Deputizing for King .. PM inaugurates 39th Jerash Festival

Ammon

24-07-2025

Ammon News - Prime Minister Jafar Hassan deputised for His Majesty King Abdullah II in officiating the opening ceremony of the 39th Jerash Festival on Wednesday evening, where the festival torch was officially lit.
The festival continues until August 2nd, and this year's theme is: "Here is Jordan... and its glory endures."
The skies of Jerash were adorned with doodle shows featuring images of His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince, the festival torch and logo, images of the ancient city and the Jordanian flag.
Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Festival's Higher Committee Mustafa Rawashdeh said: "Peace be upon those who wrote a letter, engraved a word and wrote a sentence in the book of the homeland and its journey in eloquent Arabic, with its immortal letters..
"Peace be upon those who drew, coloured and scribbled on the clouds a picture of the homeland so that the echo resounded in all directions: Here is Jordan, and its glory endures."
During the ceremony, which was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Culture, Rawashdeh added, "Here we are lighting the torch of the 39th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, a torch that symbolises light, enlightenment and radiance, spreading joy and happiness, building bridges of dialogue, carrying the message of the Jordanian state, promoting creative activity and introducing Jordanian intellectuals, writers and artists."
He added, "In Jerash today, we celebrate the homeland, its heritage and its national values, which have always been values ??of supporting justice, supporting Palestine's right to freedom, statehood and living in dignity and peace.
"Just as the session focused on expanding Jordanian participation, it focused on committed art and serious culture that align with Jordan's constants and Arab positions, which devote all efforts to supporting the steadfastness of our Palestinian brothers on their land, defending their rights and Jordan's steadfast stand against the aggression on Gaza and the repeated attacks in the West Bank and Holy Jerusalem."
He added, "On the Jerash stages, Arab artists and intellectuals have expressed the voice of Palestine through their art, echoed by the masses. The Jerash Festival will continue to bear this message and carry the image of Jordan with its culture, art, diversity and honest Arab and humanitarian face."
The head of the Greater Jerash Municipality Committee, Mohammad Bani Yassin, greeted the attendees on behalf of Jerash and its people. He said.. "the festival is a profound expression of Jordan's conscience, a pulse of its national identity and a shining civilisational message to the entire world."
He said, "The festival constitutes an integral part of our national identity and Jordan's message to the world. Today, the festival bears witness to Jordan's ability to remain a beacon of thought, a crossroads of cultures, a platform for dialogue and a renewed source of hope.
The opening ceremony included the operetta "On the Heights of Glory," which celebrates Jordan's history, leadership and people and the spiritual relationship between language, poetry and homeland, within a dramatic, lyrical and visual framework, featuring eloquent patriotic songs written by the poet Haidar Mahmoud.
The ancient Roman theater stone was used as a visual display screen, displaying four-dimensional digital scenes featuring historical images, flags, symbolic paintings and animated poetic scenes.
The opening ceremony featured national folklore performances and dances. The festival's management also selected artist Omar Abdallat, the "Voice of Jordan," to star in the opening ceremony, honouring his artistic career.