HM Queen Rania has started a new initiative in honor of International Youth Day, where via the power of YouTube, she'll be attempting to break down the stereotypes associated with the Arab world. ...

Wendy Merdian and Melissa Manning continue their journey through Jordan’s biblical archeological sites, completing the final part in the series. [1] [2] Biblical Archeology In A Day Written By: Melissa Manning & Wendy Merdian Photography By: Melissa Manning Site VII - Um Ar Rasas, Burj Sa'man The ruins we visited in the vicinity of the village, Um Ar 'Rasas, are not actually biblical sites as they date from the Byzantine and Umayyad periods, the fifth to the eighth century AD. Before visiting the ruins of the Byzantine town, Kestron Mefaa, we stopped about one km away to see an usual tower; unusual in that the 15 meter tower is solid and has no internal stairs, though it appears to have had a room at the top of the tower with four windows, once facing each directions. Rough crosses are hewn into three sides of the tower, with finer carving at the...

Written by: Saleem Ayoub Quna Photography by Ogba Faraj

Jabal Luwiebdeh's reputation as a quiet and peaceful residential neighborhood in the old part of Amman was heavily contested Saturday afternoon, March 8^th, as more than 1500 people, mostly children and youth, took to its streets to mark the second anniversary of Luweibdeh Spring Carnival.

The parade, led by a mounted patrol of six policemen, started at Paris Square and proceeded on in the main streets of the Jabal up to the National Gallery Park where it took a...

Wendy Merdian and Melissa Manning continue their journey through Jordan's biblical archeological sites. Be sure to read up on part one and stay tuned for the final part in the series! Biblical Archeology In A Day Written By: Melissa Manning & Wendy Merdian Photography By: Melissa Manning Site IV - Khirbet Iskander From Machaerus we returned to the King's Highway, once an ancient trade caravan route, and traveled south to the Khirbet Iskander site. Though the name "Khirbet Iskander" means the "ruins of Alexander" in reference to Alexander the Great who conquered the area in 323 BC, the site is actually the ruins of a fortified Early Bronze Canaanite city, the only one of it's kind to be discovered and dating back to 2300 BC. The Early Bronze Period, 3500-2000 BC and divided into four sub-periods, is so significant because this is the period in history when the first cities rose up in Mesopotamia and...

Written By: Naseem Tarawnah It is common knowledge in Jordan that family names equal power. Every day, thousands of Jordanians capitalize on that fact alone. Getting a traffic ticket is a hassle avoided, and so is waiting in line when it’s time to renew one’s passport. Acceptance into a competitive university program with limited seats is not an issue, and neither is the guaranteed job in prestigious public institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or even the prestigious Royal Court. It’s not every name, nor is it even the more common names that come with assumptive qualities, so please excuse the generalization. However, there are certain family names in Jordan, which when coupled with inherited wealth and positions of power, can only emphasize the underlying point: names are important, and the impact of modern economics makes sure of that. Several weeks ago, a teenager from an affluent...

Pictures by Saleem Ayoub Quna Author of "My Neighborhood" Cultural Guide to Jabal Luwiebdeh...

Al Balad Theatre Presents Marwan Abado & Band Live in Concert Launching his new project N A R D Tuesday, 11 March 2008 - 8 PM At Al Bald Theatre – Jabal Amman/1st Circle Ticket Price: JD 7 Tickets will soon be available at: - Music Box - Books @ Cafe - Moka Cafe - OrangeRed - Al Balad Theater For more information: Al Balad Theatre:06 4652005 OrangeRed: 06 4623297 or 0777 232444...

Iraqi students congregate outside the Shmeissani Al-Qharbi School in Amman, Jordan. Many Iraqi war refugees have missed years of school, but despite new opportunities to be back in class, they get little help catching up.—Christopher Powers/Education Week

War, displacement, and lack of money have prevented Iraqi children from going to school for lengthy stretches of time. They have more opportunities now, but little help in catching up.

Written By: Mary Ann Zehr and Yasmine Mousa

Amman, Jordan

Aliaa Hussein: 2 years Kerrar Fathil: 2 years Aseel Thafir: 4 years That’s how many years those children—like thousands more of their generation—were deprived of schooling in the difficult aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq five years ago this month. In that time, more than 2 million Iraqis have fled their homeland, mainly to Jordan and Syria. But it’s only been this school year that Jordan officially opened...

The United Nations University- International Leadership Academy in Amman- Jordan has established a Film Society and will be screening movies on regular basis. The Film Society is a cornerstone of the UNU-ILI’s community outreach program. Through the Film Society we offer free or low-cost film screenings that are open to any and all. Sometimes these screening are connected to our Leadership Courses, sometimes not; but they all promise to excite the mind and spur conversation on topics that are pertinent to the United Nations' Mission and Mandate. On Saturday the 15th of March, we are screening a Documentary entitled "ENRON: The Smartest Guys in the Room," it will be at 5:30 at the UN University Building located 50 Meters from the University of Jordan main gate. About the film... This Documentary is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, a multidimensional study of one...

Picture taken in Wadi Al-Shita by Majed Aggad.

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