Jordan News

 AMMAN — The number of foreign visitors to Petra in the first three months of 2019 increased by 53 per cent to 219,503 guests, compared with the same period of 2018, when the ancient city welcomed 143,345 visitors, the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA) announced on Monday.

 AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is planning on renovating, yet preserving, Jabal Luweibdeh in 2019, according to a report made available to The Jordan Times.

 JERASH — The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Tuesday launched the Jerash Centre for the Restoration of Ancient Artefacts project during a ceremony at the Jerash Department of Tourism.

 AMMAN — An exhibition organised for the Atharafoqa area, in the northern part of Umm Qais, was the crown jewel of seven years of cooperation between a German research team and the local community.

 Amman — The Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman on Thursday played host to a concert by The Italian Cello Trio to celebrate the twinning of stone cities Petra and Matera, the latter of which is the 2019 cultural capital city of Europe.

 AMMAN — The Energy Ministry on Wednesday signed agreements, under the electricity rationalisation project, to support four hotels in Petra at a total cost of JD303,000. 

 AMMAN — Under the patronage of Social Development Minister Basma Ishaqat, the Drosos Foundation and UNESCO Amman on Thursday launched the Safi Crafts line of handmade, eco-friendly textiles and accessories, which were made by women from the Ghor Safi village and will be sold in 20 stores across Jordan.

 AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) new food truck project will begin operation on January 2019, with 30-50 new locations being allocated for trucks, according to GAM Spokesperson Mazen Farrajeen.

 AMMAN — The Kingdom’s national income from tourism increased by 10 per cent in January and February 2019, to JD573.9 million, compared with figures from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ monthly statistical report issued on Sunday.

 AMMAN — The Jerash Department of Antiquities on Thursday unveiled a "unique" lead sarcophagus that dates back to the Byzantine era.

 AMMAN — A Jordanian scholar on Wednesday gave a lecture outlining the ancient Nabataeans’ water-harvesting prowess, exemplified by the Qantara-Hremeyyeh catchment area located 3km southwest of Wadi Musa.

 AMMAN — The recent Royal visit to Al Quds restaurant went viral on social media, emphasising how much the tiny, but well-known, restaurant has grown since its establishment in 1966.

 AMMAN — Jordan’s ecology is being celebrated through Algerian artist Hakim Jamain’s “Cultivating the Soul” exhibition; in a reawakening for the historical role of the artist as a scientist and a researcher driven by curiosity.

AMMAN — A project to better preserve the Roman Aqueduct of Gadara in Umm Qais recently concluded, according to a statement sent from the US embassy in Jordan.

 AMMAN — Tucked inside the University of Jordan, a 33-year-old museum aims to preserve different aspects of local heritage for the Jordanian public and college students for “generations to come”.

 JERASH — Despite being the second most visited tourism attraction in Jordan, Jerash’s tourism sector does not provide jobs for 99 per cent of its population, experts said.

 AMMAN — The King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) on Wednesday announced that they plan on launching the “Steps for Life” initiative for the fourth year in a row.

 AMMAN — Royal Jordanian (RJ) celebrated its 55th anniversary on Wednesday with a performance by the Jordanian Army Band and a ceremony marking the company’s establishment.

 AMMAN — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Monday inaugurated the Amman Green City Action Plan (GCAP), making the city one of 20 worldwide now taking part in the greening project.

 PETRA — Canadian tourist Roxanna Ferguson has recently had what she called a “spiritual trip”, when she walked among the warm candle lit walls of Petra and towards its venerable Treasury at night. 

 AMMAN — Tourism revenues in January went up by 9.1 per cent to JD458 million, compared with JD420 million in the same month last year, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) announced on Tuesday.

 AMMAN — A draft nomination request to include Um Al Jimal archaeological site on the World Heritage List has been finalised, the mission preserving the Byzantine town said on Sunday.  

 AMMAN — Brig. Gen. Awni Mohammed Khasawneh, director general of the Royal Jordanian Geographical Centre (RJGC) and director of the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Western Asia, has chaired the meetings of the Space 2030 Working Group, which extended from February 11-15.

 AMMAN —  The Italian archaeological mission to Jordan's Medieval Petra recently concluded its 2018 excavation season in Al Jaya village (some 200 kilometres south of Amman), which resulted in the excavation of the urban Jaya Palace.

 AMMAN — The UN announced on Thursday that Olivier  Adam, executive coordinator of the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme will visit Amman on Sunday to promote volunteerism.

