I have found these proposals for the urban generation of Wadi Amman on http://www.urbanexchangelondon.co.uk . The following description was added:

The jabals and wadis of Amman have been the scene of settlement since the Bronze and Iron Ages. The Ammonites made it their Amman, the Romans made their Philadephia. The Seil wadi is a serpentine river bed lying between the steep banks of the valley. Evidence of its past history gives the area a cultural richness to be treasured.

This urban strip stretches between the Roman Theatre and Forum to the Ottoman inspired Hedjaz Railway at the other. Because of intense urban growth and traffic streams, a succession of routes has been established over the years leaving the Strip impenetrable, lifeless and stranded.

Its strategic location and its regeneration potential, has made the Strip an ideal hub of activities.The project is a collection of buildings and public open spaces sitting in the valley landscape whose rhythm is articulated by a series of functional zones. The intention is to bring a sense of vibrancy to the area. Massing creates vistas and enclosures. The space between buildings tempting the user to visit beyond - a glimpse of more to explore. The trace of the Seil is reflected in the architectural composition, building details and the open spaces.

And now a bunch of photos: The Business Center

Conference Center - Day

Conference Center - Night

Business Center - Day

Building in the Business Center

Business Center - Night

Concert Plaza Theme Park (?)



See the animation! http://www.urbanexchangelondon.com/video.htm

Labels: Jordan

The warnings come from Al-Arab Al-Yawm columnist Taher Adwan, who wrote yesterday about several Jordanian traditions that can be considered dangerous, especially now after the first two Swine Flu cases were found in Jordan.

The writer theorizes that Jordanians should stop some of their social traditions and activities in order to prevent spreading of Swine flu in Jordan.

The traditions "accused" by the article are:
1- Eating Mansaf by hands. Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan and is eaten exclusively by hand, but according to the writer this is the right time for Jordanians to stop.
2- Cheek kissing and hand shaking. In case of "necessity" hands should be cleaned with anti-germ soap.
3- Use of the same coffee cup. Coffee is probably the most important symbol of hospitality in Jordan, when served, it is put in a single tiny ceramic cup and offered to several guests, especially in important occasions like weddings and funerals. According to Adwan Jordanians should refuse drinking coffee in these situations.

I know that what the article asks for is widely acceptable in terms of hygiene and health, but are Jordanians ready to say good bye to their "bad" habits and accept this? I hope that.

Labels: Jordan, What's on the web

It seems that the organizer of the show in the stadium was a UAE-based company and the cameramen and TV crew were from Holland and France... So, does this mean we suffer from a shortage in skilled people?

At least, I suppose that the army men and 'Shabab Kulluna al Ordon' were Jordanians.

If you are interested, you can see full-length videos of the celebrations from the jordaynet Youtube channel.

Labels: Jordan

For sure, Amman cannot be considered the world's most respectful city toward its architectural heritage. 1920's and 1930's old buildings in King Faisal street are demolished to be replaced by ugly concrete buildings and scary skyscrapers are scheduled to grow like mushrooms making Amman not the "white city" anymore.

Amman's inattention to its heritage and calls for modernization (or more exactly "Dubaization") are making us lose parts of old Amman, piece by piece.

What do you know about "Wadi Amman Project"?

We will not call it "Solidaire Amman" reassured mayor Omar Maani. But the 475,000 square meters project looks similar in principle; a multi-million regeneration plan for the downtown with a public-private partnership, it aims to "bring massive socio-economic benefits" to the area.

The project will comprise three main areas:
1) Wadi Philadelphia:
Includes the Roman Amphitheater, the Old municipality building (that will be rehabilitated into a hotel), the Poets house (Bait al Shi'r) that will remain the main cultural center with musical and cultural activities, and the old Raghadan terminal (converted into a commercial area with a public library and a hotel). Et oila: A funicular that connects the Amphitheatre with the Citadel (Area around 9 Hectares).
2) Wadi Raghdan:
Public gardens (Palace Gardens, since they are near the Royal Raghdan Palace). Mixed-use buildings (including a bazaar) and a pedestrian path. 22.5 hectares of "affordable housing", in addition to a Souq and a hotel.
3) Wadi al-Mahatta:
Intermodal terminal for the Amman-Zarqa light train.

The frontward yard of the Roman Theatre will be converted to a piazza, the Hashemite square will be revitalized with a beautiful landscape design. One of the main concepts of the project is to make Amman greener.

