Author takes children on a tour of Jordan’s archaeological treasures 

AMMAN — The Jordan Museum on Saturday organised a book signing, promoting a series of books for children by author Rasha Dababneh about different archaeological sites in Jordan.

Dababneh wanted to engage and motivate elementary school pupils to know more about Jordan’s rich cultural heritage and archaeological sites, organisers said.

Four books by Dababneh have been published so far: “Karam and Hand of Heracles”, “Karam and Bassam field trip to Tell Dibhan”, “Karam and Hesban” and “Bassam and Karam in Faynan”. A fifth book will be published this year, according to organisers.

“The main character, Karam, discovers the marvels of Jordan with his grandmother, Na’am, who is an archaeologist by vocation,” Dababneh said, adding that the first book about the Amman Citadel was released on April 20, 2021.

In the first book, Karam goes to the Amman Citadel where he learns more about the giant Hand of Hercules that lies behind the Temple, while his grandmother introduces him to archaeology as a science.

“Faynan is the natural beauty of Jordan,” noted Professor Steven Mithen from University of Reading during the event.

Mithen, who has been working in that area since 1996, said that colleagues from Jordan and the UK managed to organise a museum in Wadi Faynan.

The aim of the museum is to support the local community as well as to enrich a touristic offer, Mithen continued, adding that a 3D model displays major archaeological sites in Wadi Faynan ranging from prehistoric to Ottoman sites.

“Signs describing sites are in both Arabic and English languages,” Mithen said, adding that a book on archaeology of the landscape was published and the main goal of the project is to engage the local community with its cultural heritage.

Local schools were encouraged to bring pupils to Faynan Museum as part of the project, Mithen said, noting that books for students were also published.

The book series and Faynan Museum brought together different local and international stakeholders, the University of Reading, Sela and the CBRL, Mithen said.

Two videos featuring Karam and Bassam were created this year with support from the University of Reading and the Newton-Khalidi Foundation, according to organisers.