Preservation of 5th, 6th century houses at Um Al Jimal completed

AMMAN — US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells visited the Um Al Jimal archaeological site near Mafraq earlier this week to celebrate the completion of the preservation of Houses XVII and XVIII (two of the largest of 150 homes from the 5th and 6th centuries AD), according to a US embassy statement released on Tuesday.

“From what I’ve seen today, Um Al Jimal has the potential to drive tourist traffic to this area and enrich the livelihoods of this community. We hope the promise of this wonderful site is realised,” the statement quoted Wells as saying.

The preservation project was funded by a grant from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation to Calvin College and Open Hand studios in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities, according to the statement.