Crown Prince pays surprise visit to Madaba institute for mosaics

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Monday paid a surprise visit to the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration, where he was briefed on its programmes aimed at securing job opportunities for graduates.

Crown Prince Hussein joined some of the institute’s students in making a mosaic, and toured the centre’s facilities, according to a statement sent by the Royal Court.

The institute was founded in 2007 and is the only one in the region that offers a diploma on mosaic art and restoration, and is accredited by Balqa Applied University.

The Crown Prince also toured a heritage exhibition created by the institute’s students, who showed the Crown Prince how they restore mosaics.

Crown Prince Hussein stressed the institute’s important role in conserving Jordan’s mosaic heritage, adding that its programmes enable young Jordanians to compete in the labour market.

The institute offers 50 scholarships to residents of Madaba and 25 scholarships to residents of other governorates annually in cooperation with the Employment-Technical and Vocational Education and Training Fund affiliated with the Ministry of Labour, according to the statement.

The Crown Prince commended the professionalism of students and graduates in restoring and producing mosaic pieces, which have been created in Madaba for over 1,500 years.

Crown Prince Hussein also visited Hippolytus Hall, which is adorned with mosaics and features artefacts from the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad eras.