Jordan Tours and News

 Global travel authority Lonely Planet has unveiled a radical reimagining of its much-anticipated Best in Travel picks for 2021, reflecting an unprecedented year of disruption in the travel industry, and Amman, Jordan has been singled out as one of the destinations which are helping transform travel experiences. 

 AMMAN — Wadi Hammeh 27, located 2 kilometres north of Pella, represents one of the largest and most complex Natufian base-camps in the southern Levant, an Australian archaeologist has said.

 AMMAN — The decision to reopen the airport is going to be “gradual” and coordinated between the ministries of health and tourism, the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission and the Crisis Management Cell, Minister of Transport Khaled Saif said on Saturday.

 AMMAN — Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 804,153 passengers in April, a 10.6 per cent increase over last year’s numbers for the same period, according to a statement from the Airport International Group on Monday.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Festival will be held before the end of July, as “the intensity of local tourism” has prompted the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) to reschedule it after it was postponed this winter.

 AMMAN — The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat on Sunday said the number of visitors to Petra increased by approximately 33 per cent during May, compared with the same period last year.

 AMMAN — In response to the endangered status given to the Arabian Oryx in the 1970s, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve has taken measures, specifically the expansion of ecological balance, to preserve the rare species.

 AMMAN — Jordan’s tourism revenues during the first third of the year (T1-2019) have increased by 6.1 per cent to $1.7 billion, approximately JD1.2 billion, compared with around $1.6 billion generated in the same period last year.

 IRBID — After being on display at the Jordan Museum from July through December 2019, the exhibit "Tall Ziraa — Mirror of Jordan’s Ancient History" opened on Tuesday at Yarmouk University’s Museum of Jordanian Heritage in Irbid, with a scheduled duration of five months.

 JERASH — As numbers of visitors continue to grow, Jerash Archaeological Park has received 20 per cent more tourists during first third of this year than the same period of 2018, an official said.

 AMMAN — In tribute to American arcaelogist Philip Hammond, a French scholar recalled his unearthing of information about Nabataean architecture and worship practices.

 AMMAN — The winners of the “Our Heritage, Our Identity” student video competition were announced at a ceremony on Saturday at the historic Odeon Theatre in Amman.

 AMMAN — Sixty-three cruise ships docked at the port of Aqaba in 2019, bringing 120,000 tourists; an increase of five ships and 9,000 tourists from 2018, according to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

 AMMAN — In contrast with the area of Wadi Musa, Beidha is still free from modern development, so the natural landscape is still unspoiled and the archaeological heritage is still accessible to researchers, according to an Italian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — The number of visitors to the Baptism Site, recorded at more than 170,000 through November of this year, has almost tripled in the last four years, according to the commission that oversees the site.

 JERASH — Jerash’s second Labaneh Festival drew customers from around the Kingdom on Friday who came to sample and buy homemade dairy products.

 AMMAN — The Human Rights Film Festival “Karama” is holding its 10th edition under the slogan “Think Forward” from December 5-12 at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman.

 AMMAN — Ryanair on Thursday announced four new routes to Amman and Aqaba for winter, citing an expected rise in the number of visitors to the Kingdom.

 AMMAN — The abundance of water in Wadi Al Zarqa enabled the region around archaeological site of eh-Sayyeh to establish a “very attractive” settlement area, according to a German scholar.

 AMMAN — Abdul Rahman Nouri told The Jordan Times he could not believe what he had seen during a recent hike near King Talal Dam.

 AMMAN — “Amman the 28 country I have visted, Jordan is the best so far thanks to the hospitality of Jordanians,” Moroccan traveller Yasin Allam said on Monday. Allam, 33, who arrived in Jordan on September 21, said that he visited 27 African countries before Jordan during a trip that took him three years on his bicycle.

 AMMAN — Amman’s eighth annual jazz festival launched on Friday evening at Al Shams Theatre, with seasoned Jordanian jazz pianist Omar Faqir and his band delivering the festival’s first performance. Alongside the pianist was his brother Alaa on guitar and two guest musicians from Lebanon and Syria — Omar Harb on bass and Gio Najarian on drums.

 AMMAN — World War I marks the beginning of using aerial photography in archaeology, as cameras and airplanes improved rapidly during the war, according to a British researcher.

 PETRA — Italian President Sergio Mattarella toured the ancient city of Petra on Thursday before concluding his official visit to Jordan.

