Delegates from over 40 countries gathered together in Amman recently for a landmark event co-presented by INTO (International National Trusts Organisation), the Petra National Trust and the Cultural Protection Fund.
Facing Change: Jordan 2024 brought together professionals from a wide variety of heritage organisations and initiatives to experience a packed five-day programme of keynote speakers, workshops, networking opportunities and entertainment.
Highlights included keynote speeches from HRH Princess Dana Firas, President of the Petra National Trust; Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, Secretary General of Europa Nostra; historian and broadcaster Dan Snow and Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust.
A diverse range of topics was covered by speakers in the conference breakout sessions, including The Future of Digital Cultural Heritage, Youth Engagement in Heritage Programmes and Inclusive Heritage: PreservingJordan’s Natural Heritage in a Changing Climate. .
Delegates were encouraged to get hands-on with cultural heritage skills too, with practical demonstrations in stonemasonry and jewellery making.
Site visits and tours took place to As-Salt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an exceptional example of living heritage and of a historic urban landscape. Delegates also visited Bayt Al Jaghbeer, a historic family residence characteristic of the area's traditional architecture. As part of the Withstanding Change project supported by the Cultural Protection Fund, Petra National Trust has been working to restore this historic building and re-green parts of the surrounding landscape to combat the impact of climate change and support local livelihoods.
One of Jordan’s national treasures, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the ancient city of Petra played host to Facing Change: Jordan 2024 delegates for a day of exploration, discovery and adventure.
A gala dinner was held at the conference venue, at which delegates were encouraged to wear their national dress and an inspiring and moving performance took place by musicians from Action for Hope, a project supported by the Cultural Protection Fund which preserves and promotes traditional Syrian music among refugee communities in Lebanon and Jordan.
The impact of the event can perhaps be summarised by the thoughts of one of the delegates who attended:
‘Thank you so much for a wonderful week in Jordan. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn and reflect, to meet wonderful and inspiring colleagues and to see a beautiful side of Jordan.’
