Although Khaled Munajid, a Jordanian sculptor in his sixties, has been described by his peers as "the living Michelangelo", he is still unable to make a decent living. The highly intricate art pieces he creates take an "extremely long time".Their inherent higher prices make them much harder to sell, he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview, noting that he "cannot produce quickly-made pieces" which would cover his family's expenses.
Tourism revenues rose by 12.7 per cent during the first ten months of this year to around $3.9 billion, up from $2.4 billion generated during the same period in 2016, the Central Bank of Jordan said.
AMMAN — The Second Janet Abu Lughod seminar, organised by Studio-X Amman and Sijal Institute for Arabic Language and Culture was a “wonderful opportunity to engage deeply with a diverse and bright group of participants in Amman on the singular topic of Qusayr Amra”, said Khaled Malas, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.
Tomb 70 in Petra represents an impressive, freestanding monolith structure that rises up to 15 metres and expands to 8-metres wide, an expert said."It is one of very few tombs in Petra with freestanding crenulations a low wall between chest-height and head-height a top the structure,
Jordan this year witnessed an increase in the number of overnight religious tourists from countries targeted by promotion efforts, an official said on Wednesday.
Amman, northern Jordan is home to other ancient cities of the Decapolis. These include Jarash (Gerasa), Umm Qays (Gadara), Tabaqat Fahl or Fihil (Pella), Bayt Ras (Capitolias), and Quwayliba (Abila). Jarash, straddling one of the ancient world's key trade routes, offers extensive and breathtaking ruins of colonnaded streets, arches, temples, and baths in a remarkable state of preservation and completeness.
The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) is working on a plan to boost promotions to the country’s attractions with the aim of attracting tourists from the Gulf counties, Asia and Europe, an official said on Thursday.“As part of the plan, we will soon start running commercials and launch promotional activities to attract tourists from these markets,” JTB Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat told The Jordan Times on Thursday.
AMMAN — The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) on Monday launched a campaign to promote tourism in the city of Amman, under the title “#Amman24”, which has triggered tremendous enthusiasm among a diversified audience worldwide, thanks to effective interaction by social media influencers.
Residents of Wadi Rum have complained of Tourism Ministry’s ban on tourists’ trips to their area, insisting that the area is safe for guests and unaffected by tribal protests over the Jafer case.
The Ministry of Tourism on Saturday instructed tour operators not to take tourists to Wadi Rum, according to a ministry document obtained by The Jordan Times on Monday.
The culture of parks and the atmosphere of Ramadan were brought to life when Night at the Park kicked off in Amman on Wednesday. The event, which concluded on Friday at The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Park in Jabal Luweibdeh, included a set of activities such as storytelling, a literature corner, an art section, musical performances and other entertaining family activities, according to organiser Hind Jucka.
Tourism Minister Lina Annab announced that the first regional conference on “Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA]: Competitiveness for Sustainable Growth”, will be held on November 13 and 14 at the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel.
The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) said on Sunday that the kingdom saw a rise in tourism revenues by 14.5% during the first half of the year to a total of $2.1 billion.
In a press release, the CBJ attributed the rise in the sector’s income to the growth in the number of tourists by 9.9% year-on-year.
AMMAN — Implementation of a master plan to transform Jubeiha Amusement Park, which authorities shut down permanently last year, into a public park is scheduled for next year.The Jubeiha Amusement Park will become a gated public park that offers entertainment services and an outdoor space for various activities for all categories of the community, including families, the youth and children, Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).
Insulated in the desert wilderness of southern Jordan, bedouins of Wadi Rum, 330km south of Amman, still preserve customs and traditions that benefit their harsh habitat.
AMMAN — Driven by a passion for sustainable tourism that stimulates economic growth, while conserving and protecting cultural heritage and natural resources, Jordanian Muna Haddad started exploring the tourism landscape around the Kingdom. AMMAN — Driven by a passion for sustainable tourism that stimulates economic growth, while conserving and protecting cultural heritage and natural resources, Jordanian Muna Haddad started exploring the tourism landscape around the Kingdom.
The drop in the level of the Dead Sea is causing grave concerns among environmentalists and planners in the region, with most of the drop caused by diversion in the headwaters feeding the sea, a geologist has said.
Tourism Minister Lina Annab announced that Amman will host the first regional conference on tourism in MENA cities, held under the title “Competitiveness for Sustainable Development”, a statement from Lawrence Conferences & Hussieni Consult said.
The event, scheduled between November 13 and 14, will be organised in cooperation with the Tourism Ministry, the Greater Amman Municipality, the Tourism Board, Lawrence Conferences & Hussieni Consult, with the support of the World Tourism Organisation, the statement said.
AMMAN — Taking advantage of the bustling numbers of visitors coming to enjoy their evening time after Iftar, the Abdali Boulevard is coming alive with the enchanting ambiance of “The Arabesque Nights” these days.AMMAN — Taking advantage of the bustling numbers of visitors coming to enjoy their evening time after Iftar, the Abdali Boulevard is coming alive with the enchanting ambiance of “The Arabesque Nights” these days.
Among Jordanians, the city of Jerash is famous for its high quality, fresh dairy products, which are still prepared using traditional methods.
Visitors to Jerash often purchase Labaneh Jarashiyeh, a kind of strained yoghurt, which is a signature product of the city, 48km north of Amman.
AMMAN — The Irbid Department of Antiquities has found 19 Roman ruins in Beit Al Ras town that narrate the stories of the former inhabitants of the area, department director, Musa Malkawi, said on Thursday.
The ruins are part of the Decapolis, Malkawi said, along with Jerash, Um Qais and other historical areas across the Kingdom.
AMMAN — Jordan has climbed four spots in the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranking as the 98th most peaceful country in the world.AMMAN — Jordan has climbed four spots in the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranking as the 98th most peaceful country in the world.
The report, published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), indicated that Jordan ranked at the 7th level in the Middle East and North Africa region.
A “first-of-its-kind” Hellenistic temple in the Levant region has been discovered in Umm Qais, an archaeologist said on Monday.
An archaeological excavation team from Yarmouk University has recently discovered a Hellenistic temple and network of water tunnels, Atef Sheyyab, president of the archaeology department at the university told the Jordan Times.
AMMAN — “’La Traviata’ is a work of heart that will touch everybody’s soul,” Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum said at a press conference on Thursday.
Held under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, the performance will include over 150 musicians and dancers from over 10 countries.
In three consecutive visits to the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ on the east bank of River Jordan, I noticed that its visitors are fewer than those who come to a location on the west bank of the river, whose founders claim that it is the place where Jesus Christ was baptised. I asked officials at the site about the reasons behind this huge difference in the number of visitors between the two locations on both sides of the river.
Jordanian archaeologists have discovered an ancient temple that was built in the Hellenistic era in the third century BC.
The archaeologists believe that the temple, located 120 kilometres north of the capital, Amman, was dedicated to Poseidon, the Ancient Greek god of seas.
AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to remove Kenyans from the restricted-nationality list, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The decision came in line with government’s plans to increase investment and to open up to the African market.
New event will focus on first features from the Arab world.
The Royal Film Commission Jordan (RFC) is launching a film festival aimed at debut features from the Arab world as well as promoting the country’s burgeoning pool of professional film and TV crew.
AMMAN — A total of 2,152 people visited the tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s companions in the Southern Mazar last June.
Mohammad Sarairah, the supervisor of the shrines, said that 1,285 of the visitors were Muslims from Turkey, the US, Pakistan, China, India, Malaysia and several African and European countries, while 485 visitors were Arabs and 362 were Jordanians. In May, some 2,609 people visited the Islamic shrines.
