AMMAN — Around 160,000 people visited the 19th National Olive Festival and bought agricultural products worth JD1.64 million, organisers said on Sunday.

 AMMAN — In order to solve an outdated approach to cultural research management (CRM), a local NGO recently decided to build and manage a vocational training programme that would directly involve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 — 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 — The 19th National Olive Festival received some 40,000 visitors during its first two days, during which olive oil sales reached around JD480,000, organisers said.

 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.

 AMMAN — The northeastern part of Jordan is one of the most overlooked regions in terms of touristic offers across the country, despite the existence of many archaeological sites, a Swiss archaeologist and architect remarked, citing the lack of tour operators’ attraction towards Mafraq Governorate.

 AMMAN — “If you call me John Tyler in Petra, locals will not know me, while, if you say John Nawafleh [a local tribe’s name], everyone will know me,” John Tyler told The Jordan Times in a phone interview on Thursday.

 AMMAN — Some 450 Jordanian and Syrian women have been coming together in Irbid, as part of local self-help groups where they learned how to establish their own businesses, while developing strong social bonds and friendships.

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

 AMMAN — When Aqaba-based Ayla Oasis planners perfected the concept of sustainability as an integral component of the mega development project, they foresaw every possible positive outcome of such integration, executives said. Except for one thing that came as a bonus, not only for the luxurious residential and commercial estate, but also for Aqaba and Jordan.

 AMMAN — Beside the renowned historical and nature destinations attracting tourists to Jordan, Wadi Araba stands as a multi-themed trail for desert running challenges.

 AMMAN — A total of 32 budget flights, each carrying 180 passengers, have arrived from several European countries to Jordan each week since Ryanair and EasyJet began flights on November 1, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) said on Monday.

 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 — “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.

 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 — 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 — The number of tourists grew by 7.1 per cent in the third quarter this year, while the increase was 7.8 per cent in the number of overnight visitors.

 The ruined city of Jerash is Jordan s largest and most interesting Roman site, and a major tourist drawcard. Its imposing ceremonial gates, colonnaded avenues, temples and theatres all speak to the time when this was an important imperial centre. Even the most casual fan of archaeology will enjoy a half-day at the site – but take a hat and sunscreen in the warmer months, as the exposed ruins can be very hot to explore.

 AMMAN — Cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects, but also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed onto our descendants, a Jordanian scholar said.

 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.