Early Islamic site discovered in Jordan

Recent conservation work at Qusayr ’Amra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 85 kilometers east of Amman, has revealed the name of the Umayyad prince who commissioned the construction of the building. The conservation work is being conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome, and World Monuments Fund. The site is a small building dating to the Umayyad period and is known for its mural paintings.

Gazelle and wild donkey hunts, dances, musicians, court scenes and allegories, and zodiac symbols are all painted on interior surfaces. The inscription, which previously could not be read due to accumulated dirt and previous unsuccessful cleaning attempts, is an invocation to Allah beginning with the formula “Allahumma aslih al-Walid ibn Yazîd” (“Oh God! Make al-Walîd ibn Yazîd virtuous”). This inscription was painted in white above a window in old Kufic alphabet without any diacritical dots. Sections of the three-line inscription are still being translated.

Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net

Jordan creates online archaeology treasure trove

Jordan on Tuesday launched the world's largest online antiquities database, which details every archaeological site in the country and aims to help preserve its treasures. Its creators said the Web platform could be a model for Iraq, where looters have plundered its ancient heritage.

Experts said the Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities is the first such countrywide system. The site uses Geographic Information System, similar to Google Earth, to map 11,000 registered sites in the country -- and a click on each reveals inventories of what they contain and reports on their conditions.

The public can use the material for planning visits. Scholars and inspectors approved by Jordan's Antiquities can update the information in a user-friendly way for other professionals to follow and for authorities to keep track of threats to the sites.

Click here to read this article from the Boston Globe

In search of Medieval Petra

Linking the rose city to the crusaders’ fortress, promoting the development of a marginal community, turning around the fortunes of Southern Jordan’s forgotten area: a multi-pronged EU-funded project, "Liaisons for growth", is underway to put the town of Shobak and its castle on the kingdom’s tourism attraction list, to help residents tap into its rich history and to develop sustainable tourism.

Click here to read this article from the ENPI Info Centre