Jordan Tours and News

Chief Commissioner of Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Suleiman Farajat was invited from the Royal Commission for Al Ula (RCU). He formed a delegation & headed to the ancient city in Saudi Arabia - Al Ula.

 Where to travel in 2022: It s safe to say most people didn t take their dream vacation in 2021. Here are some places to dream about for when the world becomes accessible again. First up: the twin islands of Antigua (pictured) and Barbuda.

 AMMAN — Wizz Air, a Hungarian low-cost airline, on Wednesday launched its first flight to Jordan coming from Bucharest, Romania, and landing in King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba. 

 On October 29, 2021 at 1 in the morning the clocks are changed back from Winter Time to Daylight Savings Time in Jordan. The clocks have to be shifted from 1 to 0 am. So, the people can enjoy this very hour twice. The winter time, also called normal or standard time, is going to be valid until the next Time Change to daylight savings time in the upcoming year

 AMMAN — The Kingdom’s tourism revenue increased by 14.3 per cent in the first eight months of 2021 to JD958.8 million compared with the same period of 2020 that witnessed a decline of 70 per cent, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) announced on Wednesday.

 AMMAN — Following the intervention of Roman general Pompey the Great (106 BC-48 BC) in the Levant, Gerasa (Jerash) and Philadelphia (Amman) were integrated into a new province in the autumn of 63 BC, noted a French scholar during a lecture titled “Philadelphia-Amman: the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine City” recently organised by the French institute Ifpo.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Carnival, an annual event that aims to encourage both locals and foreigners to visit the port city and its tourist attractions, will be held in August, according to an official.

 AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and the Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Thursday signed an agreement to establish an office for environmental affairs and tourism in Burqu Nature Reserve, as part of a memorandum of understanding previously signed by both parties.

 AMMAN — Cave dwelling was practised on a large scale in Sahab, located 12 kilometres southeast of Amman, during the Chalcolithic period and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (4000 BC-3300 BC), noted a Jordanian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — A batch of the China-produced anti-coronavirus vaccine (Sinopharm) arrived at Queen Alia International Airport Sunday evening, purchased at preferential prices, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 AMMAN — Saturday marks the spring solstice or vernal equinox, the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the northern hemisphere.

 AMMAN — As part of the celebrations to mark the centennial of the foundation of the Jordanian state, the Cabinet on Sunday declared March 2, of every year, as Amman City Day.

 Global travel authority Lonely Planet has unveiled a radical reimagining of its much-anticipated Best in Travel picks for 2021, reflecting an unprecedented year of disruption in the travel industry, and Amman, Jordan has been singled out as one of the destinations which are helping transform travel experiences. 

 AMMAN — The decision to reopen the airport is going to be “gradual” and coordinated between the ministries of health and tourism, the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission and the Crisis Management Cell, Minister of Transport Khaled Saif said on Saturday.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Festival will be held before the end of July, as “the intensity of local tourism” has prompted the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) to reschedule it after it was postponed this winter.

 AMMAN — In response to the endangered status given to the Arabian Oryx in the 1970s, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve has taken measures, specifically the expansion of ecological balance, to preserve the rare species.

 IRBID — After being on display at the Jordan Museum from July through December 2019, the exhibit "Tall Ziraa — Mirror of Jordan’s Ancient History" opened on Tuesday at Yarmouk University’s Museum of Jordanian Heritage in Irbid, with a scheduled duration of five months.

 AMMAN — In tribute to American arcaelogist Philip Hammond, a French scholar recalled his unearthing of information about Nabataean architecture and worship practices.

 AMMAN — Sixty-three cruise ships docked at the port of Aqaba in 2019, bringing 120,000 tourists; an increase of five ships and 9,000 tourists from 2018, according to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

 AMMAN — The number of visitors to the Baptism Site, recorded at more than 170,000 through November of this year, has almost tripled in the last four years, according to the commission that oversees the site.

 AMMAN — The Human Rights Film Festival “Karama” is holding its 10th edition under the slogan “Think Forward” from December 5-12 at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman.

 AMMAN — The abundance of water in Wadi Al Zarqa enabled the region around archaeological site of eh-Sayyeh to establish a “very attractive” settlement area, according to a German scholar.

