Jordan Times
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Madaba's
historical sights attract growing number of tourists
By Mohammad Ghazal
MADABA — For centuries a place of pilgrimage, the
ancient Biblical town of Madaba opened its first three-star hotel on Tuesday as
part of a strategy to encourage visitors to stop over, while providing job
opportunities for local people.
The Madaba Inn Hotel, owned by the Social Security Corporation, is situated in
the heart of the town opposite the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, famous
for its 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land.
Munther Hamarneh, director of accommodation and public relations at the hotel,
told The Jordan Times that the hotel was constructed following a feasibility
study.
“The rationale behind the establishment of the hotel is to encourage tourists to
stay in Madaba overnight, rather than just visiting the archaeological sites in
one day due to a lack of suitable accommodation,” said Hamarneh.
The new 33-room hotel, which provides jobs for 45 local citizens, features a
restaurant and café, a multi-purpose hall suitable for holding wedding parties,
a business centre with access to high-speed wireless Internet and indoor and
outdoor parking.
Located just 30 kilometres southwest of Amman, Madaba has long been a favoured
destination for foreign visitors.
The history of the town goes back 3,500 years and the city's strategic position
has meant it has been fought over for centuries. It was here that the Israelite
King David defeated the Ammonites. The town has been dubbed the “city of
mosaics, “ the most spectacular of which is the 6th century map of the Holy Land
in the Church of St. George.
In addition to its world famous mosaics and Byzantine treasures, Madaba is also
known for its hand-woven carpets, saddlebags and tapestries, and is located just
10 kilometres east of Mount Nebo, one of the most revered holy sites in the
country, where the Biblical Prophet Moses is said to be buried.
According to Madaba's Tourism Department, visitor levels are on the up with more
than 60,000 tourists grouping all nationalities visiting in the first seven
months of 2005 alone.
Hamarneh said there has been a 30 per cent increase in tourism last year.
Firas Sawalha, a representative from the Grand Palace Hotels Company, which is
operating the hotel, said the hotel is promising, as it is the only three-star
hotel in the area.
Half of the employees at the hotel are females, according to Sawalha.
Among them is Natali Hamarneh, who quit her job at a business company in Amman
to work in the hotel.
“Working at the hotel seems promising to me and besides it is closer to my home
since I am a Madaba resident,” she said.
Currently there are eight hotels in Madaba, five of them one-star hotels
employing a total of 145 people. The remaining hotels are unclassified.