18-05-2025
Bulldozer's crash into archaeological building leads to new discovery in Umm al-Jimal
Ammon News - Mayor of Umm al-Jimal, Hassan Rahiba revealed the discovery of an underground archaeological building during a demolition operation on Friday.
In statements to Aman FM, the mayor said that the bulldozer collided with a hidden archaeological object inside the tourist city during the clearance operations, while the municipality informed the Department of Antiquities, which in turn dispatched a team to survey the area and begin work within its jurisdiction.
Rahiba explained that the archaeological site's features are still largely unclear, and this is a matter for the Department of Antiquities.
Naming Umm al-Jimal as a World Heritage Site contained 10% of the antiquities in the area, meaning it is not surprising that new antiquities would be discovered that would add value to the ancient city, he noted.
Last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed the archaeological site of Umm al-Jimal in the far north of the Kingdom as the seventh Jordanian archaeological site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which also includes Petra, Qusayr Amra, Umm ar-Rasas, Wadi Rum, Baptism Site and al-Salt.
