Department of Antiquities (Jordan)
The Department of Antiquities is a government department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with responsibility for archaeological research and cultural heritage management. It is part of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The department was established in 1923 in what was then the Emirate of Transjordan, a protectorate of the British Empire. Its responsibilities are legislated for in laws no. 24 of 1934, no. 21 of 1988 and no. 22 of 2004.
The department has published an academic journal, the Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, since 1951, and has organised an international conference on the history and archaeology of Jordan every three years since 1980. It also maintains a comprehensive public geographic information system and database of archaeological sites in the country, developed in cooperation with the Getty Conservation Institute, the Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities – Jordan.Directors General
The department is headed by a Director General. There have been 18 holders of the post since the first, Ridha Tawfiq, was appointed in 1923:
- Ridha Tawfiq, 1923–1928
- Tawfiq Abu al-Huda, 1929
- Ala Edein Toqan, 1931
- Adeeb al-Kayed, 1933
- Hisham Kair, 1933–1939
- Gerald Lankester Harding, 1939–1956
- Abd el–Kareem Gharaybeh, 1956
- Saeed al-Durrah, 1956–1959
- Awni al-Dajani, 1959–1968
- Michael Jmaiaan, 1968
- Yaacoub Ouais, 1968–1971 and 1972–1977
- Mansour al-Bataineh, 1971–1972
- Adnan al-Hadidi 1977–1989
- Ghazi Bishah, 1989–1991
- Safwan al-Tall, 1991–1994
- Ghazi Bishah, 1994–1999
- Fawwaz al-Khraysheh, 1999–2010
- Ziad al-Saad, 2010–2011
- Faris al-Hmoud, 2011–2013
- Monther Jamhawi, 2013–2018
- Yazeed Alian, since 2018
