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In the participation of a number of university students from various faculties and specializations and as part of the activities of Youth Summer 2022, the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, sponsored the opening of the exhibition "Yarmouk Innovations", which was organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs. Massad expressed Yarmouk's pride in its talented and distinguished students who work hard to prove their worth and record their achievements through innovative pioneering projects in various scientific fields. After being briefed on the various projects, engineering, and technical works included in the exhibition, Massad praised the quality of performance and the pioneering and innovative ideas reflected in the projects included in the exhibition, which was held under the supervision of the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Rami Malkawi, including 22 display stations that had a number of student graduation projects in the fields of engineering, information technology, and plastic and applied arts.
The Board of Trustees of Yarmouk University headed by Dr. Ruwaida Maaytah had held its first meeting after the issuance of the royal decree to reconstitute it in the presence of the university president, Professor Islam Massad, and other members of the board. At the beginning of the meeting, Al-Maaytah congratulated the members of the board for the issuance of the royal decree extending appreciation to the previous board and praising its great efforts and endeavors in serving Yarmouk University. She then referred to the board’s aspirations represented in strengthening the university’s progress and deepening its achievements at various academic and research levels. Al-Maaytah also stressed the support of the Board of Trustees for the presidency of the university to implement its various programs, visions, and strategic plans and to provide support and advice in drawing up the general policy of the university and its future aspirations through the exchange of ideas and viewpoints concerning the university’s goals of education, scientific research, and community service.
During his participation in the closing session of the fifteenth international conference entitled "History and Archeology of Jordan", HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal stressed the need to build a participatory and integrative approach that considers the spatial, social and economic dimension to establish a graphic line of dialogue on antiquities and heritage and its relationship to place, plants, water, culture and society. His Highness pointed out the importance of regional cooperation in the study of human culture and its common wealth, calling for investing in the communal heritage of humanity as this can develop a culture of inclusive and multidisciplinary perspective. His Highness further expressed his hope that the region will establish an institution for regional cultural heritage in the Levant and that the end of this conference will mark the beginning of joint work to build a culture of understanding, cultural dialogue, and an understanding of universal values.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef Al-Fayez, praised the support and attention provided by HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal to the conference, and he noted his highness’s keenness to observe the academic outcomes and recommendations presented by the 294 participants in the conference and to support the tourism and antiquities sector in Jordan, as the country is rich in archaeological sites that It tells the story of successive civilizations in the region. He then pointed out the importance of holding such conference, which constitutes a platform for exchanging experiences and knowledge among researchers in various fields of antiquities and coordinating efforts between concerned authorities, which contributes to protecting the civilizational and cultural heritage in the region.
However, the closing session of the conference, which was attended by Sharifa Nouf bint Nasser, President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, the Director of the Department of Public Antiquities, Dr. Fadi Balawi, and a number of officials, academics and archaeologists, included a set of recommendations made by the participants in the conference. Most of the recommendations emphasize the need to continue studying and researching the various fields of archeology, anthropology and cultural heritage in a way that contributes to preserving the civilizational and cultural legacy and enable the community to engage with the sustainability and preservation of archaeological sites.
During his meeting with a delegation from the American-Jordanian University Cooperation Network (UCN), the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, affirmed Yarmouk’s interest in strengthening academic and research relations with American universities in various scientific, medical, and humanitarian fields. He explained that Yarmouk is proud in its membership in the UCN, as such membership provides it with several opportunities to cooperate with American universities in the fields of scientific research, professional development, and other issues related to several societal concerns. In return, the members of the delegation stressed the importance of strengthening and expanding areas of cooperation between the members of the network so that universities benefit from the international experiences and expertise of researchers from various universities and get access to the scientific and technological developments in the various disciplines of knowledge.
