Location : Mafraq (Rihab & Fudayn), Irbid (Pella & Beit Eids)-Jordan

Year : 2022-2023

This project operates within the framework of the "Support to Livelihoods through Cultural Heritage Development" project, funded by the European Union's MADAD-EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis.

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TURATH has developed Site Maintenance and Tourism Development Plans (SMTDPs) and closely monitored the on-ground implementation of SMTDP activities at the four aforementioned sites. The plans for site restoration and maintenance encompassed a thorough site assessment, cultural significance evaluation, and the identification and assessment of pertinent values. These assessments were crucial in determining the requirements, priorities, and potentials for each targeted site. Subsequently, small-scale conservation interventions were designed, which could be executed by local community-based cash workers, some with limited or no prior experience in conservation activities. In addition to this, TURATH devised strategies for site presentation to enhance the tourism prospects of each location. The project also integrated ongoing sustainable tourism activities within the Governorates of Irbid and Mafraq and the broader context through consultations with key stakeholders and by fostering synergies with existing tourism companies. This project actively involved members of the Syrian and Jordanian communities, who received training from cultural heritage conservation experts. Each worker underwent on-site training to acquire new skills and techniques in heritage conservation. This training encompassed activities such as stabilizing walls, conserving mosaics, re-pointing walls using lime-based mortar, relocating or removing blocks, cleaning and treating walls, conserving historic plaster, and various other conservation techniques.