„Heritage Partnership in Gadara/Umm Qays"

The digital exhibition “Partners for Cultural Heritage in Gadara/Umm Qays. 40 Years of Jordanian-German Initiatives” is now freely accessible worldwide via the German Digital Library (DDB). The exhibition shows how the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), together with local and international partners, has been working for many years to preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Jordan.

The focus is on the abandoned village of Alhara Alfoqa, situated within the ancient city of Gadara (Jordan). Although the village has been uninhabited for decades, it remains an important place of remembrance for many people in the region. Numerous former residents associate the place with personal stories, family memories and knowledge of traditional ways of life and work that are now in danger of being lost.

A village as a place of remembrance
The exhibition provides insights into the restoration of historic buildings in accordance with heritage conservation principles, the revival of traditional craft techniques, and educational and training programmes on building conservation and cultural heritage outreach. Particular emphasis is placed on the ‘Train the Trainers’ programme, which has been running since 2016, and the restoration of Bait Husein Al Rousan. The former farmstead in the historic village centre of Alhara Alfoqa has been undergoing restoration for several years as part of practical training initiatives and is being developed into a permanent workshop and meeting place for further training, exchange and outreach work on topics relating to building conservation and cultural heritage.

Train the Trainers: Craftsmanship, Education, Preservation
Here, Jordanian and Syrian participants acquire practical skills in the fields of stonemasonry, building conservation and heritage preservation. At the same time, traditional techniques are documented, rediscovered and passed on to new generations. Some former trainees now work as trainers themselves, as specialists in heritage conservation, or have set up their own craft businesses.

Cultural Heritage Comes to Life
Through photographs, historical footage, interviews, film clips and interactive elements, the exhibition tells the stories of the people behind these initiatives – craftspeople, former villagers, project partners and local communities. It highlights how cultural heritage lives on not only in buildings and objects, but also in memories, craft knowledge and communal practices.

Milestones and outlook
The exhibition was first presented in June 2024 to mark the opening of the restored madafeh at Bait Husein Al Rousan in Alhara Alfoqa. With its digital version now complete, the content has been permanently preserved and made available to an international audience in German, English, and Arabic via the German Digital Library.

The German Digital Library brings together digital cultural and knowledge resources from across Germany and provides easy access for a wide audience.

Click here for the exhibition

• Exhibition in German: https://ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/kulturerhalt-jor
• Exhibition in English/Arabic: https://ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/en/kulturerhalt-jor
• The exhibition has also been included in the ‘Cities, Architecture & Monuments’ dossier: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/content/dossiers/staedte-architektur-denkmaeler

Project lead: Dr. Ing. Claudia Bührig,

Curated by:
Dr.-Ing. Birgit Nennstiel, Dr.-Ing. Claudia Bührig, Olga Zenker (M.A.)

Digital implementation:
Dr.-Ing. Birgit Nennstiel