Aqaba, Oct. 22 (Petra) Minister of Culture Mustafa Rawashdeh inaugurated on Wednesday the Third Aqaba Cultural Forum under the theme "Visions and Aspirations in Preserving Intangible Cultural Heritage," organized by the Aqaba Directorate of Culture. The forum aims to safeguard heritage, support joint cultural work, and integrate heritage into sustainable development frameworks.
Rawashdeh emphasized the forum’s importance, noting it coincides with the International Day for Intangible Cultural Heritage and is held in partnership with several ministries, national institutions, and cultural bodies. He said such collaboration enriches dialogue, broadens public engagement with culture, and reinforces the societal role of culture as a development tool and driver of economic modernization.
He highlighted the intrinsic link between intangible heritage and cultural identity, explaining that its practices, traditions, and knowledge form a vital part of collective identity and generational continuity. Attention to intangible heritage fosters community belonging, respect for cultural diversity, and a sense of civilizational distinction, and encourages intercultural dialogue while protecting diverse cultural identities amid globalization. Its loss, he warned, threatens identity and the continuity of culture.
Rawashdeh outlined several ministry initiatives to preserve intangible heritage, including the National Inventory of Intangible Heritage, which documents and safeguards living heritage elements such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, and traditional knowledge and skills across Jordan’s governorates.
The ministry also implemented the "Maknaz" project, collecting and classifying popular expressions and terminology from across the Kingdom in a digital database, and the Cultural Paths project, linking archaeological and heritage sites with intangible cultural heritage such as customs, traditions, and local stories to create an integrated cultural tourism experience.
Aqaba Governor Ayman Al-Awaisheh said heritage forms a key pillar of Jordanian cultural identity, stressing the importance of citizen engagement in positive cultural activity to strengthen national resilience amid a region fraught with conflicts and wars. He highlighted royal directives supporting culture as a cornerstone of comprehensive development and noted the King’s recognition of intellectuals, reflecting the monarchy’s commitment to this vital sector.
The forum program included two sessions on the role of institutions in preserving intangible heritage, cultural experiences in safeguarding heritage, the role of associations and museums, recorded heritage, Aqaba’s fishing heritage, and the role of digital transformation in protecting intangible cultural heritage.
//Petra// AF
