Culture Ministry unveils Jordan’s centennial logo

AMMAN — The Ministry of Culture on Saturday unveiled the logo of the centennial of the establishment of the Jordanian state upon the arrival of His Majesty the late King Abdullah I in Maan on November 21, 1920.

During the ceremony, held at the Royal Cultural Centre in the presence of Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh, Culture Minister Basim Tweissi and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Political Development Musa Maaytah delivered speeches that referred to the sacrifice of Hashemite kings and generations of Jordanians in building “the most stable and inspiring national model in the region".

The ceremony included the screening of a short documentary titled “The First Station” and the unveiling of the logo, which highlights the coherence of Jordanians supporting their leadership and the achievements that have been realised over a century, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The ceremony also honoured Aya Obeid, a graphic student at the Balqa Applied University, who designed the logo.

Tweissi said: "Today, 100 years ago, King Abdullah I arrived in Maan to start a historical moment in the age of the Arab Mashreq and to overcome the challenges of Arab countries".

The minister went over the nation building process that took place under difficult local and regional circumstances, "where the political system managed, thanks to its historical and religious legitimacy, to move forward in realising prosperity".

The Jordanian state has adopted the principles of the Great Arab Revolt in "the smooth, confident transition from the independence to the issuance of the Constitution during the reign of His Majesty the late King Talal, before the process continued with His Majesty the late King Hussein, who protected the Kingdom and built its institutions", said Tweissi.

The minister said that the process continued during the reign of His Majesty King Abdullah through prosperity, resilience, modernisation and self-reliance.  

Maaytah said that the Jordanian state was established during an “extremely complicated” political stage, one that was full of events that changed the world and the region in the aftermath of World War I, in addition to the Arabs’ loss of the Maysalun War near Damascus that resulted in ending the Arab rule of King Faisal in the Greater Syria.  

These events and the political vacuum in Transjordan required the then Prince Abdullah to make a historical move to go to Maan, launching a new era in the region, the minister said.

 He also referred to the ongoing democratic life that started with the first legislative elections in 1929, which resulted in the first legislative council and successive councils till 1946, adding that the parliamentary and political action developed upon the issuance of the Kingdom's Constitution in 1952 is still in force today.

Maaytah noted that the constitutional amendments that took place in 2011 aimed at expanding the popular participation in decision-making and realising the envisioned balance between the legislative and executive authorities. 

The logo of the centennial of the establishment of the Jordanian state includes on the top the Royal Crown, a symbol to show the role of the Hashemite leadership, the driver of unity, and from the right the beam that represents the brightness of the sun, while the number 100 symbolises the solidarity of the Jordanians. The base of the logo consists of two golden arches representing the sunrise, topped by the date of the establishment and the centenary.