Queen Rania meets with women entrepreneurs in Karak 

KARAK — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday paid a visit to Karak, where she met with a number of woman entrepreneurs and business owners from the southern governorate. 

Queen Rania visited 03-Incubator, a business incubator launched by the Jordanian non-profit organization Trip to Innovation (TTI). The incubator supports 10 early-stage tech startups founded by young women from Karak Governorate, 140 km south of Amman.

Joined by TTI CEO, Belal Raslan, and Vice President, Neda’ Kharoub, Her Majesty met with the incubator’s female startup owners, who shared their opinions on the state of entrepreneurship in their areas. She also heard from 03-Incubator Project Coordinator, Rafah Tarawneh, who explained how the incubator fosters the development of the women’s businesses, according to a statement sent by Her Majesty’s office.

 The Queen expressed her confidence in the capabilities and achievements of the young women, adding that incubators and other similar institutions play a key role in the empowerment of youth across Jordan, the statement said.

Launched in 2010, TTI aims to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among Jordanian youth. Working with the public and private sectors to foster partnerships in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, TTI has reached more than 6,000 beneficiaries to date in Karak, Irbid, and Amman through workshops, entrepreneurship training camps, mentoring, and networking services.

Queen Rania also stopped by the Karaki Jameed House, a cultural heritage preservation project that raises awareness about the roots and cultural significance of traditional Jordanian foods.  

Her Majesty emphasized the importance of such projects in enriching Jordan’s tourism sector, explaining that tourists seek out cultural experiences that inspire them to prolong their visits to tourism destinations, according to the statement.

Karaki Jameed House’s founders, Amani and Ayat Bashabsheh, briefed Her Majesty on the history of their project as well as their future plans to grow their business. The Queen also joined a number of women beneficiaries, who walked her through the process of cooking Jordan’s national dish, mansaf.

Karaki Jameed House offers live cooking demonstrations and sells a wide range of homemade dairy products to visitors. In addition to introducing visitors to Jordan’s rich culinary history, the house also provides a full-day tourism package featuring guided tours of Karak Castle, the statement said.