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Department of Antiquities

Projects

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MED-GAIMS Gamification for Memorable Tourist Experiences

Today’s demanding and discerning tourists don’t wish to just observe, they wish to experience places. This experiential tourism trend is common to all involved territories, spans all niches and segments and is very relevant to off-season travellers (who choose this time not only to lower costs but to avoid crowds and increase chances for authentic interactions with locals).

The GAIMS project is funded by the European Union through the ENI CBC MED Programme. The project uses gamification: applying game design to create experiences for tourists. Offering such experiences can give a necessary competitive edge to the attractiveness of less known sites. But gamification is culturally sensitive – we do not all have the same sense of what is fun – so multicultural, cross-border evaluation of the initiatives is essential before opening them up to international tourists.

Some 40 games for 12 tourism sites in Lebanon, Jordan, Italy, and Spain will be developed. This includes physical (treasure hunts, crafts, etc.) as well as digital games (VR experiences, apps etc). Local games can be linked to encourage the exploration of more sites, longer stays, return visits. Public and private actors go through a structured process in the project, working and thinking together as tourism innovators and game entrepreneurs.

The project heavily relies on local communities to conceptualize and implement games, through self-employment or startups, for both high (technological) and low-skilled (manual, organizational) individuals, providing employment opportunities for both young and women. Local resources, priorities and goals for different tourist segments (social interaction, education, entertainment) will guide decisions in game selection. Strategic choices will be reflected in 8 destination plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expected changes:

Change will take place on different levels. On a strategic level, destination managers will be more aware of the international phenomenon of experiential tourism and use of integrated game design. The gamification approach will impact visitor days, which in turn will have an indirect, trickle-down effect on tourist-related businesses, affecting their investment and employment –perceivable but hard to quantify and directly attribute to project actions. On a more direct level, the involvement of international and local game entrepreneurs in the design of games will result in a quantifiable number of short and mid-term contracts. Furthermore, the continued management of these games will develop into long-term employment and business contracts; especially where games are developed and managed by game entrepreneurs from local communities, and initiative-takers are guided by the project’s experts in business administration, in order to ensure that they are based on viable business models.

 

Total budget: € 2 381 238.04

European Union’s contribution: € 2 143 114.24

Partners

·         Lebanon: The American University at Beirut- AUB

·         Lebanon: Directorate of General Antiquities - Lebanon

·         Jordan: Jordan University of Science and Technology - JUST

·         Jordan: Department of Antiquities of Jordan

·         Italy: Fondazione Alghero Musei Eventi Turismo

·         Spain: Entitat Pública Empresarial Local Neàpolis

·         Spain: Fundació privada i2cat, internet i innovació digital a Catalunya

 

Contacts:

Aktham Oweidi

Director of Excavations& Surveys

Tel. +962 6 464 4336

Fax    :   +962 6 4615 848

 

This web page has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union under the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme. The contents of this page are the sole responsibility of Jordan University of Science and Technology and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or the Programme management structures.

 

The 2014-2020 ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme is a multilateral Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) initiative funded by the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI). The Programme objective is to foster fair, equitable and sustainable economic, social and territorial development, which may advance cross-border integration and valorise participating countries’ territories and values. The following 13 countries participate in the Programme: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia. The Managing Authority (JMA) is the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). Official Programme languages are Arabic, English and French. For more information, please visit: www.enicbcmed.eu.

Duration of the project:30 months.

Institutions involved:

Supporting institutions:

iHERITAGE


iHERITAGE

ICT Mediterranean platform for UNESCO cultural heritage

ENI CBC MEDITERRANEAN SEA BASIN PROGRAMME 2014-2020

STRATEGIC CALL

Thematic Objectives: A.2 – Support to education, research, technological development, and innovation (Promote economic and social development)

Priority: A.2.1 – Support technological transfer and commercialization of research results

 

IHERITAGE-ICT MEDITERRANEAN PLATFORM FOR UNESCO CULTURAL HERITAGE

iHeritage is an EU funded ENI CBC MED project that aims to advocate and increase the level of understanding of the joint Mediterranean UNESCO and intangible heritage. It will foster cross-border technological transfer, industry-academia collaboration, creation of Living Labs and spin-offs as well as the development of new products for improvement and enrichment By using Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR), and the latest available ICT technologies, iHeritage will be able to create an innovation-driven growth process for an extensive list of stakeholders and foster the active involvement of young people, females and those not in employment, education or training (NEETs) from 6 Mediterranean counties: Italy, Egypt, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, and Portugal.

