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AMMAN — Jordanian and German conservationists on Sunday unveiled the final restoration of an eighth-century fortress dating back to the Umayyad era, a building they see as a bridge between Eastern and Western art, which led to a new Islamic style.

Qasr Mushatta, located 30 kilometres south of Amman, is one of the Kingdom’s desert castles, and one of a few architectural examples with decorative elements borrowing from the Greco-Roman, Coptic and Persian cultures, conservationists said at the site’s opening ceremony.

HRH Prince Hassan inaugurated the revamped site, saying that the protection of cultural heritage was a vital part of the protection of people in times of crisis.

"Cultural heritage provides citizens with invaluable resources to build communities and to restore broken cultural ties; we must not let the uncertainty and unrest deprive current and future generations of their identity," the prince said. 

A gift from Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German emperor, in 1903, parts of the palace's decorated southern facade are on display in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum as a key example of early Islamic art with forms of arabesque and animals carved in relief.

"The first step in the restoration was stabilising the palace’s vaults and walls," Barbara Perlich, architect and buildings archaeologist from Berlin’s Technical University (TU), told The Jordan Times.

"Then, we started with the brick work. Restoration teams used about 1.5 million bricks of the same material used millennia ago to reconstruct the palace’s surrounding walls," Perlich said, adding that it took six months to eventually find the right material.

Conservationists also restored the castle’s internal three-arch facade to its former glory.

Occasional visitors and vandals have been chipping away stones belonging to the palace’s facade over the years, leading the conservationists to the decision to put the stones back in place.

"This was not our first idea since, as a ruin, it should be left as it is and since it was never completely finished, it should also be left as such. But it was the best way to preserve the arches," said Perlich, who has been working on the site since 2009.

Conservationists thought the facade’s arches to be round, only to later discover original drawings from the Umayyad era on its remaining walls showing pointed arches.

Archaeologists also used computer programmes to verify the shape of the original arches in relation to the numbers and forms of the facade’s stones left on the site.

"The restoration work came along with research about the site. The three-arch facade would not have looked like this if we had not thoroughly conducted the research," Perlich said.

The Germany Research Foundation financed, the JD1.5 million research on the site, with the cost of the five-year restoration amounting to JD600,000.

German State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Stephan Steinlein, who is on a visit to the Kingdom, said the restoration of the palace is of "high symbolic significance", especially in light of the ongoing damages to Syrian heritage amid the country’s civil war.

"The preservation and restoration of this masterpiece is a sign of hope and peace — a strong signal against all kinds of hatred and sectarian thinking," Steinlein said, adding that Jordan is an "island of hope and stability in a more than stormy sea".

Within the project, the TU, State Museum of Berlin, German Foreign Ministry, and the Kingdom's Department of Antiquities jointly worked together to brush off years of neglect from the country’s largest Umayyad castle, extending over an area of more than 2.2 square kilometres.

"The next step is to conceive a site management plan to include a visitor centre on the site and to ensure an adequate buffer zone from neighbouring construction sites," Perlich said.

"As a desert castle it deserves to be left isolated to fully display its original beauty." 

Mushatta is now waiting to be listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

AMMAN — Tourism Minister Nidal Katamine on Saturday emphasised the importance of Jordan’s religious sites and shrines.

Delivering a speech on behalf of HRH Prince Ghazi, who is chairperson of the Baptism Site Commission’s board of trustees, at a ceremony organised by the Jordan Tourism Board, Katamine noted that archaeological sites listed on the World Heritage List such as Petra, Quseir Amra, Um Rasas and Wadi Rum attest to the country’s historic, religious and natural riches.

AMMAN — The Jordanian Haemophilia and Thalassemia Society on Saturday reiterated the importance of providing medication and blood units for thalassemia patients.

During a ceremony marking international day for thalassemia, the society’s president, Bassam Kiswani, called on the government to pay more attention to thalassemia patients.

AMMAN –– Jordanian, regional and international experts will convene in Amman next month at the third regional conference on the future of medical tourism in Jordan, according a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times by the organisers, Pioneers Road.

Ayman Arikat, CEO of the company, said the June 16-17 event will gather health ministers from several Arab countries, in addition to investors and experts in the field of medical tourism.

The conference is being held for the third consecutive year in Amman.

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji on Friday inaugurated Jabal Amman Residents Association’s (JARA) 10th Souk JARA.

More than 120 representatives of different societies and entities are taking part in this year’s open market off Rainbow Street.

Touring the souk, Biltaji asserted the Greater Amman Municipality’s readiness to assist exhibitors.

Souk JARA, which will continue through mid September, is held on Fridays.

AMMAN — Ahmad Issa was elected as president of the Jordan Pharmacists Association (JPhA) on Friday after he received 1,533 votes, while Zeid Rwehi Kilani got 1,369 votes.

