taken. 

Organisers tried to break the global record for the largest selfie but were unsuccessful.

“The largest selfie included 1,151 people. We hope that this one will be the largest in Jordan. Even though we could not break the international record, at least we managed to invite many people to be part of one photo that represents Jordan,” Alnubani said.

Jordanian media personality Aroub Soubh, who took the selfie, said the event shows that one photo can bring together many people regardless of their background, religion and culture, and it will be part of their history. 

“Selfie is not only part of Jordanian culture, it has became a global culture... We hope that events like this will promote Jordan as a tourist destination,” she added. 

Laith Zuraigi, one of the participants, said he learned about the event through Facebook.

“I was so excited to take part in it since the selfie trend is so popular,” he added. 

Lama Hadadeen, another Jordanian who took part, said the photo will show the whole world that Jordan is like one family. 

“The instability in the region has a negative impact on the tourism sector and through this event we will show the world that our country is safe and is open to tourists,” she added.

Adnan Sharaa, who brought his two children to take part in the selfie, said the event provided his family with a chance to enjoy their weekend. 

“In my day, there was no such thing as selfies. But now you see people posing everywhere to take their own photos,” he added Sharaa.

The event was supported by the Tourism Ministry, the Department of Antiquities, the Jordanian Photography Society and Microsoft Lumia, according to Alnubani.