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AMMAN — HH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities and chairman of Paralympics Committee, on Saturday received a delegation from the Paralympics Union of West Asia, headed by Abdelrazzaq Banirasheed, president of West Asia sub-region Para Federation.

Prince Mired expressed his appreciation of the union’s efforts to support athletes with disabilities in the region, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He praised the many achievements made during the last few years especially the first West Asian Games hosted by the UAE earlier this year, which paved the path for Jordan to host the second games in Amman in 2019.

Banirasheed thanked Prince Mired for the hospitality shown by Jordan’s Paralympics Committee, praising the Kingdom’s role in developing and supporting sport and rehabilitation programmes for people with disabilities in the region.

AMMAN — Higher Education Minister Adel Tweisi has met with Prince Radu of Romania and an accompanying delegation in which they discussed academic experiences, especially in the field of higher education and scientific research, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Saturday. In addition, they discussed exchange  of students and faculty members between Romanian and Jordanian universities.

Tweisi said that Jordanian universities have reached advanced levels in quality of education, calling on Romanian students to study in Jordanian higher education institutions. For his part, Prince Radu called on Jordanian students to study in Romanian universities, complementing the international reputation of Jordan’s higher education institutions.

The prince also met with the President of Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) Mashhour Rifai, and discussed ways of enhancing scientific and academic cooperation. Rifai reviewed the university’s progress and efforts in advancing the ICT sector in Jordan.

Prince Radu and the delegation praised the advanced level PSUT has reached, expressing hope of establishing partnership between the two sides.

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh on Saturday stressed the importance of increasing coordination between the Central Traffic Department and the Greater Amman Municipality personnel to reduce traffic congestion during the construction period at the Sahafeh Tunnel, which is part of the Bus Rapid Transit project.

Checking on work progress at the area, he called for speeding up the work pace to ensure the project is completed on time and to reduce the traffic jams caused by the closure of the tunnel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The mayor called on citizens to be “patient” during the construction period, noting that the next two years will witness several traffic projects that aim at easing the traffic congestion in the capital.

AMMAN — “Food preservation is one of the best ways to show the movement of heritage from the old times until now,” said Shermine Sawalha, curator of “Mouneh: The art of Preservation” food programme organised as part of Amman Design Week (ADW).

“We are at a time of mass production where people just buy food products without knowing anything about how they are made or where they come from,” Sawalha told The Jordan Times at the ADW, adding that the food programme was an attempt to shed light on the variety of food preservation methods.

Taking the visitors on a journey through the history and customs of food preservation used in Jordan, Mouneh features some of the main conservation techniques including salting, pickling, sugaring, drying, fermenting and roasting.

“Most of those techniques originate from the Levantine region, where locals needed to preserve their harvests from going to waste,” the curator noted, citing the intrinsic link between food preservation and crafts.

“The very first traces of crafts were found in Egypt in the form of basket weavings. People started making those baskets to store the foods they wanted to conserve,” she explained.

This way to “cheat the seasons” by treating food to slow down its spoilage is still widely used across the Kingdom, with many households living off those income generating techniques.

Five of these entities are featured at Mouneh, showcasing their methods of preservation and offering the visitors an immersion into the traditional practices.

At the entrance of the food stall, Bin Izhiman gives a taste of the regional coffee heritage, drawing on the experience of the family coffee house, which has been running since 1893. 

“Bin Izhiman started off with a small motorcycle traveling around Palestine to sell coffee, and has now grown to be the biggest coffee house in Jordan,” Sawalha explained, noting that the house is also a destination for nuts, grains, spices, tea and thyme.

Herbologist Ayman, from Ayman’s Tea House, shows passersby methods of preserving and making a wide variety of tea, coffee and herbal drinks by brewing them over hot sand.

“These people, who come from all across Jordan, are here to teach visitors about the diversity of preservation methods and the importance of sustainable production,” Sawalha said, noting that the interaction offered through the free tasting experience adds up to the impact of their message.

Represented by Ilham, the Bayoudha Village initiative offers visitors the chance to try some home-made date and strawberry organic ice creams and yoghourts produced by the northern Jordanian community 

“We work to preserve the natural agriculture and domestic gardening heritage and avoid any sort of waste,” Ilham said.

Pickled vegetables, fig jams and chili infused olive oil are some of the creations proposed by the Khair Balady initiative and the Ne’meh project, which both promote local production and sustainable agriculture.

Adding to the immersion experience, Samar and Tifreh come every day from Ajloun to make fresh bread, sitting around a mud-based and saj station oven. 