Good project, but will GAM take into consideration the local community in these areas? Will they try to conserve the old heritage and the old Ammani buildings? Not sure, one case is Abed Abu Mohaisen whose family produced traditional Bedouin daggers for more that one-hundred years has been asked to close down his workshop in downtown. A traditional Jordanian art may die out.

It is not clear which buildings GAM will reserve, even in the published pre-qualification document there are only three places which may be considered historical monuments and heritage buildings (Roman theatre, Old Municipal Hall building and the Poet’s House).

What do you know about "Hamzet Wasel"?

"Hamzet Wasel is an initiative by and for the citizens of Amman to encourage the diverse people of the city to build authentic relationships and exercise their social responsibility by designing and participating in activities and programs that tackle the complex challenges and explore the unique opportunities which exist within our multi-layered city."

In practice, Hamzet Wasel members protest the building of a wall around Jabal Qalaa and accuse the municipality and the Ministry of Tourism that this walls will prevent the citizens to access that part of the citadel which will be converted to a plaza for "people who can afford to rent the place" for weddings and parties.

Hamzet Wasel oppose the proposed demolition of the 50+ year old homes and suggest that the area remain open and free for all.

On the "Creative Jordan" website you can find rich and useful discussions. Dr. Khairieh Amr is an archaeologist who excavated at the same zone said there were plans to purchase an old house and convert it into a visitors center. She also asked why the government is building against its own regulations, if the people of Jabal Qalaa are under very strict regulations since the whole area is an archaeological site.

The construction will be built on Archeological ruins, revealed Faten Al-Masri Kamal from GAM, "the entire Citadel site has the potential to yield archaeological resources, and as yet, a considerable part of the site remains unexcavated. Therefore any new construction could be on top of archaeological ruins".

Sally Shalabi posted some photos of the wall and the bus terminal, it is not so beautiful.

Today a public meeting should be held with local community to discuss the issue. Fortunately the municipality is making some steps back and tries to be more cooperative with Jabal Qalaa citizens, urban architects and local community. Everybody wants a better and more attractive Amman. As we've seen, there are full of archaeological ruins at the citadel that wait to see the light, Amman's old buildings still keep centennial stories and should be reserved and the downtown hides an inestimable heritage that can be converted to a smart source of tourism and economy.

Everything can be accomplished by keeping citizen, local needs and heritage in mind.

Labels: Jordan

Labels: Jordan

Source (in English)

Labels: Arabic, Jordan, Politics

I liked the Google Jordan logo on the occasion of Independence Day! Happy Independence Day to all!

Labels: Jordan, What's on the web

This issue is very important to the Palestinian cause and it is vital to Jordan! In the last weeks, after Netanyahu's new government in Israel, more and more people are calling to create a Palestinian state in Jordan by expelling Palestinians and by denying the "Right of return" which is protected under international laws.

According to some news sources, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Knesset discussed a proposal to evict all Palestinians to Jordan. The proposal was submitted by Aryeh Eldad, a member of the right-wing secular party Hatikvah.

In a recent article published in the party's website entitled "Jordan is Palestine", Eldad said:

Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, only one country has a right to exist, the State of Israel. Palestinians have a state across the river. They are 70 percent of its citizens.

Unfortunately, Eldad's voice is not the only one which asks to destroy two states, both Jordan and Palestine, in order to create a Greater Israel, that will include all the land between River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Including, of course, Jerusalem in a "Jewish-only" state.

Our government is asleep. Jordanian officials are mute, they do not talk about this issue. Please can someone wake them up!

Labels: Jordan, Politics

Labels: Arabic, Jordan, Politics

After the Youtube channel, the Queen is now a twitterer! This is what she has just twittered after Pope's arrival:

"Just choppered to airport to receive Pope. Husband piloting, he got acrobatic to quiet butterflies in stomach :) told u he was action man!"

If you want to follow Her Majesty the (micro-blogger) Queen :)
http://twitter.com/QueenRania

Labels: Jordan, What's on the web

Some important points of the last article of Yusuf mansur, published today in the Jordan Times.

It really is baffling how lack of vision and expertise plague economic policy in Jordan today.

Not only do we have failure in dealing with the self-imposed and created negative impact of the global credit crisis, we also come up with major policy proposals that are not warranted at this stage, ineffective in dealing with the current slowdown, and which, even when implemented, will be too late in coming and may worsen the situation.

...[M]ost recently, the new minister of finance decided to merge the income and sales taxes into one piece of legislation of over 800 articles. Not only is this new law in contradiction with the dictates and vision of the leadership, it also brings into focus a practice that is utterly unconstitutional.

