Jordan Times
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Madaba Mosaic School to become
world centre for mosaic art
AMMAN (JT) — Madaba Mosaic School launched on Sunday a strategy to become the
Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration in an effort to upgrade the
school into a world centre for education and training in mosaic art and stone
restoration.
The transformation of the school’s current status of a high school into an
institute with four education and training streams for post-Tawjihi,
postgraduate and professional will begin in September 2007.
The strategy is a result of cooperation between the Department of Antiquities
and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The launch is a part of the wider USAID-supported Madaba Tourism Development
Strategy, Siyaha, that aims to establish Madaba as a leading regional centre of
study for the restoration, conservation and production of mosaic art.
The three-year Siyaha Project began in 2005 and fits within the National Tourism
Strategy, launched in 2004, that aims to double Jordan’s tourism economy by
2010.
Madaba is famous for its mosaics, especially the Greek Orthodox Church of St.
George, that contains a sixth-century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and
other holy sites.
USAID Mission Director Anne Aarnes at the launching of the strategy said: “[The
institute] will contribute to craftsmanship, artistry and expertise, as well as
a sustainable economy that is build upon this community’s abundant cultural
assets.”
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Munir Nassar said the school is considered
one of the most important academic bases in the region and needs to be developed
and restructured.
The institute, established in 1992 by the Italian government and USAID, is
currently the only school of its kind in the region dedicated to this ancient
art.