The project runs for 30 months in which various activities and outputs will directly contribute to increased employment opportunities, support collaborations among universities and industry, support SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs. Training services will tackle skill mismatches in the work field. The general public will sense the valuable contribution of the EU funded project through visibly enhanced access to UNESCO cultural heritage on-and off-site, the establishment of the ‘Regional Centre for Safeguarding and Valorisation of Mediterranean Intangible Cultural Heritage (CRESPIEM)’, job opportunities, and cross-border ICT platforms.

iHERITAGE impact will generate a concrete improvement in the access to UNESCO cultural heritage, on-site and off-site, in addition to the creation of cross-border ICT platforms, the establishment of the Regional Centre for Safeguarding and Valorisation of Mediterranean ICH (CRESPIEM), to be recognized under Category 2 of UNESCO, and a significant rise in the employment rate in the creative industry, thanks to the development of training courses and SMEs.

 

 

 

 

 

MAIN EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT:

1.      18 Research Agreements aimed at strengthening people-institutions-industry-academia collaboration

2.      30 Establishing of spin-offs and newco dedicated to co-patenting and commercialization of innovative products

3.      76 Creation of innovative products/services – technology transfer of innovative solutions (46 new products by the project + 30 selected)

4.      46 Prototyping and testing within the Living Labs of the innovative products and services created by the project

5.      30 Events of commercialization of new products and services based on AR/VR/MR technologies and the use of Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Autonomous Database and Big Data

6.      6 High training courses

7.      400  Beneficiaries of training courses

8.      15  Co-publications produced in the Living Labs

9.      18 Co-patents aimed at developing innovative and marketable ICT products

10.  1 ICT Mediterranean Platform for the Valorisation of cross border Cultural heritage through AR/VR/MR

11.  1 Mediterranean Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage

 

PARTNERSHIP:

Applicant: Sicilian Region – Department of Tourism (Italy).

Partners no.1: Network of Castles and Medieval Towns (Italy).

Partners no.2: Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations – CEEBA (Egypt),

Partners no.3: Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry – ASCAME (Spain).

Partners no.4: Jordan Society for Scientific Research, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity – JSSREC (Jordan).

Partners no.5: General Department of Antiquities of Jordan – DOA (Jordan).

Partners no.6: Lebanese American University – LAU (Lebanon – PP6).

Partners no.7: University of Algarve – UAlg (Portugal)

Partners no.8: Andalusian Public Foundation El Legado Andalusí (Spain)

Partners no.9: University of Palermo – Department of Architecture (Italy)

ASSOCIATED PARTNERS

Sicilian Region – Regional Department of Productive Activities (Italy)

Ministry of Culture, Lebanon- Directorate General of Antiquities (Lebanon)

Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO (Lebanon)

CNR – ITABC, Institute for Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (Italy)

Municipality of Byblos-Jbeil (Lebanon)

Region of Algarve – Department of Tourism (Portugal)

Duration: 30 months

Total budget value: € 3.874.287,06

Co-Financing Rate: 10.0%

Websites and Social Media:

website: www.enicbcmed.eu.

Duration of the project:(2017-2020).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities and the German Protestant Institute of Archeology

Supporting institutions: Gerda Henkel Foundation / German

Protecting Cultural Heritage in Jordan through Documentation and Preservation of Archaeological Collections at the Jordan Archaeological Museum - Jabal Al-Qalaa

The project “Protection of Cultural Heritage in Jordan” was launched in 2017 by documenting all the archaeological collections at the Jordan Archaeological Museum and the warehouses with the latest modern technology and under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Department of Antiquities and the German Protestant Institute.
In order to preserve the archaeological collections displayed and stored in the Jordan Archaeological Museum / Mount Castle of the Department of Antiquities, and in line with the strategy of the Department of Antiquities for the years (2014-2018), which aims to activate and strengthen the role of partnerships with various local and foreign sectors to preserve and manage the Jordanian archaeological heritage And sustainability.

Duration of the project:(2017-2020).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities and the Italian Government

Supporting institutions: Government of Italy

Regional Center for Training in Maintenance and Restoration - Beit Ali Pasha Al - Kayed - Jerash

It is one of the participatory projects that will be implemented with the support of the Italian government to establish a joint regional center to provide the Department of Public Antiquities with qualified workers and technicians in the field of maintenance and restoration of restoration projects in various locations through specialized training courses in the field of restoration, maintenance and preservation of archaeological sites.
One of the main objectives of the project is to create effective partnerships between institutions working in the field of conservation and archaeological conservation in Jordan and academic and educational institutions and universities in order to reduce the gap between the theoretical and practical side in the field of archaeological conservation.

