US, Jordan launch Kingdom’s inventory of moveable artifacts

Press Release

last updated: Oct 16,2022

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — Ministry of Tourism. (File photo: Jordan News)

AMMAN — In cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Department of Antiquities, and the American Center of Research, US Ambassador Henry T. Wooster launched Jordan’s first comprehensive national inventory of moveable cultural artifacts, according to a press statement.اضافة اعلان

The joint statement by the US embassy and the Jordanian Tourism Ministry said the launching event was also attended by visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Iraq, and Public Diplomacy Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Jennifer Gavito.

Director of the American Center of Research Pearce Paul Creasman joined, along with the Director General of the Department of Antiquities Fadi Al-Balawi.

The ceremony followed the first return of artifacts under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2019, which took place in March 2022 and received national coverage. The transfer of these antiquities was coordinated by the US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of State, the New York District Attorney’s Office, the US embassy in Amman, as well as the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Department of Antiquities, and Jordanian Embassy in the US.

Antiquities form a cornerstone of Jordanian tourism, economy, and culture. The statement said the US Embassy in Amman supports the preservation, and restoration of Jordanian antiquities and historic sites through numerous initiatives, most prominently the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, which has provided more than $3 million in funding to 20 restoration projects across Jordan in the last 21 years.

Also, USAID Jordan supports the “Sustainable Cultural Heritage through the Engagement of Local Communities Project,” implemented by the American Center of Research, which generates employment opportunities for local communities and promotes tourism and cultural exchange.

The attendees celebrated the launch as an “important milestone in the preservation of Jordan’s cultural antiquities, and diplomatic cooperation between the US and Jordan to protect Jordan’s rich cultural heritage”, the statement said.

The development of Jordan’s national inventory of moveable cultural artifacts, funded by the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, “demonstrates the US dedication to the preservation of Jordan’s cultural heritage”.

“This investment is just a starting point,” noted Gavito, remarking that she anticipates the creation of a national inventory “to be a turning point in Jordan’s cultural heritage preservation efforts.”

The inventory project is a new, creative collaboration between the US and Jordan, stemming from the bilateral memorandum of understanding on cultural heritage property protection signed in December 2019.

“This inventory will of course help to retrieve trafficked artifacts in the future,” Wooster affirmed, adding that “it will also help Jordan’s many museums and centers to responsibly display its cultural heritage, which will in turn give a boost to the economy through tourism.”

Balawi of the Department of Antiquities stressed Jordan’s keenness, represented by his office, to preserve cultural heritage in Jordan by following up on antiquities inside and outside Jordan. He also praised the cooperation with the US on the creation of Jordan’s first comprehensive national inventory of antiquities.

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US, Jordan launch Kingdom’s inventory of moveable artifacts

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