The two women catch the visitors’ attention as they knead the various ingredients into a dough in an enthusiastic manner.

“It all starts with wheat and bread,” Sawalha said, noting that, after the dough is cooked, visitors get to pick and choose from the variety of displayed products to create their own fresh meal from the curated menu.

“These producers show people that it is possible to avoid food waste and that everyone can do it at home through the simplest methods that also serve as a testimony to our rich heritage,” the curator concluded.

AMMAN — In “Royal Correspondence in the Hellenistic Period” (published in 1934), American historian Charles Bradford Welles (1901-1969) gathered a collection of inscriptions in Greek and Latin as a preliminary work to “Gerasa, city of the Decapolis” published four years later by C.H Kracling, in which Welles collected inscriptions found in Jerash.

“Welles has done a really good job in terms of collecting all the published and unpublished Greek and Latin inscriptions of Jerash [Gerasa] and in terms of analysing them,” said French historian Pierre-Louis Gatier, who noted that such inscriptions form the basis of historical and archaeological studies as they explain the origin of a building, its year of construction and its type of financing.

There are tombstones which allow us to reconstruct families’ history or to understand what kind of people were living in Gerasa, the scholar noted.

“Inscriptions include poems, dedications of statues, prayers and many other things,” he said, noting that these allow researchers to get a better picture of the historical era they study.

“The difficulty is that most of the inscriptions are partly destroyed or hard to read. The epigraphists have to fill the gaps and complete the sentences with as much caution as possible,” added Gatier, who is also an epigraphist and archaeologist himself.

He is part of the French-Jordanian team that runs a project started in 1929, which is still ongoing that aims to analyse Greek and Latin inscriptions in the Near East (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria) in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities.

According to Gatier, Welles was a “very good scholar” who knew perfectly Greek and Latin languages, ancient history and ancient cultures.

“Unfortunately, he never translated the inscriptions he published and most of his commentaries are very brief,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent e-mail interview.

Despite his qualities, Welles was ”an armchair epigraphist”, according to Gatier, who noted that the American academic never visited Jerash and that he wrote his study of the 361 inscriptions without seeing them in person, apart from those kept in American museums.

“He worked with pictures and drawings from other people, including the members of the English-American excavation team in Jerash. Because of that, we can find several mistakes in his publication. For example, one inscription has two different numbers with nearly the same text,” the historian highlighted.

Furthermore, there are cases where two or three fragments of inscriptions separated by Welles fit together to constitute a single inscription while there are some inscriptions which were poorly deciphered from the pictures, the French researcher emphasised.

“Nowadays, we seek to include the inscriptions of the surrounding villages in the study, as they were part of the large territory of the city of Gerasa and have so far been neglected by Welles,” Gatier said.

“My aim is to publish a new volume that includes these rural inscriptions, reassessing the inscriptions published by Welles. I will add the nearly 200 inscriptions discovered after Welles, in addition to including translations and commentaries,” he continued.

The new discoveries Gatier is referring to are the result of the excavations carried in Jerash since the seventies. “Each year, there is an amount of new inscriptions that we discover in many categories,” he stated.

One important discovery was the demonstration of the administrative role of Gerasa in the Roman province of Arabia, as the second capital and the seat of the province financial administration, he underlined.

“This explains the helpful presence of many civil servants and soldiers in this small but rich town. There are still many more discoveries about social life, Greek culture, religious life that we need to uncover. The history of Jerash has to be completely rewritten,” Gatier concluded.

AMMAN — Police are questioning a 23-year-old hunter who allegedly shot and killed another hunter in Wadi Mujeb area over the weekend, official sources said.

The suspect turned himself in to the police shortly after allegedly shooting the 42-year-old victim while they were both hunting animals on Friday night, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“At this point, we are treating this incident as accidental, but we are still investigating the shooting,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

A second source told The Jordan Times that “the suspect was hunting late at night in Wadi Mujeb area when he heard a noise near him and thought it was a wild anima”.

“The suspect shot at the direction of the noise with his pump action rifle but discovered that he had shot a person so he immediately turned himself in,” the second source added.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, the source added.

A team of government pathologists headed by Saif Hamarneh performed an autopsy on the victim and concluded that he “received a fatal bullet wound to the back and head,” a senior medical source told The Jordan Times.

 The Criminal Court prosecutor is currently questioning the suspect who is detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigations, the second source added.

