Jordanian antiquities department chief said on Tuesday that his
country is willing to cooperate with China in antiquities
preservation and archaeology to help add new impetus to the already
sound bilateral relations.
"Jordan and China established diplomatic relations 30 years ago,
but our relations in archaeology and protection are only
beginning," Dr. Fawwaz Khraysheh, Director General of the
Department of Antiquities, told Xinhua in an interview.
He said the two nations should make good use of bilateral
relations, noting that "it is time to use it to develop
archaeological and protection cooperation."
China has an amazing civilization and the Chinese is good at
protecting cultural relics, Khraysheh said, adding that it was
necessary for the two countries to establish this kind of links and
cooperate in archaeological technology, relic protection and
management.
Three months ago, Jordan sent two archaeological engineers to
China to be trained there for one month, marking the first
delegation of Jordanian antiquities to China, according to
Khraysheh.
"We have already sent invitations to China's State
Administration of Cultural Heritage," he said, highlighting that
the Chinese delegation will arrive in Amman early next month to
figure out what they can do in relic protection and archaeology in
the future.
The director general also disclosed Jordan's plan to launch
exhibitions about Jordanian heritages in China.
Khraysheh, who have been studying for 22 years the culture of
the Nabataeans who set up the ancient city of Petra in southern
Jordan in the 6th century B.C., also introduced the measures the
Jordanian government has taken in protecting and preserving ancient
sites, especially Petra.
Petra was declared as a United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1985.
Besides Petra, Jordan also features a string of cultural relics,
such as Jerash, a well-reserved Roman city and Quseir Amra desert
castle, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Amman office of the UNESCO is satisfied with Jordan's
management plans to preserve ancient relics, according to
Khraysheh.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)
