Jordan Tours and News

 AMMAN — Abdul Rahman Nouri told The Jordan Times he could not believe what he had seen during a recent hike near King Talal Dam.

 AMMAN — According to Jordanian filmmaker Widad Shafakoj, there are other more influential means to exercise activism and press for change than taking to the streets and forming unions — the camera.

 AMMAN — Wadi Finan Art Gallery has recently announced its participation at the Art Dubai Exhibition, which will end on Saturday.

 AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh on Tuesday inaugurated the annual MENA sales and marketing conference.

 AMMAN — Souq Dezain, a fashion and design exposition, opened today at the Ras El Ain Hangar in Amman featuring 40 designers, with specialties including home decor, oriental fashion, shoe wear and jewelry.

 AMMAN — Daftar Asfar, a collaborative and travelling sketchbook created by three women with roots in Jordan and Palestine has transcended geographical and cultural borders to make its way to Dubai, where its pages will be showcased for the first time at Art Dubai.

AMMAN — Amman’s eighth annual jazz festival launched on Friday evening at Al Shams Theatre, with seasoned Jordanian jazz pianist Omar Faqir and his band delivering the festival’s first performance. Alongside the pianist was his brother Alaa on guitar and two guest musicians from Lebanon and Syria — Omar Harb on bass and Gio Najarian on drums.

 AMMAN — More than half-a-million passengers went through Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in February, according to statistics released by the Airport International Group (AIG) on Monday.

 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 Kingdom’s tourism revenue climbed 5.2 per cent and reached $1.3 billion during the first quarter of this year, in comparison to the same period of 2018.

 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 — Prior to 1968, the hilltop of Machaerus, overlooking the Dead Sea near Mount Nebo was an untouched “virgin” site, according to Hungarian archaeologist Gyozo Voros.

 AMMAN — Before large-scale development and air travel, the Hajj pilgrimage routes comprised mostly of dirt roads, but according researchers, the routes began to flourish due to Ottoman construction works and a network of protective forts.

 AMMAN — Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat on Sunday announced the launch of charter flights from Poland to Aqaba. The charter flights are expected to carry more than 3,000 Polish tourists aboard 16 flights planned for 2019, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 AMMAN — Since research about the site was published in the 1950s, an Ummayad palace near Jericho has attracted historians of Islamic art, according a professor of art history.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) on Saturday released the world’s first diving app offering personal GPS-based navigation technology underwater.

 AMMAN — Acting secretary general of the Ministry of Environment Issa Shboul on Tuesday inaugurated the regional workshop on black carbon emissions and its impact on health and climate change, according to an Environment Ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — Ancient tombs found in Jordan’s Eastern Desert indicate a “flourishing” culture that managed to adapt to the harsh conditions of the landscape, according to a Dutch professor investigating the tombs.

 PETRA — Italian President Sergio Mattarella toured the ancient city of Petra on Thursday before concluding his official visit to Jordan.

 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 — 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 — HRH Princess Dana Firas, chairperson of the International Council on Monuments and Sites-Jordan, and Salt Mayor Khalid Khashman on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in the field of training for the preservation, maintenance and administration of historical and archaeological monuments and sites.

 AMMAN — More than 52 cruise ships are expected to visit Aqaba this year, with more than 96,000 tourists on board, according to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

 AMMAN — For Hasan Tayem, the first time he ran long-distance remains a vivid memory. One afternoon, whilst he was in the seventh grade, his PE teacher took his class to a running track. Though nervous at first, he said it would be the start of a life-long love affair.

 AMMAN — The Children’s Museum Jordan on Monday launched a special temporary exhibit titled, “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World”, which will run until the end of the year, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — The removal and modification of skulls in the Levant was documented for the first time during the Natufian period around 11,000 years ago, and it continued for another 500-3,000 years into the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period, a Jordanian scholar recently told The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — The Jordan Fashion Week, in collaboration with the W Amman, will launch on March 29, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Tuesday. The two-day event will feature Amman-based designer Shirene Rifai to select participating designers and brands showcased at the event.

 AMMAN — Jordanian photographer Bashar Tabbah’s exhibition titled, “Stars and stone” and emphasising night shots of Jordan’s historical sites concluded on Sunday at the Nabat Art Gallery.

 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 — 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.