AMMAN — “With only a few simple ingredients, you can experience millions of flavours and tastes,” said Aya Shaban, one of the co-founders of Namliyeh, a local organisation that recently launched the innovative catering concept of “The Humble Table”.

“’The Humble Table’ celebrates the beauty of modestly made material and the tastes of locally produced food,” Shaban told The Jordan Times at the launch event on Wednesday.

Started in 2012 to highlight the diversity and quality of Jordan’s biodiversity and forestry, Namliyeh seeks to reveal to the urban society the treasures of the Kingdom’s landscape through original food experiences.

“We came up with the idea of ‘The Humble Table’ as a way to feature all those locally produced items together in an interactive and creative manner,” the young woman said.

Structured around three sections, the table invites the guests to create their own combination of flavours in an orchestrated journey for the senses.

“We really want people to experience the ingredients, by touching and smelling them, and by making their own version of the meal,” Shaban continued, adding “even though everyone is given the same core ingredients to work with, each will come up with a totally different tasting experience.”

“We purposefully chose to include what people see as ‘poor people’s food’ such as grains and seeds, all locally grown, to show how delicious these can be when twisted up with spices, pickles and drizzles,” the young woman explained. 

For example, the local sprouts are provided by Muna Shibly, a food maker who invents wholesome recipes from home, she noted.

Wild pepper, whole summaq from the highlands, and wild fennel flowers are some of the herbs and spices available on the table, along with the simple yet elegant tableware “modestly made” from local material. 

“These mortars and pestleswere hand carved from basalt stone, which you find in Um Al Jimal, in the north of Jordan,” Manal Abushmais, the other co-founder explained, noting that “although they look simple and modest, this ‘down to earth’ look is also very aesthetic”.

The table features “only 100 per cent” natural elements, created from the rich resources of the Jordanian landscape. “These producers and farmers live in remote areas and have practically no access to the national market. If they do, they do not have the resources needed to penetrate it successfully,” Abushmais said, noting that Namliyeh helps them disseminate their products and raise awareness on their traditional production techniques.

The two founders also partnered with local bread maker Kareem Arafat who supplies them with the canvas for their work: artisan bread. 

Citing the challenges of working with such a large number of people, Shaban voiced her hope to expand the collaboration even further with local producers.

“We take a lot of risks, by paying in advance for instance; but if we don’t do it, no one will. So it is worth the try,” she noted.

“There are no rules, only your imagination. ‘The Humble Table’ is here to help you release your inner chef,” the duo concluded.

AMMAN — “My work is like that of a ‘private ear’, I make audio-investigations that tackle issues around human rights and advocacy,” said Lawrence Abu Hamdan, who was recently announced as the winner of the 2018 Abraaj Group Art Prize.

The 32-year-old artist was selected among candidates from 65 countries to realise a “dream project” through a grant of $100,000 provided by the Abraaj Group.

“The prize will allow me to upscale the work I conceive using materials and technologies previously unavailable to me,” he told The Jordan Times in an e-mail interview, adding “I can now deepen my exploration of the most contemporary forms of visualisation.” 

He continued: “This will give me the opportunity not only to advance my current work with this project but hopefully to also create new tools to see and hear our world.”

The prize, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, seeks to help propel artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to the global art scene by “empowering potential and giving often under-represented contemporary artists the resources to further develop their talent”, a statement by the Abraaj Group said. 

“In some modest way, I think art can change society. It needs to be mediated in a specific way to be properly received, but it definitely has the potential to make things evolve globally,” Abu Hamdan stated.

The young artist tackles current issues reflected in investigations through an artistic orchestration of audiovisual installations, performances and graphic works, among other forms. 

His interest with sound and its intersection with politics comes from his experience as an audio analyst for legal investigations at the UK asylum Tribunal.

“My work stems from very varied sources: I practice at the intersection of science, advocacy, art, and technologies from the worlds of design, art and science,” the artist said, adding that he is also an avid reader of legal cases in which sound is used as evidence.

However, such an unconventional approach to art is not easily received by all and Abu Hamdan has had to overcome many struggles in disseminating his artwork.

His innovative approach has also jostled the artistic micro-cosmos he evolves in. “There is a failure by many of my peers to see outside of the world which they occupy; a failure to engage with new modes by which new kinds of propositions can be made,” he stated.

Drawing on the idea that traditional art forms are “more and more losing their relevance”, the artist started developing commissions that reflect on a series of ear witness interviews and an acoustic investigation into the prisons of Saidnaya, 25km north of Damascus in Syria.