The proposed law lowers farmer income tax exemptions by half, from JD100,000 to JD50,000. This comes in a country where 86 per cent of all food items are imported, and the Ministry of Agriculture budget is insignificant, R&D on farming lacks funding, subsidies are non-existent, water is scarce (Jordan is among the five water poorest countries in the world), and farm labour and land are expensive [...]

In addition, the draft law proposes that the first JD24,000 of household income is fully exempt, the next JD10,000 is taxed at 6 per cent and for the remainder, there will be an income tax of 12 per cent. Thus, the writers of the draft law believe they have achieved consistency with Article 111 of the Constitution, which requires the tax burden to be progressive (rises as income rises).

Moreover, the sales tax is kept at 16 per cent and its spread is further increased, making its impact on prices, consumption and production even more worrying.

There is a basic rule in economics: tax burden on an entity (citizen or corporation) is analysed taking into account all taxes paid by the entity, not one tax alone [...]

A quick reading of the draft law shows that it is definitely unconstitutional. This can be demonstrated as follows: let’s assume, for simplicity, that there are two citizens, one with a salary of JD6,000 per year (JD500 per month), the other earning JD60,000 yearly (JD5,000 per month). Neither salary is outrageous in Jordan. The tax burden on the person making JD500 per month is simply the sales tax, since his/her annual income (JD6,000) is less than JD24,000. Since he/she will consume all the income, the tax burden is 16 per cent of the income, which is exactly the sales tax burden.

The wealthy (the person making JD5,000 per month), having the luxury to save, will spend only JD2,000 per month (JD24,000 per year) and save the remaining JD3,000 per month (JD36,000 per year). His/her tax burden is 16 per cent in sales tax on the JD24,000 spent annually, 6 per cent income tax on the JD10,000 that follows, and 12 per cent on the JD26,000 that follows. In total, the rich person has a tax burden of JD7,560 per year, or 12.6 per cent of his income. Thus the poor person pays 16 per cent of his income, while the well off (who makes ten times the poor person’s income) only pays 12.6 per cent of his income in sales and income taxes. This is the very definition of a regressive tax. Surely this is neither humane nor acceptable, and it is outright unconstitutional.

Now, to practices around the world. The vast majority of countries have their sales tax at almost half the income tax - one can easily verify this with a quick Internet search. They do so in order to ease the tax burden on the poor.

The government in Jordan is introducing legislation under the guise of helping the poor. If best practice around the world, simple economic analysis and long-established doctrine show how unreasonable the proposed law is, wisdom dictates that we should refrain from looking and sounding wrong to the world and in history.

[...] Furthermore, this law has an impact on investment and business planning, and it should not be callously suggested every time we change guard. It destabilises, impoverishes and humiliates the very core of economic reform we have espoused since 1989.

But the single most significant flaw in the suggested piece of legislation is its arrogance. It is probably the most important piece of legislation to be introduced in the Jordanian economy, yet it emerges with no assessment of the short- and long-term effects on the various groups of society, especially the disenfranchised.

Labels: Jordan, Politics

The Russian-Jordanian Hashim RPG-32 rocket launcher system is considered a threat to US Security and it was listed by the US Army as part of its intelligence brief on 'Asymmetrical Threats to Current and Future US Forces'.

Back in 2006, Jordan Russian Electronics Systems Co (JRESCO) revealed the development of Hashim as a new 105 mm rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher system. JRESCO is a joint venture between the KADDB and Russia's Rosboronexport.

In a recent news story, the Arabic version of CNN reported that Hashim RPG-32 represents one of the security threats for the United States of America, together with other ballistic missiles which can destroy all types of military tanks. The Hashim RPG-32 is the result of cooperation between Jordanian and Russian engineers, CNN stated.

Labels: Jordan

How much time does it take to convert Jordanian Bedouins from "gahwa sada" with cardamom to Swiss-made Nescafe?

(Photo from Nescafe page on Facebook).

Labels: Fun, Jordan

Even if the Jordanian-NATO ties might be something new for some bloggers, stories of Jordanian troops in Afghanistan were on everyone's lips (even official media) for years!

The Jordanian blogosphere inexplicably reported this story some days ago, and we were enchanted by titles like "Blogger Exposes a State Secret" as well as links which flourished everywhere, from girls-only forums to the official Muslim Brotherhood website, all of them claim to expose a terrible secret, a secret that Jordanian officials are trying hard to defend.

