Amman- 31 October 2022
The German Jordanian University (GJU), through the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE), in cooperation with the International Council on Monuments and Sites of Jordan (ICOMOS Jordan), and TURATH: Architecture & Urban Design Consultants, organized a Symposium on Modern Heritage in the Arab World, with the participation of architectural researchers, historians, scholars, and research institutions specialized in heritage preservation in the Arab world.
HRH Dana Fares, the President of ICOMOS Jordan, praised the efforts to refocus attention on the modern heritage of the Middle East and highlighted its role in the continuation of the shared narrative and values, adding that much of the work that ICOMOS does involves emerging professionals, people under 30 who are interested and active in the field.
The President of GJU, Prof. Ala'aldeen Al-halhouli, indicated that the university had always been a supporter of critical and innovative research, adding that the symposium grants a voice to this segment of Arab heritage by focusing on the meaning and essence of modern heritage. He stated that the modern era should be investigated as a project of cultural change encompassing ideological, territorial, and socio-economic transformation that the Arab world witnessed towards the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries.
In turn, the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, Dr. Rami Daher, highlighted the importance of the need to reflect and understand the modern movement as a project of cultural change and transformation and its contribution to Arab thought and culture, adding that in terms of architecture it could serve as a learning experience for the formation of architectural design that is going through a crisis, especially in the Arab world,
Moreover, the Dean of SABE, Dr. Omaima Al-Arja, pointed to the growing interest in research focusing on modern heritage in the Arab world, which was outside the scope of the definition of heritage in most countries of the Arab world.
In the two- day symposium, the participants discussed the heritage in the Arab world and its impact as a factor of change and transformation in the Arab world.
