Annual Diplomatic Bazaar celebrates 50 years in service of Mabarrat Um Al Hussein's children

AMMAN — The annual Diplomatic Bazaar celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday, highlighting a success story of combining culture with charity and fun for a great cause.

It was a moment of flashback for Tareq Walid when he entered the bazaar hall at Al Hussein Youth City on Saturday.

The 20-year-old, who graduated from Mabarrat Um Al Hussein two years ago, used to come to the bazaar every year as a facilitator of the event along with his peers.

On Saturday, the interior design student said he decided to come to the event to "give back just a little of what the mabbarat has offered me".

Walid and his mother spread the word about the annual event when the date is fixed, encouraging all those around them to visit the bazaar.

"I tell them that each penny collected by the bazaar means better service to children of the orphanage. I know because three of my sons graduated from it," Lamya Kilani, Walid's mother, told The Jordan Times.

Each year, the proceeds of the one-day event go towards supporting the mabarrat, a home for orphaned and underprivileged boys established in 1958 by the late Queen Zein Al Sharaf to provide a secure and healthy environment for orphans.

As part of the bazaar's annual tradition, more than 50 diplomatic missions in Amman showcase the finest products of their home countries, depicting a rare scene of the world coming together for a united cause.

"The bazaar is able to bring hearts closer and maximise the commonalities between world countries," Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour told The Jordan Times.

Noting that the annual event will remain a "benchmark" in the Kingdom's diplomatic legacy, Pour showcased colourful handicrafts from the  city of Asfahan.

Yoji Hattori from the Japanese embassy said her country is committed to booking a table at the bazaar each year.

"We look forward to this event for its charitable purposes and the chance it gives to see other countries' products," he said.

Dalia Tharwat, wife of the Egyptian ambassador to Jordan, said she prepares for the bazaar all year long.

"I shop myself for products that are showcased here," she said.

Next to the Egyptian stall, Dutch products were on display, which took Greetje De Muinck from the embassy three months to collect.

"We brought the food two weeks ago. We made sure to include as many things as we could," she said.

The Russian cheburashka toy and matryoshka doll were also available at the fair.

"We are committed to bringing as many things as we are famous for to the bazaar," Vera Pavlova, an attaché from the Russian embassy, noted.

In her address at the opening ceremony, HRH Princess Basma said the "eagerly awaited" annual event demonstrates the "very best of shared values and humanitarian service".

"Like me, many Jordanians remember the commitment of my mother, the late Queen Zein Al Sharaf, to upholding the tradition of the Diplomatic Bazaar after she first launched it in 1964," she noted.

Touring all the bazaar's booths, she voiced her gratitude for the embassies' "steadfast commitment" to the mabarrat over the past half a century.

"It is your compassion and generosity which inspire our determination to enable many more capable and confident young Jordanians to look forward to a brighter and more constructive future," the princess said.