- Launch of the "Jordanian Narrative" project to document the history of Jordan dating back over 2.5 million years
- Launch of an interactive digital platform that allows participation and documentation of the Jordanian narrative for future generations
Khaberni - In response to the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, the Ministry of Culture launched the project "Jordanian Narrative.. Jordan – The Land and The People" as a project aimed at documenting the history of the Jordanian land and the people who lived on it over a timeline extending more than two and a half million years, up to the establishment of the modern Jordanian state, within a reliable scientific and academic framework.
The project is based on the results of specialized archaeological missions that proved early human activity in Jordan, where surveys and excavations conducted in the Sakha area north of the kingdom revealed flint tools dating back to about 2.5 million years ago, dated using basalt geological layers and modern laboratory means, which constitutes scientific evidence that Jordan is among the oldest regions of human habitation in the world.
The launch of the Jordanian narrative responds to a national and intellectual need to present a complete and coherent narrative of Jordan's history, away from fragmented or reductionist presentations, reflecting the depth of the civilizational experience on this land, and affirming that Jordan is not a product of a recent political stage, but a result of a continuous civil and human accumulation through the ages.
The Jordanian narrative covers various historical epochs witnessed by the Jordanian land, starting from the Stone Ages, passing through ancient kingdoms such as Ammon, Moab, and Edom, the Nabatean era with Petra as a regional trade center, then the Roman and Byzantine periods, followed by the Islamic conquest and the Umayyad era, leading up to the Ottoman era and the stages of forming the Emirate of East Jordan and the modern Jordanian state, highlighting the role of Jordan's geographical location as a link between the civilizations of the East and West.
The Ministry of Culture oversees the implementation of the project through an organizational structure that includes specialized scientific committees in the fields of archaeology, history, geography, and geology, working according to a strict scientific methodology based on the results of archaeological excavations, reliable historical sources, and verified oral narratives, to ensure accuracy and objectivity in the final content.
The project team has ensured that the texts of the narrative are crafted in clear and smooth language that maintains scientific accuracy without complexity, aiming to bring history closer to different segments of society, and turning it from a static knowledge material into a lively, understandable, and interactive experience. The outputs of the narrative will be used to produce media, cultural, and documentary works using modern media and technologies.
The Jordanian narrative is set to be available to the public via a dedicated interactive digital platform, allowing Jordanians to participate in documenting stories and experiences from history and local heritage, in addition to organizing national dialogues and knowledge events in various governorates of the kingdom, ensuring widespread community participation, especially among the youth.
The Jordanian Narrative project aims to serve as a national reference for researchers, educational institutes, and media organizations, as a source to enhance awareness of national identity, reinforce feelings of belonging, and present an accurate and reliable image of Jordan and its history to the world, thereby bolstering its cultural and civilizational status on both regional and international levels.
According to the Ministry of Culture, it will launch the platform "Jordanian Stories" www.jordanianstories.jo, in collaboration with the Royal Heritage Management in the Royal Hashemite Court, to enhance the participation of Jordanians in documenting this narrative and contributing to its enrichment through sharing stories and experiences from the history and heritage of the Jordanian community.
