Jordan Museum

Jordan Museum
Name	Jordan Museum
Native name	متحف الأردن
Established	2014
Location	Amman, Amman Governorate
Type	National history and archaeology museum
Director	Muhammad Al-Najjar

Jordan Museum is the national archaeology museum of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, located in the capital, Amman. The institution presents material culture from prehistoric Palaeolithic occupations through classical Byzantine Empire and Islamic Golden Age periods to modern archaeological discoveries tied to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The museum serves as a hub for curation, research, conservation, and public outreach connected to major sites such as Petra, Jerash, Aqaba, and Umm al-Jimal.

History

The museum opened in 2014 as part of a national initiative led by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan and supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The project consolidated artifacts formerly dispersed across institutions including the Jordan Archaeological Museum at Amman Citadel, the collections of the University of Jordan, and holdings from fieldwork teams affiliated with international bodies such as the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution. Major donors and partners included the European Union cultural programs, the World Bank, and private benefactors connected to the Royal Hashemite Court. The founding phase involved collaboration with architectural firms and museography specialists experienced with projects linked to Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Pergamon Museum.

Architecture and Facilities

The purpose-built facility sits near the Jabal al-Qal'a area of Amman, adjacent to urban landmarks like the Jordan Gate Towers and the King Abdullah I Mosque. The building was designed to integrate contemporary gallery spaces with climate-controlled storage, laboratories, and visitor amenities. The complex includes a conservation laboratory equipped to international standards used by teams from institutions such as the Getty Conservation Institute and the International Council of Museums. Ancillary facilities comprise an auditorium for lectures inspired by programs at the Smithsonian Institution and exhibition design suites that have hosted curators from the Pergamon Museum and the British Museum.

Collections and Exhibits

The permanent galleries are organized chronologically and thematically, highlighting objects from Paleolithic flint tools associated with research at Wadi al-Hasa and the Azraq Paleolithic Complex to Neolithic ceramics from Tell Abu Hureyra parallels. Prominent exhibits include the plastered skulls and mortuary materials comparable to finds from Jericho and displays of Nabataean sculptures and inscriptions tied to Petra and the Nabataean Kingdom. Roman and Byzantine panels showcase mosaics unearthed at Madaba and architectural fragments from Jerash, while Islamic-era holdings feature Umayyad and Abbasid ceramics linked to Qasr Amra and Ajloun Castle. The national highlights encompass the original fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls-era manuscripts found in caves near the Dead Sea region, and an assemblage of prehistoric human remains comparable to those studied at Skhul Cave and Qafzeh Cave. Temporary exhibitions have included loans from the Israel Museum, thematic shows curated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and traveling displays co-organized with the British Museum and the Louvre.

Research and Conservation

Research programs at the museum are conducted in partnership with academic centers such as the University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, University of Oxford, and Leiden University. Active projects address provenance studies, radiocarbon dating in collaboration with laboratories like the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, and archaeobotanical analysis with teams from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Conservation initiatives have stabilized mosaics from Madaba, conserved inscriptions from Umm ar-Rasas, and reassembled architectural sculptural programs from Petra. The museum participates in international conventions including the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and collaborates on capacity-building workshops with the ICCROM and the Council of Europe.

Education and Public Programs

The museum operates education units that design curricula for school groups from institutions such as the Ministry of Education-affiliated schools, the American Community School of Amman, and international programs run by the British Council and the US Embassy in Amman. Public programming includes lecture series featuring archaeologists associated with the British Institute in Amman, film screenings, and family-oriented workshops modeled on initiatives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Vatican Museums. Outreach extends to digital projects: an online catalogue developed with scholars from the Open University and virtual exhibitions co-produced with the Google Arts & Culture platform.

Visitor Information

The museum is located on Al-Maghtas Road near central Amman transport links and is accessible from the Queen Alia International Airport corridor and local taxi routes. Visitor facilities include a museum shop offering publications in Arabic and English, a café, guided tours in multiple languages provided by licensed guides from the Jordan Tourism Board, and tactile resources for accessibility modeled on standards promoted by the International Committee for Museum Accessibility. Hours and ticketing policies follow seasonal schedules coordinated with national holidays observed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Category:Museums in Jordan Category:National museums