The Fascinating World of Facial Hair in Jordan

In the last couple years, fashion magazines and other various media platforms have been discussing the return of the man beard. But in addition to just the beard, there has been a resurgence of the mustache, the goatee, the “soul patch” (arguably one of the most strange types of facial hair) and the “Islamic beard”. Facial hair has long been a part of history, from Friedrich Nietzsche‘s famous handlebar mustache, to Charles Darwin’s lush, full beard (who notes that beards have developed due to the evolution of the sexual selection process in The Descent of Man, as signs of sexual maturity and dominance), they are a man’s way of distinguishing his face and, in some way, his character. Some religions, like Sikhism, even stipulate that to fully honor his religious duties, a man must never shave his face, resulting in obviously very lengthy, full beards.

Our photographer, Sami Haven, went out in Jordan and photographed gentlemen in the country’s diverse capital, capturing a wide array of different facial hair styles. Jordan, a refuge for people from all around the Middle East and home to hundreds of thousands of expats from outside of the Arab World, has quite a diverse display of people, and with that comes a diverse display of styles and facial hair.

 What do you think of these facial hair styles? Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below! 

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