The young man previously won several awards for his creations including the short film award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2017 and the 2016 Nam June Paik Award for his exhibition “Earshot”. 

AMMAN — The number of Jordanian tourists travelling to Georgia is on the rise and ties in various economic sectors are expected to boom following a meeting between officials and businesspeople from both countries later this month, according to Gregory Tabatadze, Georgian ambassador in Amman.

Georgia and Jordan, which will next year celebrate 25 years of diplomatic ties, are witnessing increased cooperation in the field of tourism, and the potential for cooperation in the trade exchange and investments is huge, the ambassador said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

Since the launch of direct flights between the two countries earlier this year, and possibility for Jordanians to enter Georgia without visa, the number of Jordanian tourists to Georgia has been on the rise.

In 2016, 4,000 Jordanians visited Georgia while, since the beginning of this year, the number reached around 11,000 Jordanians.

Georgia is known for a wide variety of tourism, including adventure, nature, skiing and hunting and the country is home to 27,000 lakes and rivers, the ambassador noted, adding that, in 2016, 6 million tourists from various nationalities visited Georgia.

“This is impressive and we expect the number of Jordanians and other visitors to keep growing,” he said, adding that the Georgian government has launched several programmes to attract tourists to the country.

The ambassador also stressed the potential for Jordanian businesspeople to invest in the hospitality sector, as the current hotel rooms supply is around 21,000 while the demand reaches 48,000.

“Work is ongoing to improve infrastructure and create more hotel rooms to meet the demand,” he added. 

Tabatadze, who stressed that Jordan also has a lot to offer to Georgian tourists, including the Baptism site, Petra and Wadi Rum, said that providing affordable tourism packages is key to help attract Georgian tourists to the Kingdom.

Jordanian and Georgian officials and businesspeople are scheduled to convene to Georgia on October 23 to explore increased cooperation in various fields. 

“This will be the first meeting of the Joint Jordanian-Georgian Economic Committee. and it will open the way for more cooperation and partnerships that will help us exchange information and explore new opportunities” the ambassador said.

The meeting will also pave the way for signing several deals in the fields of agriculture, customs, pharmaceuticals, investment and trade.

Furthermore, the committee will revise some existing deals that need amendments.

The ambassador noted that several incentives have been offered to companies starting their businesses in Georgia such as co-financing.

AMMAN (UNDP) — “I have gained my neighbourhood’s trust,” Maha Tilawi, a Syrian from Homs said with a smile.

The conflict in her home country forced her to leave her home and seek refuge in neighbouring Jordan. The 51-year-old tailor lost one of her sons in the war and is now the sole provider for her family of eight.

In the beginning, Maha recalled, she was nervous about being accepted by the Jordanian community. But, with 35 years of experience in tailoring, she knew she had something to offer. She joined a skills exchange programme to help young Jordanian women learn the trade.

“When I first joined the training, I was very nervous about dealing with Jordanians due to some negative past experiences, but, a few days later, I started to make friends,” she said.

Through the UNDP programme, experienced Syrian refugees train young Jordanian women and men, strengthening their skills and employability. With this personal interaction and knowledge sharing, prejudice and fear give way to business relationships and friendship.

“The project has helped me gain the neighbourhood’s trust,” Maha said. “No one came to me for tailoring jobs before, but, after they heard about my participation in UNDP’s skills exchange project as a mentor, they started to approach me for complicated tailoring jobs.”

She is not only teaching but also learning through the programme, brushing up on her own technical skills in the process.

Al Zeina Salem is Maha’s mentee. A Jordanian woman in her early 20s, she is passionate about fashion, and her dream is “to expand our one-door shop into two”. The tailoring shop was made possible by the financial incentives Zeina and her partner received for their participation in the project.

Zeina is determined to continue working with her mentor. “I will never let go of Maha, she has so much experience and besides, we’re very good friends now,” she said.

Islam Zu’bi is another Jordanian mentee in the skills exchange project. “All the Syrian trainers were very cooperative,” she said, adding “whenever my mentor was busy, everyone else was ready to help me”.

“We became one family, there was no Jordanian and Syrian, we were one,” Islam stated. 

As of August 2017, Jordan hosted more than 650,000 registered Syrian refugees. The skills exchange between Jordanians and Syrian refugees in Mafraq and Irbid governorates is funded by the government of Japan and the European Union in collaboration with the World Food Programme and the National Microfinance Bank. To implement the project’s activities, UNDP works with Jordanian partners Business Development Centre, Al Quds College and Migrate.