US grant extended to continue Petra restoration

AMMAN — US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells on Sunday launched a grant awarded under the Department of State’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to expand conservation of the Temple of the Winged Lions, according to a US embassy statement.

The grant, totalling $200,000, was awarded to the American Centre of Oriental Research (ACOR) in partnership with the Department of Antiquities and the Petra Archaeological Park.  

Representatives from ACOR, the Antiquities Department, Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) and  the local community attended the launch ceremony.  

The grant will support the second phase of conservation at the Temple of the Winged Lions, and is part of the US’ support for this site since 2012.  

In its first stage, the project provided nearly 700 employment opportunities for the local community and earned the Archaeological Institute of America’s 2015 Award for Best Practices in Site Preservation.

Since 2001, the United States’ AFCP has helped preserve many of Jordan’s archaeological sites, providing over $1.6 million for 13 different sites, the embassy statement said.  

This programme has helped preserve Jordan’s cultural heritage and supported Jordanian tourism and the crucial role it plays in Jordan’s economy.

The AFCP is only one part of the US-Jordanian partnerships in tourism, with the US providing nearly $90 million to support the development of Jordan’s tourism initiatives at large.

While in Petra, Wells also met separately with the Nabataean Ladies Cooperative, the Dean of the Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology, and the PDTRA.  

She then discussed the state of tourism and the hotel industry with hotel owners in Wadi Musa.