Interestingly, the meeting was attended by the Vice Presidents of the University, Professor Mowaffaq al-Amoush, Professor Riyad al-Momani, the Dean of al-Hijjawi Faculty of Technological Engineering, the Director of the Department of International Relations and Projects, Dr. Mowaffaq Al-Otoum, the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr. Khaled Al-Batayneh, the Head of the Geography Department, Dr. Khaled Al-Hazayma, and the Head of Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, Dr. Rashid Jaradat, the Director of the Center for Refugees and Displaced Persons, Dr. Reem Al-Kharouf, the Director of Public Relations and Media, Dr. Nawzat Abu Al-Asal, Dr. Samira Daroub, Dr. Gbola Adesogan, Dr. Gregory Kiker, Dr. Rafael Munoz-Carpena, and Dr. Nargizla Liuglat from the University of Florida in America, Dr. Chris Brittus from the University of Nevada in America, and Dr. Wael ElRayes from the University of Nebraska, Dr. Kaveh Khoshnood from Yale University, Dr. Christopher Mayhorn from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Mark Johnson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
During the visit, the delegation members met with a group of researchers from Yarmouk University in two specialized workshops. The first was held at the Deans’ Council Hall in the presence of Dr. Mowaffaq Al-Otoum, Dr. Khaled Al-Bataineh, Dr. Rashid Jaradat, and Dr. Khaled Al-Hazaymeh, to discuss ways of cooperation and networking between researchers from both parties in areas like dry lands, water and climate change. The other was held at the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center to discuss ways of cooperation and empowering researchers in areas of asylum and forced migration.
On behalf of Yarmouk University family, academics, administrators, technicians, and students, the President of Yarmouk University, Prof. Islam Massad extended congratulations to their majesties on the engagement of HRH Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II to Ms Rajwa Khaled Bin Musaed Bin Saif Bin Abdulaziz Al Saif wishing them a lifetime of happiness.
The 15th International Conference, "History and Archeology of Jordan", entitled "Thoughtful Archaeology in the Ecosphere and Sociosphere” continued its activities at Yarmouk University for the second day, including 12 scientific sessions tackling 13 different scientific themes where 57 in-person and 11 online scientific papers were presented. The first session, which was moderated by Dr. Mustafa Al-Naddaf and Dr. Abdullah Al-Shourman, included several papers, namely “on Pilgrimage to Mecca with the first Caliphs: The Umayyad Durub al-Hajj al-Shami across Jordan”, “Sustaining Good Practices in Jordanian Museum Education”, “Terraces as proxies for environment change”, “Tokens and Counters from EBA Jordan: A Case Study of Khirbet al-Batrawy”, and "the Concept of Civilization Crossroads for the Young Generation".
The second session, which was moderated by Dr. Talal Okasha and Dr. Claudia Buhrig, included: “Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration and its Role in Promoting Cultural Heritage through Corona Pandemic”, “the Excavations of Umm Qais / Gadara 2005-2016 in Jordan”, “Wadi Sabra and its Theatre Reconsidered”, “Rome’s Legacy in Petra: New Data from Petra Downtown” and “Physical in Situ and Digital / Virtual Reconstructions and the International Heritage Charters and Conventions: A Critical Overview”.
The third session, which was moderated by Dr. Hani Hayajneh and Dr. Dominik Bonatz, included: "Water Sources for the Ancient Bedouins of Northern Arabia/Jordan Badia", "From Shamans to Priests: the Regional Role Played by the Neolithic in Jordan and the Idea of Religion", “The Palace of the Copper Axes at Batrawy: Architecture, Finds and International Relationships in the 3rd millennium BC”, “Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi Road between Damascus and Cairo Across Jordan - A Study in History and Archeology”, and “The Technical School of the Central Nabataeans Temples”.
The fourth session, which was moderated by Dr. Nizar Al-Adarbeh and Zeyad Ghnemat, included: “Evaluating Typologies of Churches at Umm Al-Jimal”, “Digital Library of Living Traditions - A Proposal for the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jordan”, “Support to Livelihoods through Cultural Heritage Development”, “Curative Water in Jordan - Therapy, Tourism and Archeology”, and “Jordan Cultural Landscape, the Making of Significant Experience for the Museum of Folklore in Amman”.
The fifth session, which was moderated by Dr. Raed Al-Ghazawi and Dr. Abdullah Al-Rawashdeh, included: “The City of Jadara and its Human Heritage and Global Civilization”, “Conservation and Restoration of Organic Artifacts - Case Study of the Museum of the Lowest Place on Earth”, “Khirbat As-Sar, a Site between the Ammonite and Mamluk History of Jordan", "Funeral Rituals in the Southern Levant, A Comparative Study in Light of Archaeological Findings", "Flint Sources for Prehistoric Exploration and Use in the Contemporary Districts and Tafileh and Shawbak (south Jordan) as seen from a Geoarchaeological Perspective”.