 AMMAN — Tucked away in a hidden corner of Jabal Amman, the Amman Design Week’s Crafts District offered its visitors design installations, exhibitions, shops, and a cultural programme in the Kabariti Village.

 AMMAN — Jordanian photographer Bashar Tabbah’s exhibition titled, “Stars and stone” and emphasising night shots of Jordan’s historical sites concluded on Sunday at the Nabat Art Gallery.

 AMMAN — Sales of a unified ticket designated for tourist areas in Jordan have increased during the first eight months of this year, according to Tourism Ministry official figures.

 AMMAN — Souq Dezain, a fashion and design exposition, opened today at the Ras El Ain Hangar in Amman featuring 40 designers, with specialties including home decor, oriental fashion, shoe wear and jewelry.

 AMMAN — Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Majd Shweikeh, along with Véronique Vouland-Aneini, French ambassador to Jordan, and Akel Biltaji, president of the Franco-Jordanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched the 5th edition of the French Week in Jordan on Saturday during a press conference at the Amman Rotana Hotel.

 AMMAN — The AdventureNEXT Near East 2019 conference kicked off in Aqaba on Sunday, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — Even in ancient times, people already had an effect on the environment by cutting wood for fires and by letting goats and sheep graze around the villages, which caused erosion of the landscape, said an archaeologist specialising in the topic.

 AMMAN — Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat on Sunday announced the launch of charter flights from Poland to Aqaba. The charter flights are expected to carry more than 3,000 Polish tourists aboard 16 flights planned for 2019, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 AMMAN — Ancient inscriptions found in the Eastern Desert reveal relations between Nabateans and bedouin tribes and depict daily life as well as major political events, wars and revolts, said a Jordanian scholar.

 AMMAN — More than 52 cruise ships are expected to visit Aqaba this year, with more than 96,000 tourists on board, according to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).

 AMMAN — The Azraq region appears to have been a magnet for human settlement in the Epipalaeolithic period, which dates back 20,000 to 10,000 years.

 Amman — The Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman on Thursday played host to a concert by The Italian Cello Trio to celebrate the twinning of stone cities Petra and Matera, the latter of which is the 2019 cultural capital city of Europe.

 AMMAN — An inscription known as Mesha Stele or Mesha Inscription indicates that in the ancient town of Altaruz, located some 30 kilometres southwest of Madaba, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, was worshipped.

 AMMAN — Wadi Finan Art Gallery has recently announced its participation at the Art Dubai Exhibition, which will end on Saturday.

 AMMAN — For the first time since 2007, Royal Jordanian (RJ) registered JD3.4 million profit from continuing operations in the first half of 2019 against JD11.1 million loss for the same period in 2018 and a net profit of JD1.5 million, according to RJ CEO Stefan Pichler.

 AMMAN — Prior to 1968, the hilltop of Machaerus, overlooking the Dead Sea near Mount Nebo was an untouched “virgin” site, according to Hungarian archaeologist Gyozo Voros.

 AMMAN — The early adaption of an ancient heating system by the Nabataeans point to an outward-facing society, according to a Canadian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — Ancient tombs found in Jordan’s Eastern Desert indicate a “flourishing” culture that managed to adapt to the harsh conditions of the landscape, according to a Dutch professor investigating the tombs.

 AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Thursday inaugurated the 34th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

 AMMAN — The Jordan Fashion Week, in collaboration with the W Amman, will launch on March 29, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Tuesday. The two-day event will feature Amman-based designer Shirene Rifai to select participating designers and brands showcased at the event.

 AMMAN — Hundreds of Jordanians released balloons filled with messages of hope at the Amman Citadel on Sunday for a ceremony marking World Population Day.

 AMMAN — Preparations have recently started at Run Jordan for the 25th LG Dead Sea Ultra Marathon, which will take place on April 12, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

 AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the Regent, Culture and Youth Minister Mohammad Abu Rumman on Friday attended the launch of activities by Al Hussein Camps for Work and Construction 2019 in Aqaba.

 AMMAN — The King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) on Wednesday announced that they plan on launching the “Steps for Life” initiative for the fourth year in a row.

 AMMAN — “Collecting artefacts is a part of our nature, it is after all a human trait”, said Jordanian archaeologist and museum specialist Arwa Badran.

 AMMAN — A total of 15 Arab and local photographers will be capturing the “beauty” of the Kingdom and its main attractions this spring as part of an air drone photography contest, organisers said on Wednesday.