The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has identified the need to establish a Conservation and Restoration Center in Jerash, in order to ensure that restoration activities are properly carried out, the international requirements to protect the archaeological objects are met, and the space for training of staff in this field are created.
The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) launched the “Creation of a Regional Center for Conservation and Restoration (RCCR)” project on 26 March 2019, and aimed at promoting sustainability around cultural heritage in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) and the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS).
UNOPS is intending to undertake the rehabilitation of the Regional Centre for Conservation and Restoration (RCCR). The project will support the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) in the rehabilitation of the existing building identified as the future premises of RCCR. The RCCR will be built with an aim at providing a strategic value with positive effects throughout the Middle Eastern Region (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine) in terms of training and professional development and socio-economic and tourism in the areas of conservation and restoration.
It is expected that the RCCR will be utilized as
1) Restoration of antiquities from the museums in Jordan and Middle East,
2) Training of conservators and other professionals, such as architects, archaeologists, and scientific experts,
3) Scientific research on conservation, and
4) Dissemination of intervention methodologies for conservation and technical assistance with activities carried out at regional level and in collaboration with internationally specialized institutions.
The building that is assigned for the Centre was identified by the Ministry in Jerash (owned by the Ministry), and is located in close proximity of the Jerash archaeological site, which is considered an ideal location for restoration works. The building was constructed in 1950s and is currently serving as a police station. The total size of the building is about 800 square meters.
