Issawi tours historical site renovation projects

AMMAN — Following Royal directives, Royal Court Chief Youssef Issawi on Tuesday paid visits to Sharif Hussein Bin Ali's house in Aqaba and the palace of the late King Abdullah I, founder of Jordan, in Maan, both of which are undergoing renovation work as per Royal initiatives.

Issawi, who is also head of the follow-up committee on the implementation of Royal initiatives, checked on the project to renovate the house of the late Sharif Hussein Bin Ali, which will be turned into a museum depicting the Sharif’s life story and the Great Arab Revolt, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The restoration work was launched on an 845 square metre area under the supervision of engineering companies and contractors.

Issawi, accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Housing and Minister of Transport Ahmad Abul Samen, was briefed on the work’s stages and level of achievement, as the rehabilitation and construction work intends to preserve the Hijaz architectural style of the house, which was built next to the Aqaba Fort in 1917.

The house currently includes the Aqaba Archeological Museum, which has verses of the Holy Koran in Kufic script, gold coins dating back to the Fatimid era, pottery artifacts and a crown made of sand and stone found at the site of Ayla.

In Maan, Issawi had a firsthand look at the progress of the final phase of construction work to restore the King Abdullah I Palace to turn it into a national museum showcasing the history, origins and foundation of the Jordanian state.

The project was launched on an area of 27 dunums, which houses buildings and monuments of the Hijaz Railway Station in Maan, and will house three museums as a testimony to the Kingdom's establishment.

The palace, which King Abdullah I used as a national defence headquarters when he was in Maan, is an architectural masterpiece. The new designs have maintained its historical and cultural value to allow the palace to become a national landmark, whose corridors contain the late king's personal effects, pictures and documents on the Great Arab Revolt and the key historical events the palace has witnessed.