Got an Axe to Grind? Throw it Instead at Jordan Rage Room

A Jordanian girl collects an axe from the target at a store, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan August 4, 2020. (Reuters)
A Jordanian girl collects an axe from the target at a store, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan August 4, 2020. (Reuters)
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Got an Axe to Grind? Throw it Instead at Jordan Rage Room

A Jordanian girl collects an axe from the target at a store, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan August 4, 2020. (Reuters)
A Jordanian girl collects an axe from the target at a store, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan August 4, 2020. (Reuters)

Had it up to here with your boss, the lockdown?

Throw an axe to get it all out. “Axe Rage Rooms” are all the er, rage in Jordan as people seek release during the pandemic.

While you’re at it, have a smashing time with TVs, plates and electronics as well, in this cathartic form of entertainment at a time when theaters and sports venues are closed. Do it with family, friends or colleagues to celebrate or mourn an event like a birthday, wedding, divorce or your sports team’s outcome in a tournament.

“We’re used to throwing darts at targets to get points. But the idea of throwing an axe at the same target is quite new,” said Nour Mohaib, wearing a helmet with a face shield to enjoy her new therapeutic pastime.

“This is a great way to spend your surplus energy.”

The AXE rage room entertainment center in Amman features five themed experiences, such as classrooms and kitchens.

“(F)ulfil your darkest pleasures of smashing things up by a baseball bat, or throwing dishes to the wall rather than washing them, or destroy the whole office electronics with your co-workers... like a team for once rather than shouting at each other in boring meetings,” says its website.

Safety rules must be followed and players must sign a waiver of liability.

“No one can enter the area where the axes are thrown, and there’s safety gear for the face and the eyes,” said founder and director Aladdin Attari.

The cost is 15 Jordanian dinars ($21) per person to smash an unlimited supply of items for an hour, which is “more than enough for most people,” a customer service representative said by phone.



Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
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Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

The Acropolis in Athens will limit its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions, the Greek culture ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry in a statement said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures."

The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday and is the second to grip Greece since late June.

Temperatures are expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with a maximum of 37 Celsius in Athens, according to national weather service EMY.

The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday.

The heatwave will abate on Thursday.