Jordanian, Italian experts discuss connecting Amman Citadel to Roman Theatre

AMMAN — Architects, experts, entrepreneurs and media representatives on Monday gathered at the Talal Abu –Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum to discuss the idea of connecting the Amman Citadel with the Roman Theatre.

Supported by the Italian embassy, the launch of the "Requalification of Citadel-Roman Theatre Trail" comes in line with "the historic role of Italy in protecting [the] Kingdom's heritage sites”, according to the organisers.

"In Italy, private investors can buy a ruined house in the city or the countryside for a symbolic price, but they also have three years to come forward with a viable restoration project, said architect Kamal Mahadin, a coordinator of the working group, adding that "we have to take care of the citadel; the least we can do is repair the stairs and clean the whole area from trash". 

Organisers said the main objective of the initiative is "to achieve a comprehensive proposal for requalification and making the pedestrian trail from the citadel to the Roman theatre attractive for tourists and residents".

This goal will be reached by restoring specific parts of urban areas and building touristic facilities such as restaurants, coffee shops, handicraft stores, ateliers and art galleries, in addition to upgrading pavements and street lights.

"Amman is a Roman city and one of the Decapolis cities," said President of the Jordan Hotel Association Michael Nazzal, stressing "the problem is how to keep tourists in Amman longer than two days".

Currently, some 300,000 tourists come to Amman annually, while the figure used to reach up to 800,000, Nazzal highlighted, adding that the aim should be to reach 1 million tourists per year.

Moreover, around 50,000 to 60,000 tourists visit the Amman Citadel annually, he elaborated, explaining: "Tourists who visit our capital need two hours for sightseeing, but if one goes to Venice they spend an hour just for a piece of artistically made glassware."

The initiative will be implemented by combining academic methodology and practical attitude, and will entail site visits of architects and archaeologists in order to collect data and get first-hand impressions, followed by meetings to collect previous studies and papers. 

Afterwards, a brainstorming workshop with selected specialists will allow stakeholders to disseminate a full-fledged "call for projects" to university students, before a public ceremony be dedicated to the explanation of the project and awarding of the winners, organisers said.

The project is a part of the cultural programme " Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean" promoted by the Italian ministry of foreign affairs in the Middle East and North Africa region for 2018.