The sixth session, which was moderated by Dr. Maher Tarbosh and Mohammad al-Shalaby, included: “Mamluk and Ottoman Mosques on the Shami Hajj Road in Jordan”, “Preserving the Past to Develop the Future: Rethinking Communities and Landscapes Relationships Starting from the Madaba Map”, “the Documentation of Amman Heritage Houses Using EAMENA Methodology”, “the First Results of the New Eastern Jarash Project”, and “Mapping for Tracking Networks of Skull Removal Mortuary Remains - An Analytical Approach of Chronological and Spatial Distributions to the Mortuary of Removed Skulls the Materials during the Neolithic Period”.
The seventh session, which was moderated by Dr. Lamia El-Khouri and Khaled Al-Tarawneh, included: “Maintenance and Restoration of a Lead Ark / Jerash (Applied Study)”, “the Conservation and Community Participation of Prince Alin Aq El Nasery Palace in Historic Cairo: Applications for Similar Sites in Jordan”, “Ain Ghazal Statue at Louvre Abu Dhabi: Exploring Stories of Cultural Connections”, “New Aspects of Social Life in the Hisma Region - Southern Jordan in the Light of Newly Discovered Ancient North Arabian Inscriptions” , “the Jaya Palace (Shobak). First Results of the excavations 2018 and 2021”.
The eighth session, which was moderated by Dr. Abdel Halim Al-Shiyab and Dr. Carol Palmer, included: “Historical Islamic Architecture in Northwestern Jordan - Heritage Mosques in Irbid Governorate”, “Education is the First Step of Protection before Archaeological Excavation: Khuraybit es-Sooq Site as a Challenging Example”, "Al-Hasa Castle in its Ecosphere and Sociosphere” ,"Approaching Islamic Archeology of Jordan: Projects, Opportunities and Challenges", and "Cultural Heritage and the Fight Against Illicit Trafficking in Jordan".
The ninth session, which was moderated by Dr. Pearce Paul and Dr. Alexander Ahrens, included: "Analyzing Cultural Heritage Trends in Higher Education at Jordanian Universities", "Cultural Globalization: Arabizi, Reality and Recommendations", "Rapid Tectonoc Evolution of the Levant during the Pleistocene and its implications to Topography and Local Lakes’ Formation and Disappearance - Factors Affecting Human Migration and Settlement”, “Capacity Building for Sustainable Preservation”, and “Unveiling the Memory of Amman: Retrieving the Roman Heritage of Al Hashimi Street as Part of Amman Urban Heritage”.
The tenth session, which was moderated by Dr. Lorenzo Nigro and Dr. Joseph Greene, included: "Ba’ja PPNB Site Jamila’s Grave CR36.1.44 from Gloomy Soil to Museum Lights", "3D Virtualization of the Roman Aqueduct of Gadara, the Ancient World’s Longest Water Aqueduct”, “Preliminary Report on the Excavation of the Lower Terrace of the Temple of Zeus (Gerasa/ Jerash) and “Southern Jordan in the Late Prehistory: New Data from Polish Archaeological Research Conducted in years 2019-2021”.
The eleventh session, which was moderated by Julie Bonneric and Leena Bakkar, included: "New Light on Transjordanian Cooking Ware from the Roman to the Umayyad Periods", "Valorization and Site Development at the Iron Age Site of Busayra”, "Architectural Analysis of Beit Ras Theater and its Connection with the City Walls", and "the Procedures for Rehabilitating of Ajloun Castle as an Archaeological Tourist Site in Light of International Standards and Development Requirements."
The last session, which was moderated by Aktham Alabbadi included: , “Result of Archeological Excavations at Tell Shiekh Isa Byzantine Church Astonishing Discoveries 2019”, and “a Sundial or Traditional Game - A Comparative Study.”
The activities of the second day included also launching an exhibition of posters on research projects in the fields of archeology, anthropology, restoration and maintenance of heritage sources, in addition to an exhibition for selling books in archeology specializations from the Department of Antiquities.
The Vice President of Yarmouk University for Administrative Affairs, Professor Riyad Al-Momani, met a delegation from Osmania University in Turkey including the assistant dean of the Faculty of Theology, Dr. Ahmed Dogan, and the coordinator of the international program, Fonda Ozbekir, to discuss ways of enhancing the existing academic cooperation between the two universities.
