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Queen Rania visits La Storia Museum in Madaba

By JT - Apr 07,2014 - Last updated at Apr 07,2014

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday visited La Storia Museum on Mount Nebo in Madaba where she added a few small stones to what aims to be the largest mosaic in the world.

The “King’s Way” mosaic project seeks to enter the Guinness World Records with the world’s largest mosaic portrait that will, when finished, span over 180 square metres, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office. 

The mosaic is a visual representation of the various cities peppered along the 335-kilometre King’s Highway, which twists and winds its way through the heart of Jordan, connecting Madaba, Karak, Tafileh, Shobak and Petra, and is the world’s oldest continuously used communication route, according to http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo. 

Work on the mosaic started in March 2013 and every visitor to the La Storia complex can contribute to the creation of the map by adding small stones to it. 

All colours and kinds of stones found in Jordan, including basalt, granite, marble and sandstone, are being used for the map, which will not only be the largest mosaic in the world, but also the largest collaborative artwork of its scale.

It is approximated that, once completed, the mosaic will comprise 3.5 million stones; it is estimated that 1 million pieces have been placed by around 45,000 people so far, the statement said.

Her Majesty toured the museum, which tells the story of the region represented by mechanically animated statues and models, and incorporates a mixture of the religious and cultural heritage of Jordan and the region. 

The museum contains several models that represent different historical periods, some of which portray aspects of life in villages and cities of the Kingdom.

Queen Rania was accompanied on her tour by Samer Twal, chairman of the Madaba Tourism Development and Heritage Preservation Association (MTA), Bashar Twal, director and co-founder of La Storia Museum, and Munther Hamarneh, director of MTA. 

Her Majesty also had the opportunity to meet with the MTA board of trustees and was briefed on the association’s goals and plans for the future. 

During the meeting, the Queen explained how the presence of such local associations plays a crucial role in promoting domestic tourism and creates job opportunities for area residents.

The museum also contains a special wing dedicated to handicraft training such as decorating seashells, producing mosaics, wood sculpting, embroidery and ostrich egg painting. Finished art products are put up for sale in a showroom.

The MTA was established in 2006 asa voluntary not-for-profit organisation to promote tourism and economic growth in Madaba in line with the country’s National Tourism Strategy.

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