The supposed secret is that there are Jordanian troops in Afghanistan (wow!), it was found written in an unclassified NATO document uploaded by an anonymous user on Wikileaks. By reading the related blog post, it seems that it was very difficult and hard to find the document (probably Google was not used) and publishing this kind of information will get the blogger "in trouble".

Reality is different. The truth is that the secret is not so "secret". Jordanian-NATO cooperation was always considered a glory for the government, joint US-Jordan military exercises make the headlines of local newspapers and Arab TVs reported about the presence of Jordanian special forces back in 2001!

Imagine that the state-run news agency Petra, revealed the "hidden state secret" and provided a nice photo of Jordanian soldiers leaving to Afghanistan...

Now it is my turn and I want to expose some state secrets: There were important relations between big Jordanian officials and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, there is a cooperation between the Jordanian intelligence and CIA and, this is brand new, we have American nuclear waste in Jordan!

Labels: Jordan, Politics

Yedioth Ahronoth apologized its readers and corrected a previous story that reported King Abdullah's dog was treated in Israel.

The newspaper reported the story on April 1st. (Was it an April's fool?). It said that the dog's treatment was strictly hidden by Jordanian officials and added that the dog was sent to an Israeli veterinary hospital during the Israeli attack on Gaza.

Yedioth Ahronoth now says the report was "incorrect". This is not the first time an Israeli newspaper reports news stories about Jordan that are then revealed wrong.

Jordanian media remained silent about the Israeli paper's story, a single exception was AmmanNet that displayed the report on its front page for a short time. The blogosphere was very careful not to post stories like this that, true or not, are still considered "taboos" here in Jordan. Exceptions were Jordan Reform Watch and Naseem in his Del.icio.us Pickings.

Labels: Jordan, Politics

Police dispersed protesters planning to march on the Israeli embassy in Amman on Friday, the protesters tried to reach the Israeli embassy and demanded the government to expel the Israeli ambassador (or literally to "kick out the Zionist pig").

Anti-riot police fired tear gas at the protesters near Kalouti mosque in Rabia district, some online pictures show that the used tear gas canisters expired in July 1995 (before 14 years).
It is not clear how many canisters have been used. Expired tear gas may be dangerous and ineffective, inhaling this gas can cause lungs infection and severe skin allergies.

Back in December 2008, a 68 year old man has died in Greece from inhaling expired tear gas.

 

Labels: Jordan, Politics

"Mabrook" to Jordan which marked the first Arab victory in the International Emmy Awards!

Jordanian TV-Series "Al-Ijtiah", produced by Arab Telemedia Productions (ATP) won the Telenovela category in International Emmy Awards (it is the first-ever winner in this new category!).

Other nominees from the same category were Lalola (Argentina), One Night of Love (Russia), Tropical Paradise (Brazil). Britain (as usual) was the country that won the most. An award was also given to "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf .

Al-Ijtiah is a Palestinian love story that takes place against the backdrop of the Israeli incursion in Jenin Camp in 2002. It did not represent a major success (either financially or in popularity) and the majority of TV channels were very skeptical about it, most probably for its political background and for the nontraditional topic.

Basically this TV-series is far from "Bedouin Drama", what Jordan is famous for.

Actually no one can even doubt that Jordanian drama has made a great progress in the last years, just turn on the TV to watch well-reputed Jordanian series on MBC and other Arabic channels, and expect a flood of others for the next Ramadan season.

So are we starting to produce plausible alternatives to Nour, Mohannad and other Turkish series?

Labels: Jordan, Movies

Labels: Arabic, Jordan, Open Source

Labels: Arabic, Art, Jordan, Politics

Do you remember my post about the expected construction of an opera house in Amman? GAM changed opinion and decided to build something not restricted to opera music only, a new, more general cultural center named "Darat King Abdullah II".

This center will be built on the former location of the cigarettes factory in Ras al Ein (What is now called the GAM strip, see above).

It will be home to the Amman Symphony Orchestra, the National Institute of Music, the National Folklore Group and the Amman Municipality Group of Folk Art. The center consists of two main theatres; the first with 1600 seats and the second with 400.

GAM has previously promoted an international competition to select the best designs. The first prize winners were world-renowned architectures Zaha Hadid and Delugan Meissl. Their futuristic proposals are amazing. If you look at the good work of Hadid which is inspired by Petra, you'll find movement, innovation and creativity. The proposed shape is really captivating.
Meissl's design is hard-shaped and fits very well with the urban reality of Amman (and it is more practical and buildable).

 

Zaha Hadid:

Delugan Meissl:

Labels: Art, Jordan