Jordan Times
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Amman’s ‘Green Lung’
nearly complete
By Cheryl Haines
AMMAN — The long-awaited Children’s Museum will be the latest and last
instalment at the widely popular King Hussein Park.
The museum, an initiative of Her Majesty Queen Rania, is the first interactive
and educational institution of its kind in the country, seeking to encourage
exploration and understanding of local culture, science, technology and
industry, through innovative and educational multimedia resources and programmes
through its 150 hands-on exhibits.
Set to open in December, the Children’s Museum lives up to the original vision
of the park, when it opened in 2001.
“The facilities at the park were created through five different goals...
cultural, sport, educational, recreational and environmental,” Munther Al Saleh,
the project director, told The Jordan Times.
Noting that the majority of the park’s visitors on weekends are families, Saleh
said it was “important for people in Amman to have a ‘green space,’ and an
unobstructed area to enjoy with their children.”
Many of the families hail from east Amman, where outdoor areas conducive to
child’s play are few and far between, according to Saleh.
The project director envisions the park as the “Green Lung of Amman.”
“The park is open year-round and children are free to enjoy all of our
facilities. Here children can play and run free. There are no hazards of cars,”
said Saleh, who estimated that the park receives 15,000 visitors on summer
weekends.
Once the museum opens, children who enjoy the park’s open spaces will be able to
benefit from its educational and entertainment displays, including interactive
astronomy and anatomy exhibits.
The park also features security personnel and the Children’s Museum will employ
supervisory staff to help monitor the large groups of children from nearby
schools expected to visit when it opens.
Raja Gargour, director of the Royal Automobile Museum, which is located in the
western part of the facility, sees the museum’s popularity as testament to how
much open areas and parks for children are needed in Amman.
“Spaces of educational impact for youth are in much demand in Jordan,” Gargour
explained.
The Royal Automobile Museum, he added, strives to be a centre of both
educational and cultural significance, combining the late King Hussein’s
much-loved car collection with interactive media presentations and historical
displays.
An American Cadillac, currently on loan to the US, was a gift to King Hussein
from US president Eisenhower. The exhibits tell of “the longevity of King
Hussein’s reign and the good relations he had with many presidents in that
period,” Gargour explained.
Every summer the Royal Automobile Museums puts on a Wire Car Competition where
local youths are placed in teams and encouraged to construct the body of an
actual car using only basic materials.
Gargour emphasised the importance of the annual competitions, noting the skills
the young people must employ as they construct their cars: Teamwork, leadership,
and critical analysis.
While the younger generation gravitate towards the playgrounds and football
fields, the park also offers a variety of facilities for all ages.
Saleh noted that Friday afternoon visitors tend to be families and younger
people, while on weekdays older visitors come to experience the park’s cultural
centres.
The Cultural Village, the first structure to greet visitors entering the park,
highlights Jordan’s heritage.
Exhibits include studios for Arab calligraphy, stone inscriptions, natural dyes,
local ceramics and handicrafts.
The centre overlooks the city to the east and includes a restaurant and outdoor
terraces.
The “Theme Gardens” located in the centre of the park present a collection of
flora and water fountains. The gardens are reminiscent of historical phases of
the country’s history and its geographical landscapes. Cutting through the
gardens is the 400-metre “Promenade of Jordan,” where works of art and
historical representations display the country’s history.
Throughout the facility, water reservoirs were engineered in keeping with the
importance of rationing water consumption in Jordan.
Various basins were constructed to collect and divert rainwater, which are
connected to groundwater reservoirs, and are used for irrigation.
The 5,200-square-metre park is open year-round and is accessible to visitors
with special needs.