PNT training programme focuses on preserving Yemen’s heritage

AMMAN — As part of its efforts in the region, the Petra National Trust (PNT) has launched the programme "Preserving Yemen's Heritage Through Physical Interventions and Capacity Building”.

The programme, was launched on January 7, and will run until January 27 at the Cultural Centre - Beit Ya'ish, according to a PNT statement.

The programme aims to build the capacity of 12 employees of the General Organisation of Antiquities and Museums in the Republic of Yemen, along with Jordanian participants.

Participants will be trained in an array of topics, including: Geographic Information Systems (GIS), site documentation and surveying; rescue excavations; conservation; site-condition assessment, monitoring and evaluation; restoration-project development and management; and other important areas in the field of heritage and archaeology.

Participants will be trained within an intensive training programme on GIS, documenting sites and surveys: from the use of the most important archaeological tools and the mechanism of their application in archaeological sites, and the principles of photography and three-dimensional scanning by means of photogrammetry and drones. 

The training programme also includes salvage archaeological excavations, risk assessment, re-silting (the Roman bath as a case study), dealing with artefacts and transferring them from the site to the warehouse, and how to treat artefacts in laboratories to ensure that they are preserved in their original condition. 

Specialised experts under the supervision of the American Centre for Research (ACOR) shed light on the mechanisms for assessing, and monitoring and evaluating the state of the archaeological site, including the development of a site management plan, the threats to which these sites are exposed, and the mechanism for preserving them. 

The programme also included the issue of climate change and its impact on archaeological sites. As part of the onsite training, the programme included two field visits, the first one to Beit Ras and Umm Qais to study the restoration of the wall paintings in Beit Ras, and the other one to the Petra Archaeological Reserve in cooperation with the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority.

This project is implemented by the PNT and is funded by the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture represented by the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums in the Republic of Yemen.