 AMMAN — What once was a dull desert area in the middle of the Azraq refugee camp was transformed into a new space for art and community engagement by the London-based organisation Artmongers, recently.

 AMMAN — A team of 19 Jordanian teenagers will climb Tanzania’s Mount Meruto to raise funds for supporting the treatment of underprivileged cancer patients at King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC).

 AMMAN — The 19th National Olives Festival kicked off on Wednesday allowing farmers to showcase their olives and other rural products.

 AMMAN — The allegorical journey of the soul into unity and transcendentalism in the mystical epic “Conference of the Birds” by Persian Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar is now to be experienced in the duo exhibition by digital artists Zaina El Said and Mo Awwad.

 JERASH — Having zero additives is the secret behind the “unbeatable” taste of hummus and broad bean dishes, or foul, served at the Smadi Restaurant in the northern Jordanian city of Jerash, the owner said, and customers seconded that. 

 AMMAN — Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 8,425,026 passengers in 2018, a 6.5 per cent increase from 2017, the Airport International Group (AIG) said.

 AMMAN — In order to solve an outdated approach to cultural research management (CRM), a local NGO recently decided to build and manage a vocational training programme that would directly involve local communities.

 AMMAN — The Jordan Valley and the Transjordanian Highlands are two distinctive regions, however material culture found in the two areas point to a close cultural connection, according to a German archaeologist.

 DENVER — A superheated blast from the skies obliterated cities and farming settlements north of the Dead Sea around 3,700 years ago, preliminary findings suggest.

 Low-cost airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, and Norwegian have all recently taken notice of Jordan as a prime winter destination for European travelers. As more and more travelers are eager to visit the Middle East, airlines are providing more efficient and cost-friendly options.

 AMMAN — A group of young people passionate about art have followed the lead of a 23-year-old Syrian artist in supporting local communities through creativity. 

 AMMAN — Petra’s monumental tombs represent a familiar sight for researchers working in the area, however, less familiar are the chambers cut into the bedrock along the escarpment of the area’s North Ridge and left behind by the site’s inhabitants.

 AMMAN — A team of Polish archaeologists recently unveiled the largest discovered Neolithic settlement in the mountain valley of Munqataa in southern Jordan, some 170 kilometres from Amman.

 AMMAN — During excavations in Petra, a team of researchers found two marble statues of the goddess Aphrodite in 2016, talks of restoration began and late last year the team turned to conservator Michael Morris for the project.

 AMMAN — For many people in Jordan, old newspapers are usually discarded, burned, used for cleaning or repurposed to wrap delicate objects and protect them from breaking.

 AMMAN — Archaeologist Ina Kehrberg-Ostrasz has recently delved into the findings of an excavation of a small tomb containing the single burial of a young child, which was accompanied by “unparalleled” gifts.

 AMMAN — “Business is a matter of human service,” said founder of Dilmah Tea and of the the MJF Charitable Foundation Merrill J. Fernando, who visited the Kingdom for the first time last Thursday, aiming to spread his belief that “we come into this world with nothing, we leave with nothing and the wealth some of us acquire is owed to the efforts and cooperation of many other around us”.

 AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday said that Jordan has all the ingredients to build a remarkable medical tourism industry, adding that such a potential should be tapped through providing high-quality products and better coordination between stakeholders.

 AMMAN — “Tomb looting became endemic in the 1970s and 1980s in the area of Ghor Safi, and my role has been to preserve and document as much of the heritage as possible,” said a veteran Greek archaeologist.

 AMMAN — The number of tourists who visited the Jordan Museum increased by 26 per cent in 2018, reaching 79,550 compared with 2017, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

 AMMAN — “From now on, my voice will be heard, and I start with this — my first spoken word.” The assertion comes from Sanaa Asim, concluding a poem about her experience with discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and religion. 

 AMMAN — Dolmens, above-ground tombs made of giant slabs of stone, are scattered throughout northwest Jordan, but their absence from other areas have perplexed researchers, until recently.

 AMMAN — While southern Jordan witnesses an abundance of ancient sites, a British archaeologist decided to study the 20th century archaeology during the Great Arab Revolt, with a focus on trains, planes and automobiles.

 AMMAN — Jordan’s victory against Australia during the team’s opening game of this year’s Asian Cup contributed to restoring its prestige, said Tayseer Omairi, a sports journalist.

 AMMAN — Tourism revenues have increased by 15.4 per cent at the end of August 2018, reaching $3.6 billion (some JD2.6 billion), compared to around $3.1 billion registered in the same period last year, according to preliminary data released by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) on Monday.