Jordan Tours and News

 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 — The AdventureNEXT Near East 2019 conference kicked off in Aqaba on Sunday, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 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 — 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 — The Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman on Thursday played host to a concert by The Italian Cello Trio to celebrate the twinning of stone cities Petra and Matera, the latter of which is the 2019 cultural capital city of Europe.

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

 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 — 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.

 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 — Preparations have recently started at Run Jordan for the 25th LG Dead Sea Ultra Marathon, which will take place on April 12, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — The King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) on Wednesday announced that they plan on launching the “Steps for Life” initiative for the fourth year in a row.

 AMMAN — A total of 15 Arab and local photographers will be capturing the “beauty” of the Kingdom and its main attractions this spring as part of an air drone photography contest, organisers said on Wednesday.

 AMMAN — Following in the footsteps of the first Italian archaeological expedition to Amman, which took place in 1927 on the Amman Citadel, an archaeologist came to the Jordanian capital in 2009 to draw a clear picture of the achievements made in almost a decade, mostly relying on old photo archives.

 AMMAN — Despite the cultural importance of the Neolithic period, when people first began making pottery and developing agriculture, simply finding and cataloguing sites often poses a major challenge for researchers.

 AMMAN — A team of 19 Jordanian teenagers will climb Tanzania’s Mount Meruto to raise funds for supporting the treatment of underprivileged cancer patients at King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC).

AMMAN — Rain over the weekend channelled 5 million cubic metres (mcm) of water into the Kingdom’s 14 major dams, raising storage levels to 38 per cent of the dams’ total capacity, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said on Saturday.

 JERASH — Al Mawa for Nature and Wildlife has provided a number of animals rescued from war-torn countries in the region with a sense of normalcy after they experienced abject conditions following instability in the region.

 AMMAN — Jordanian businesswoman Sohair Saber has been announced recently as the president of The Hague Institute for Global Justice.

 AMMAN — Scholars researching the Early Bronze Age (EBA) (2000–1500BC) in the region say people during this period likely faced some of the same challenges the world faces today.

 AMMAN — Sitting in a dimly-lit east Amman café is Palestinian native Alaa Al Juneidi; world traveller and creator of “Rahhal” (which means “traveller” in Arabic), a project whose goal is to document the world’s 194 countries and mount the seven summits while inspiring others and creating a shared community of travellers.

 AMMAN — Under the patronage of HRH Prince Raad, an exhibition recently launched to showcase the Jordan Trail through the photography and paintings of artists, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 JERASH — An estimated seven or more springs were revived after heavy rain fell on Jerash and its surrounding districts this past week.

 AMMAN — With each trip to one of Jordan’s archaeological sites, a local photographer’s fascination and passion to document their beauty grew.

 AMMAN — Caches of gazelle skulls and bones laid at the base of a standing stone as well as excavations revealing ever older layers of construction are some of the discoveries in Eastern Badia.

 AMMAN — His Holiness Pope Francis on Monday praised the Kingdom efforts in hosting refugees and the “spirit of fraternity”  displayed in the act.

 AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is planning on renovating, yet preserving, Jabal Luweibdeh in 2019, according to a report made available to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — The ancient city of Petra recorded in 2018 its second largest number of visitors since it was established as an official tourism destination, an official has said.

 AMMAN — Overseeing the Edom Plateau, south of Jordan, between Tafila and Busayra, stands the Edomite-Nabataean mountain stronghold, Sela, a fortress carved into the mountain, dating back more than 3,000 years.

 AMMAN – Tourism revenues have surpassed the $5-billion mark in 2018, marking an 8 per cent increase from last year’s $4.6 billion, according to data released by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) on Monday.

 AMMAN — An established authority who has obtained a renowned reputation in music, prominent composer and arranger Tareq Al Nasser, is still best known for his cross-cultural compositions.

 FUHEIS — A number of young Jordanians have recently taken it upon themselves to tour the city of Fuheis to perform music and give away gifts to children who are in need.

 AMMAN — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Jordan and Seven Circles on Thursday announced the winners of their “Youth Empowerment Online Cartoon Competition”, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 KARAK — By analysing the architecture and historical documentation, it is possible to reconstruct a detailed history of the Karak Castle during the Crusader period, an Italian archaeologist said during a recent public lecture held at Mutah University.

 AMMAN — As part of the efforts to attract more visitors through different types of tourism, and mitigate seasonality, Petra is set construct a new convention centre for hosting international and domestic conferences, an official said.

 AMMAN — Loyal to its annual tradition, The Boulevard in Abdali has recently kicked off its Christmas celebrations with the lighting of its Christmas tree, igniting the holiday spirit with bright, colourful lights and decorations.

 AMMAN — The "Green Amman 2020" project committee on Sunday launched a campaign to plant a total of 3,000 trees on the University of Jordan s (UJ) campus.

 AMMAN — On the opening night of their series of Christmas concerts, Dozan wa Awtar singers on Thursday night scored a full-house booking at the Terra Sancta College Theatre, with the event wittily entitled “Cinnamon Christmas”.

 JERASH — Italian Ambassador to Jordan Fabio Cassese on Sunday visited Jerash to check on the construction of a new training centre for the restoration and maintenance of antiquities.

 AMMAN — Contrary to most of Jordan’s historical sites dating back to the medieval period, the recent discovery by one Jordanian farmer in Shobak, south of Jordan, is actually not a medieval military building.

 AMMAN — A total of 32 budget flights, each carrying 180 passengers, have arrived from several European countries to Jordan each week since Ryanair and EasyJet began flights on November 1, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) said on Monday.

 JERASH — Having zero additives is the secret behind the “unbeatable” taste of hummus and broad bean dishes, or foul, served at the Smadi Restaurant in the northern Jordanian city of Jerash, the owner said, and customers seconded that. 

 The ruined city of Jerash is Jordan s largest and most interesting Roman site, and a major tourist drawcard. Its imposing ceremonial gates, colonnaded avenues, temples and theatres all speak to the time when this was an important imperial centre. Even the most casual fan of archaeology will enjoy a half-day at the site – but take a hat and sunscreen in the warmer months, as the exposed ruins can be very hot to explore.

 DENVER — A superheated blast from the skies obliterated cities and farming settlements north of the Dead Sea around 3,700 years ago, preliminary findings suggest.

 AMMAN — Some 450 Jordanian and Syrian women have been coming together in Irbid, as part of local self-help groups where they learned how to establish their own businesses, while developing strong social bonds and friendships.

 AMMAN — Urbanisation and the formation of Arab communities during the late Roman and the Byzantine times is “a complex question” that would receive multiple responses, said an American historian.

 Petra’s well-deserved spot on the New Seven Wonders of the World list has put it on every traveler’s radar. However, Jordan is much more than a check mark on a bucket list, and dropping in for a day trip is an injustice to this nation. Come for Petra, but stay for the castles, wadis, ruins, hikes and hospitality — and use these tips to upgrade your experience.

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.

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 — 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.

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.