AMMAN — President of the Petra National
Conservation Society and
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage
Princess Dana Firas Monday opened a photo exhibition titled “50 Years of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention — Preserving the Past for the
Present and the Future”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
اضافة اعلان
Attending the opening of the exhibition, which is
being held at the Jordan Museum, were Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef bin
Bandar Al-Sudairy, Director-General of the General Department of Antiquities
Fadi Balawi, Director General of the Tourism
Promotion Authority Abdul Razzaq
Arabiyat, UNESCO representative in Jordan Min Jeong Kim, Chairman of the Board
of Commissioners of the Petra Region Tourism Development Authority Suleiman
Al-Farajat, as well as representatives of several international organizations.
The five-day exhibition, organized by UNESCO and the
Department of Antiquities, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO
Convention on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which seeks to identify,
protect, and preserve cultural and natural heritage sites around the world.
Ratified by 194 countries, including Jordan, it is
one of the most widely recognized international conventions.
Princess Dana Firas stressed the role the World
Heritage Convention plays for the entire international community, and
underlined the importance of preserving Jordan’s rich cultural heritage.
Balawi said the UNESCO Convention on the World
Cultural and Natural Heritage plays an important role in promoting the preservation
of Jordanian heritage sites.
Jordan has always been a “gateway to civilizations
and cultures”, Balawi said, adding that the Kingdom is rich in archaeological
sites and monuments that can be found over most of its territory, most
prominent among them the six World Heritage sites.
“The sites on the list are a magnet for
international cooperation, so Jordan aims to create a framework for
international cooperation in preserving and protecting cultural treasures and
natural areas around the world,” he added.
Min Jeong Kim said that the aim of the exhibition is
to highlight the six unique and wonderful World Heritage sites in Jordan, and
to raise awareness about the need to protect them, as well as thousands of
other heritage sites in the country, not only for current generations but for
future generations as well.
The exhibition, which was supported by the Linda
El-Khoury Foundation for Photography, will display World Heritage sites in
Petra,
Wadi Rum, Umm Al-Rasas, Amra Palace, the Baptismal Site (Al-Maghtas),
and Salt; it includes rare old photos from the archives of the Department of
Antiquities and the French School of Biblical and Archeological Research in
Jerusalem.
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