During the meeting, Al-Momani stressed Yarmouk's constant keenness to strengthen cooperation with Turkish universities to provide students with the opportunity to complete their studies and faculty members with the opportunity to visit Turkish universities and enhance their experiences in various fields. In return, the members of the delegation affirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation with Yarmouk university, noting that such cooperation would push the scientific and educational process of both universities.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, discussed with the Chinese Ambassador to Amman, Chen Chuandong, and the accompanying delegation ways of enhancing academic and scientific cooperation between Yarmouk University and Chinese universities and academic institutions. During the meeting, Massad reviewed the Yarmouk’s development, its vision, and the academic programs and degrees it offers expressing his pride in increasing the number of Chinese students studying in the various faculties of the university, which have about 88 Chinese students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In return, Chen thanked Yarmouk University for its interest in its Chinese students and the teachers of Chinese language who are sent to teach Chinese language courses at the University's Faculty of Arts, stressing the embassy's keenness to increase the number of Chinese students studying at Yarmouk University. However, among the aspects of cooperation that are discussed during the meeting is the teaching of the Chinese language as a university elective course package, which Yarmouk University has already designed for its students beginning next academic year. Also, both parties discussed the possibility of transferring the advanced Chinese model in the field of technical education, artificial intelligence, and information technology to be adopted by Yarmouk University wherever possible.
After the meeting, ambassador Chen Chuandong met with the Chinese students studying at Yarmouk University to check on their conditions and follow up on issues of concern to them.
HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal patronized the opening of the activities of the 15th International Conference of the History and Archeology of Jordan, entitled “Thoughtful Archaeology in the Ecosphere and Sociosphere” organized by the Department of Antiquities in cooperation with Yarmouk University.
The opening ceremony was attended by HRH Princess Dana Firas, Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa from the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Al-Fayez, the President of Yarmouk University Professor Islam Massad, the Director General of the Department of Antiquities Dr. Fadi Balawi, the presidents of official and private universities, deputies, former ministers and officials, faculty deans, faculty members, and students from Yarmouk University.
In his speech at the opening of the conference, His Highness said that such meetings confirm that cultures transcend borders to reach a common understanding regarding cultural heritage and its association with the future. His Highness also pointed out that heritage is an advanced resource that supports identity, memory, and our sense of place and time and that it has a central role in achieving sustainable development represented by intellectual communication and diversity. He further pointed to the possibility of investing in workshops for preserving archaeological and historical sites. HRH then signed a mosaic mural and inaugurated the exhibition entitled "Jordan- the Story of Civilization".
For her part, Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa pointed out that Bahrain hosts a UNESCO regional center for the preservation of world human heritage sites, emphasizing that archaeological sites that are registered in the World Heritage List must be exceptional and meet certain criteria. She then stressed that tourism cannot be promoted without integrating it with antiquities in one system. She added that the center located in Bahrain launched a competition under the title "The Tale of Traces" that aims at reporting the story and memory of the place and record them in a film or brochure or any other means.
In his turn, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Nayef Al-Fayez, said that this conference is an opportunity to benefit from the meeting of archaeologists, researchers, and specialists to discuss how to preserve Jordan heritage and maintain its sustainability for future generations. He also explained that choosing the symbol of the oldest statues that were discovered at the archaeological site of Ain al-Ghazal as a permanent logo for the conference confirms that our homeland is as old as history, which always motivates us to promote our historical and archaeological heritage globally.
For his part, the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, called on the conference participants to come up with recommendations that would make an effective contribution to the study of Jordan's cultural heritage. He also pointed out that the university has the lead among Jordanian academic institutions in studying and preserving Jordan's cultural heritage, as the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology has the largest academic unit in Jordan working in the field of archeology, anthropology, ancient writings, and the maintenance and management of heritage resources.
The Director-General of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Fadi Balawi, said that the conference aims at shedding light on archaeological sites and monuments in light of the changes within their ecosphere and sociosphere and trying to develop the vision of the Department of Antiquities in partnership with all institutes, scientific institutions, and international partners to confront environmental and social changes in the vicinity of archaeological sites.
The head of the Supreme Scientific Committee of the conference, Dr. Fayez Khasawneh, stated that the conference is to narrate the story of Jordan in its 15th update. He added: “in spite of the woes and tribulations of marching armies, the people of Jordan as well as the entire Levant or Bilad Alsham, managed to build abiding social structures” and that they developed several moral codes of ethics and values.