Duration of the project:(2016-2020).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities, US Agency for International Development and American Center for Oriental Research

Supporting institutions: United States Agency for International Development

“Sustaining Cultural Heritage with Community Participation”

The Department of Antiquities' support for the Community Cultural Heritage Sustainability Project is a USAID-funded project that has been implemented by the US Oriental Research Center for four years. The project takes a unique approach in involving primarily local communities in order to preserve, manage and promote the Jordanian cultural heritage as it deserves. The project focuses its efforts on host communities in nine archaeological sites distributed in Jordan. The project works in several important sites, namely Beit Ras in Irbid, Basira in Tafilah, Ghor Al Safi in Karak, Bir Methkour, Wadi Rum and Ayla in Aqaba, Umm Al Jamal in Mafraq, and Petra Archaeological Site in Ma'an and Madaba Governorate.

Duration of the project:(2016-2018).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities and Japan's Kokoshikan University

Supporting institutions: Japan Kokoshikan University / Tokyo

Maintenance and restoration of the Western Amphitheater at the Umm Qais Archaeological Site

It is one of the joint projects carried out between the Department of Antiquities and the Japanese University of Kokushikan based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016 to carry out the archaeological restoration of the Western Amphitheater in the ancient city of Umm Qais. It is an amphitheater dating back to the Roman period and built of basalt stones. Large parts of it were later destroyed by natural factors and earthquakes.
The project aims at the rehabilitation and restoration of the Western Amphitheater to be included effectively within the archaeological and tourist areas in Umm Qais.

Duration of the project:(2016-2018).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities and Royal Hashemite Court

Supporting institutions: Royal Hashemite Court

Restoration and rehabilitation project of Aqaba Castle

This project aims at the restoration and rehabilitation of Aqaba Castle to be one of the most important tourist destinations in the Governorate of Aqaba. And illegal excavations. Work will be completed in the second phase of the project, which includes rehabilitation work, provision of necessary services and public safety for visitors. The Citadel of Aqaba, built by Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem after the occupation of Aqaba in 1116 AD, is one of the strongest and important castles where it controlled the road between the Levant and Egypt, and was liberated by Salah al-Din in 1170 AD. It is worth mentioning that this project came in implementation of a royal initiative and is implemented by the staff of the Department of Antiquities.

Duration of the project:(2012-2018) .

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities, UNESCO, Italian Embassy and Petra Development Tourism Authority

Supporting institutions: UNESCO and the Italian Embassy

Petra Stability Project

The project aims to mitigate the risk of landslides, including the removal of debris and small rock masses in the Siq.In May 2017, the third phase of the “Stabilization of the Siq” project was launched. The project aims to minimize the risk of small and medium-sized rocks falling from the top of the Siq, which were implemented with the participation of the local community.
The third phase involves the installation of large rocks to prevent the fall from the top of the Siq to provide general safety for visitors to the site while walking and ensure the sustainability of the archaeological site.

Duration of the project:(2016-2017).

Institutions involved:The Department of Antiquities and the Petra Development Tourism Authority are represented by Petra Archaeological Reserve and UNESCO

Supporting institutions: Petra Region Tourism Development Authority represented by the Petra Archaeological Reserve and UNESCO

Petra archaeological site management plan 2017

The Department of Public Antiquities, in cooperation with the Petra Archaeological Reserve and the UNESCO Office in Amman, is working on a new plan for the management of the archaeological site, as part of the requirements of the World Heritage Center and as a means to preserve and sustain the site. Regular meetings to discuss several axes to formulate the management plan. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year to meet the requirements of the World Heritage Center "UNESCO".

Duration of the project:(2016-2017).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities, UNESCO Amman Office, United Nations and Children's Museum

Supporting institutions: UNESCO Amman Office, United Nations and Children's Museum

“Education and Heritage Information Services” project in Umm Al-Jamal as part of rural women's empowerment projects in Mafraq Governorate

This project aims at spreading archaeological awareness and engaging the local community in preserving the archaeological site and creating job opportunities for a group of women from Umm Al-Jamal associations by training them to provide historical archaeological information on site to school students through advanced educational means. The project included training workshops and field trips for school students to educate students about the importance of cultural heritage and encourage local tourism on site. As part of this project, an educational manual entitled “Mother of Beauty for Children” has been published, which provides complete and simplified information on the site, to train Umm Al-Jammal women on how to communicate information creatively to children.

Duration of the project:(2014-2016).

Institutions involved:Department of Antiquities and Hamdi Mango Center for Scientific Research at the University of Jordan and the Greater Amman Municipality

Supporting institutions: US Embassy Amman Ambassadors Fund

The first phase of the restoration and rehabilitation of the nymphs project - Amman

It is a participatory project that aims to protect one of the most important archaeological sites in the capital Amman in the downtown area. The project aims to train students and graduates of relevant disciplines on maintenance work in the field, and the number of students trained to 40 students. It is a participatory project supported by the Greater Amman Municipality and the University of Jordan, which contributes to the technical, technical and legal protection of the site.