Prince Hassan inaugurates 15th Int'l Conference on History and Archaeology of Jordan

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Tuesday inaugurated the 15th International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan (ICHAJ 15).

Titled “Thoughtful Archaeology in the Ecosphere and Sociosphere”, the three-day event, organised by the Department of Antiquities and Yarmouk University, witnessed the participation of HRH Princess Dana Firas and Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa from Bahrain, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In his address Prince Hassan said that meetings like this show that cultures go beyond barriers to reach a common understanding to talk about cultural heritage as a basis for the future.

Heritage is “a sophisticated resource that supports identity, memory”, as well as it has a crucial role in achieving sustainable development, the prince said.

Prince Hassan noted that there are many direct and indirect references to culture and heritage as an essential engine and important factor to enable all sustainable development systems, including intellectual communication and recognition of the importance of diversity.

Prince Hassan also highlighted the possibility of using workshops related to the preservation of monuments and archaeological and historical sites as a neutral platform where different cultures and identities meet to promote peace.

Political, social and economic variables make a holistic framework imperative to avail the pluralism and respect of identities for the development of intellectual and cultural convergence, he said.

During the event, the prince signed a phosphate-made mural and inaugurated the "Jordan: A civilisation story" exhibition, Petra added. 

Sheikha Mai highlighted her country's efforts to preserve archaeological sites, noting that Bahrain is home for a regional centre dedicated to the conservation of World Human Heritage, which is affiliated to UNESCO.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Al Fayez said that this conference is an opportunity, as it brings together archaeologists, researchers and specialists to discuss the environmental and social impact on antiquities, and to draw up a roadmap to preserve heritage.

The triennial conference was held for the first time at Oxford University in the UK in the 1980s, as an initiative introduced by Prince Hassan to allow researchers to build networks, exchange expertise, in addition to promoting Jordan's archaeology and history locally, regionally and internationally.

Throughout the years, the conference has been co-hosted by various countries including Germany, France, the UK, the US, Australia and Italy on a rotating basis with the Kingdom.