Jerash, Jordan’s Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, will celebrate its 40th edition on July 22- Aug.2, bringing the ancient city of Roman Jerash back to life as a cultural, art and civilisation exchange centre.
The festival’s organisers have organised performances and new interactive opportunities for those who will attend from all over the world, under the theme “A Legacy That Endures … Generations That Unite”; the relationships between heritage, civilisation and international exchange are underlined.
As workers finished the stages, which are set among the towering ruins of Rome, and craftsmen set out handmade embroidery, ceramics and traditional products at the newly built Gerasa Market, among several new additions to enhance the visitor’s experience, the days before the opening arrived.
In the 40th edition of the Jerash Festival, Executive Director of the Festival, Yazan Khader, presented it as “a turning point in the Festival journey” that will include the most diverse program ever.
Twenty-one Jordanian, Arab and international events will be held in over 15 venues, 117 of which will be held within the archaeological city and dozens in each governorate of Jordan, Khader said. These include art exhibits, heritage displays, folklore shows and performances, theatre, poetry readings and concerts.
For the first time in the history of the Hippodrome, which was constructed during Roman times to host horse and chariot races, performances will be organised, he said.
The recently inaugurated Gerasa Market has Jordanian handicrafts and creative industries along with family activities, and has 3D projection mapping for the historical monuments, Khader added.
The festival has also been a venue to promote Jordanian culture and has increasingly evolved into a forum for cultural interaction between the country and the rest of the world.
This year’s cast is from 20 countries including Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Greece and several Arab nations, Khader said.
The Chinese delegation will perform traditional and contemporary music at the Hippodrome, do tea ceremonies, and demonstrate intangible cultural heritage, said Zhao Xiaoqiang, director of the China Cultural Centre in Amman.
It is a testament to China’s efforts to further strengthen cultural ties with Jordan ahead of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Jordan diplomatic ties next year, Zhao said.
The festival is also a tradition for many Jordanians.
Ahmad Kassab, 36, said that as a kid he used to attend the festival, but he now takes his own children to do the same.
“It’s a tradition that spans generations,” Kassab said.
