Amman's Jordanian House of Art

via The Jordan TimesIn 2002, in honour of Amman’s selection as the capital of Arab culture, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) established the Jordanian House of Art in the building that once housed the famous school.

The House of Art, inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Rania in May of that year, is part of GAM’s initiative to restore the city’s old landmarks and transform them into cultural institutions, and houses a collection of old Jordanian musical instruments as well as traditional Jordanian, Palestinian and Circassian clothing. The building also exhibits the original studios of Jordan Television and Jordan Radio.

Many local residents say that Wadi Seer Street and the Fatmah Zahraa School embody the very soul of Amman and serves as a historical lens for earlier life in the city. In what I admit is a romantic vision, many Circassian merchants used to come from Wadi Seer bringing various kinds of fruit, such as grapes and figs, to sell near the school.

The area was a prestigious one to residents lived here such as Hanan Toukan, the mother of the late Queen Alia, and Nasseriddine Assad, the prominent academician and former minister. I would truly love to visit! Anne