Mature fatigue (Jordan, Amman)

Jordan is among the ten most water-poor countries in the world . Yet, in the souks of Amman, watermelons gleam, tomatoes pile up, and bananas hang from the ceiling. This contrast is based on a highly regulated agricultural policy: soilless cultivation in the Jordan Valley, targeted imports from Egypt and Turkey, and the widespread use of drip irrigation—a technique popularized here in the 1990s and often cited as a model for arid zones.

In Jordan, where summer days flirt with 40°C, vendors often open as early as 5 a.m. and close after dark. Behind the apparent abundance of watermelons, tomatoes, and bananas, there are bodies that endure. Standing for more than 12 hours a day , in the heat, the dust, the power outages... Here, in a cramped stall in Amman's old souk, a man briefly gives in to sleep. A fatigue without complaint, between two weighings, two negotiations, two deliveries. Like a stolen breath in a daily grind without a break.