About Us

Objectives of the Organization

To promote enhance and develop the protection of the Cultural Heritage and the Environment in Jordan and the Middle East region by implementing various projects that may include archaeological exploration, conservation, restoration, assessment of harm and damage to monuments and artefacts, risk assessment, cultural resource management, tourism, and environmental and cultural heritage impact assessment of development projects, including tourism.

 

How do we operate:

As a group we form a collective experience that is of great value empowering us to:

  1. We are a non profit organization that can cooperate with various NGOs and government authorities to achieve our activities
  2. Prepare proposals for projects in the above areas.
  3. Implement projects of a nature that enhances our goals
  4. We rely mostly on our own expertise but we have access to a large number of National and International experts to help in the development of project ideas and implement projects.

Our collective experiences in the above areas include (apart from teaching in universities)

  • Creating a database for Ancient Jewelry In the Mediterranean Region (our focus was on ancient Jewelry) within a European funded project under FP5 programme.  Project name is Jewelmed.
  • The creation of a database and AIS (Archeological  GIS) for the monuments of Petra. Our Project won for Dr Talal Akasheh, the team leader, The Rolex Award for Enterprise in Cultural Heritage in 2008. Some 2000 features of varying importance have been created. There remains about less important features that should be recorded.  The system was delivered to the Department of Antiquities to be used in their daily management activities. The staff in the Petra Archaeological Park Authority were trained twice on this system.
  • Study of the ancient water management system of the Nabataeans. Development of a model for flashflood protection in the Wadi Musa region which could reduce risk to  monuments in Wadi al Muthlim in Petra.
  • Study of the environmental and cultural heritage impacts of tourism in Petra.
  • Creation of full Petra Conservation Plan 
  • Development of a map of stone masonry excavations and monuments in Petra in collaboration with the American center for Oriental Research (ACOR)  Amman
  • Study of the use of Jordanian raw materials such as Zeolite and Bentonite in the treatment of heavy metals and pesticides pollution in water and industrial wastewater. Grant from the World Bank (WB) under the Higher Education Development Project
  • Capacity Building of Queen Rania Institute for Tourism and Heritage, at the Hashemite University. A project grant from The WB under the name Higher Education Development Project (HEDP). We also obtained a grant for equipment from the Japanese Cultural Program for the same purpose.  Equipment included GPR, Portable Spectrometer for the analysis of minerals, and Thermal analysis system. Some of us were directly involved in establishing the institute, its laboratories and its programs.
  • Development of a tourism rehabilitation plan with landscaping and design of tourist facilities for the Birgesh Subterranean Cave, near Ajloun and Jerash, Jordan.
  • Collaboration in the German Funded project (The Petra Stone Preservation Project) for the restoration and conservation of some Monuments of Petra. Some of us were working in the project with the Department of Antiquities  of Jordan (DOA)
  • We have organized and/or participated in many workshops with the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on the involvement of the private sector in the management of cultural heritage sites as well as on capacity building of the DOA. Some of us participated in the planning workshops of the German Funded project and the ATHAR project of ICCROM.
  • Organization of five International Conferences on Science and Technology in Archaeology and  Conservation. Editing the proceedings for publication.
  • Study of Weathering damage of the Djin Block No. 9 in Petra under a European FP5 project on “the Compatibility of Conservation Treatment of Stone Monuments’.  Weathering studies were conducted and a preliminary conservation plan was prepared. Project Name: PRODOMEA
  • Analysis and study of samples of ancient mortars in Petra
  • Restoration of a part of the stone masonry of the Lion Temple in Petra
  • Study of the materials (clays) and manufacturing techniques of Nabataean fine painted ware from Petra. The project identified the most probable mining area of the clays during the Nabataean times, and led to training of girls in the Taybeh Workshop to improve the quality of their production of replicas of  Nabataean fine painted ceramic ware with better business opportunities being created. With European support under FP5 program. Project Name:  CERAMED
  • The study of acoustical properties of ancient theaters in Jerash under a European Project of FP7. Project Name: ERATO
  • Preliminary study of the Archaeological landscape system in Dibidbeh (Bheida region), a rural suburb  in the Petra Region
  • The study of metal kilns in Petra using ordinary techniques and Ground Penetrating Radar with an analysis of the metal slags found there.
  • Historic Old Salt Development Project (Abu Jaber Building). This project is about development of historic old Salt city
    It's international tourism project applied by Japanese company (Pacific Consultants International-PCI). The project is responsible for the restoration and rehabilitation of a 120 years old historic house into a museum. Other parts of the project are general development of plazas, stairways, lookouts, sidewalks and streets of the old Salt city. 
  • Participation in HER4DEV, an ENPI project funded by the EU to continue work on study of Salt vernacular architecture. 
  • participation in the ENPI UMAYYAD project on cooperation in cross border itineraries to Umayyad sites in the MED region.
  • Participants  as consultants to the Petra national Trust in the Italian funded project on the Rock stability in the Siq of Petra and managed by UNESCO. The project was originally conceived by PNT, one of our experts and an expert from the Italian Environmental Agency (ISPRA)
  • Villa at Naour area: The existing building does not meet with the owner’s requirements, so a new design was implemented containing new face lift, new added spaces, new architectural plans, landscape  and interior design