 AMMAN — “Amman the 28 country I have visted, Jordan is the best so far thanks to the hospitality of Jordanians,” Moroccan traveller Yasin Allam said on Monday. Allam, 33, who arrived in Jordan on September 21, said that he visited 27 African countries before Jordan during a trip that took him three years on his bicycle.

 AMMAN — World War I marks the beginning of using aerial photography in archaeology, as cameras and airplanes improved rapidly during the war, according to a British researcher.

 AMMAN — Tucked away in a hidden corner of Jabal Amman, the Amman Design Week’s Crafts District offered its visitors design installations, exhibitions, shops, and a cultural programme in the Kabariti Village.

 AMMAN — Sales of a unified ticket designated for tourist areas in Jordan have increased during the first eight months of this year, according to Tourism Ministry official figures.

 AMMAN — Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Majd Shweikeh, along with Véronique Vouland-Aneini, French ambassador to Jordan, and Akel Biltaji, president of the Franco-Jordanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched the 5th edition of the French Week in Jordan on Saturday during a press conference at the Amman Rotana Hotel.

 AMMAN — Even in ancient times, people already had an effect on the environment by cutting wood for fires and by letting goats and sheep graze around the villages, which caused erosion of the landscape, said an archaeologist specialising in the topic.

 AMMAN — Ancient inscriptions found in the Eastern Desert reveal relations between Nabateans and bedouin tribes and depict daily life as well as major political events, wars and revolts, said a Jordanian scholar.

 AMMAN — The Azraq region appears to have been a magnet for human settlement in the Epipalaeolithic period, which dates back 20,000 to 10,000 years.

 AMMAN — An inscription known as Mesha Stele or Mesha Inscription indicates that in the ancient town of Altaruz, located some 30 kilometres southwest of Madaba, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, was worshipped.

 AMMAN — For the first time since 2007, Royal Jordanian (RJ) registered JD3.4 million profit from continuing operations in the first half of 2019 against JD11.1 million loss for the same period in 2018 and a net profit of JD1.5 million, according to RJ CEO Stefan Pichler.

 AMMAN — The early adaption of an ancient heating system by the Nabataeans point to an outward-facing society, according to a Canadian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Thursday inaugurated the 34th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

 AMMAN — Hundreds of Jordanians released balloons filled with messages of hope at the Amman Citadel on Sunday for a ceremony marking World Population Day.

Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the Regent, Culture and Youth Minister Mohammad Abu Rumman on Friday attended the launch of activities by Al Hussein Camps for Work and Construction 2019 in Aqaba.

 AMMAN — “Collecting artefacts is a part of our nature, it is after all a human trait”, said Jordanian archaeologist and museum specialist Arwa Badran.

 AMMAN — Wadi Hammeh 27, located 2 kilometres north of Pella, represents one of the largest and most complex Natufian base-camps in the southern Levant, an Australian archaeologist has said.

 AMMAN — Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 804,153 passengers in April, a 10.6 per cent increase over last year’s numbers for the same period, according to a statement from the Airport International Group on Monday.

 AMMAN — The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat on Sunday said the number of visitors to Petra increased by approximately 33 per cent during May, compared with the same period last year.

 AMMAN — Jordan’s tourism revenues during the first third of the year (T1-2019) have increased by 6.1 per cent to $1.7 billion, approximately JD1.2 billion, compared with around $1.6 billion generated in the same period last year.

 JERASH — As numbers of visitors continue to grow, Jerash Archaeological Park has received 20 per cent more tourists during first third of this year than the same period of 2018, an official said.

 AMMAN — The winners of the “Our Heritage, Our Identity” student video competition were announced at a ceremony on Saturday at the historic Odeon Theatre in Amman.

 AMMAN — In contrast with the area of Wadi Musa, Beidha is still free from modern development, so the natural landscape is still unspoiled and the archaeological heritage is still accessible to researchers, according to an Italian archaeologist.

 JERASH — Jerash’s second Labaneh Festival drew customers from around the Kingdom on Friday who came to sample and buy homemade dairy products.

 AMMAN — Ryanair on Thursday announced four new routes to Amman and Aqaba for winter, citing an expected rise in the number of visitors to the Kingdom.

 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 — 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.

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