A total of 2,900 out of 5,700 eligible voters participated in the elections of the JPhA, which has 16,000 members.

AMMAN — A delegation from the US House of Representatives on Saturday visited the ancient city of Petra, according to a statement from the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA).

The delegates, who toured the Siq, the Treasury, the Nabataean Theatre and the Byzantine Church, were briefed on the historic importance of the city, recognised as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

They were also briefed on the measures taken by PDTRA to upgrade tourism services in the city.

LONDON — A political solution is the sole means to end the crisis in Syria, Jordan and the US said late last week.

During a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday on the sidelines of the “Friends of Syria” meeting, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh reiterated Jordan’s support for a comprehensive, inclusive political solution that guarantees Syria’s unity.

Discussions also addressed challenges facing the Middle East peace process and the need to exert all efforts possible to revive negotiations.

Kerry pointed out that Jordan is not only a partner in the peace process but a stakeholder with a key role, stressing US commitment to cooperating and consulting with Jordan in this regard.

AMMAN —  Audiences at  two public debates in the capital this week will discuss the turmoil in Egypt just days before the country elects a new head of state, following the army’s removal of former president Mohamed Morsi last year.

Organised by the New Arab Debates (NAD), the event will argue the motion: “Egypt is a disappointment to the rest of the Arab world,” according to a statement released by organisers. 

British television journalist Tim Sebastian, who founded the NAD in early 2011, will moderate the English session on May 19, with Manar Rachwani, editor of the opinion pages at Al Ghad newspaper, arguing for the motion and Senator Hani Al Mulki, a former foreign minister and ambassador to Egypt, speaking against the motion.

A day later, former BBC radio and television journalist Dima Hamdan will present the Arabic version, where Nabil Al Kofahi, who has been expelled by the Muslim Brotherhood for joining the “Zamzam” initiative, will speak for the motion, while Senator Saleh Qallab, a former information minister and a pan-Arab political commentator, will argue against it.

The statement quoted Sebastian as saying that he would have liked to hold a similar debate in Egypt, but the banning of the Muslim Brotherhood had made it impossible to seek the views of its former members in a public forum. 

“We try to make our debates as inclusive as possible... If one group is prevented from speaking, the event might appear biased or slanted,” he said.  

“In Jordan, anyone can participate, so it’s a good opportunity to gauge Arab reaction to the events in Egypt. Are people heartened or disappointed by what they have seen there?  Did the army save the country from disaster, or create more problems? We hope the answers will give us a valuable insight into the mood in the Arab world as it decides the direction of its political transition.” 

The NAD, funded by the Norwegian and British governments, “encompasses an extensive outreach campaign in schools and universities, aimed at encouraging young people to participate in political life”, the statement said. 

Both debates will be transmitted for the third year on Deutsche Welle TV in English and Arabic along with its global and regional network of partners including Egypt’s ONTV, Roya TV in Jordan, Hanibal in Tunisia, and Watan TV in Ramallah. 

AMMAN — Organising state financing for political parties based on clearly defined parameters will facilitate their development and growth, according to a recently released study.

Titled “Political Paper: State contribution in financing political parties in Jordan”, the study proposed a comprehensive approach in financing political parties while maintaining the fair and effective use of such funds.

The proposal included several stages of financing, starting with an across-the-board annual amount of JD15,000 for each registered and licensed political party. 

This amount would help the parties meet their operational expenditures, including office rent and salaries. 

However, this assistance should last for five years, according to the study, issued by the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung’s Amman office and prepared by the Amman-based Identity Centre, a local non-profit organisation that seeks to improve development and leadership in the Middle East.

Under the second level of financing, the study recommended that each party with a 35 per cent women’s representation in its leadership deserves annual funding of JD10,000, and JD5,000 if young people constitute 30 per cent of its leaders.

The study said the state can provide each party that attracts twice the number of required founding members with JD5,000. The same amount can be given to every party that has offices in four or more governorates.

To encourage parties to reach out to supporters online, the state can award each political party that constantly updates its website with JD1,000 in annual assistance, the paper said.

The state can also provide JD30,000 in funds to every party that participates in parliamentary or municipal elections with at least 20 candidates on lists or individual districts, the study suggested.

If the party fails to win any seat in two consecutive rounds of elections, it will not be eligible for assistance in the next two rounds but will receive it once again in the two rounds that follow. 

The study proposed that the government can assist parties participating in municipal elections by paying 150 fils for each vote given to a failed candidate in the municipal polls. The rate could reach 300 fils if the candidate wins.

In parliamentary elections, the rate can be 250 fils per vote for unsuccessful candidates and 500 fils for the winners.

This assistance would not be available for any party that does not win a single seat in two consecutive rounds of elections.