The diversity of the cultural resources of Jordan and the region is represented by historic monuments, towns and villages, and urban and cultural landscapes that contain thousands of old and heritage buildings from different periods and context that pertain important historical, social, aesthetical, religious and cultural values and significance. These buildings represent a dilemma both to their owners and to the government because the numbers of specialists who can deal with them are insufficient, and because there are no national rules or guidelines for dealing with them.
Therefore, there is a dire need to prepare specialists who can fulfill the gap between the needs of the society to preserve it’s built heritage and all the values associated with that and the needs of the owners who would need to add functional value to their properties. Currently, municipalities can’t prevent the demolition of heritage buildings, because law number 5/2005 concerning preservation and management of heritage buildings is not being implemented, and if there is a will to implement it, there is no rules or guidelines for how to deal with such situations. Thus, untrained architects or even uneducated contractors do the conservation work with little or no understanding of the technical or ethical issues that should underpin how such work is carried out.
The proposed program is designed to prepare well qualified specialists who will be able to fulfill this missing function, and will increase awareness with fellow architects and the public about the importance of these sites and buildings and the need to conserve and use them in a sustainable fashion.
