Koji Oyama Koji Oyama Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) JICA Jordan Office PO Box 926355 Role of Museums Within Jordanian Local Amman 11190 Communities: Case Studies of the Karak Jordan Archaeological Museum, Historic Old Salt Museum and Dead Sea Museum Introduction Potential Role of Regional Museums within Since 1999, the Ministry of Tourism and Local Communities Antiquities (MOTA) in Jordan and the Japan Regional museums have a potentially International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have important social role within local communities. implemented the Tourism Sector Development With rich local collections, regional museums Project (TSDP)1. The geographical foci of this can be centers of education, study and local project include Amman, Karak, Salt and the heritage for local people. Potential roles for Dead Sea region. As part of the project, four regional museums include: museums, viz. the Jordan Museum (National Museum) in Amman, Karak Archaeological Museum, Historic Old Salt Museum and Dead Sea Museum (FIG. 1), were newly established or renovated. The JICA cooperation includes construction of these four museums, as well as preparation of the museum exhibitions, enhancement of the museum operation management systems and activities in the field of collection management, conservation and education. In this paper, of the four museums in which JICA has been involved, it is the three regional museums, viz. the Karak Archaeological Museum, Historic Old Salt Museum and Dead Sea Museum, which are discussed. The exhibition and community awareness program of each museum are focal 1. Map showing the four museums with which JICA has points of this study. been involved. 1. The Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Public Works and velopment Cooperation, Jordan River Authority, Natural Re- Housing, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, sources Authority, Royal Scientific Society, Royal Society for Karak Governorate, Balqa Governorate, Madaba Governorate, Conservation of Nature, Yarmouk University, Hashemite Uni- Greater Amman Municipality, Greater Salt Municipality, Greater versity and Jordan University also cooperated with TSDP. Karak Municipality, Salt Development Cooperation, Karak De- – 251 – KOJI OYAMA 1. Promotion of local community awareness of by the Department of Antiquities (DoA). This their own history and heritage. museum deals with the archaeology and history 2. Visualization of the local area, including its of the Karak area, as well as the history of history and culture, for local people (mainly Karak castle and the city of Karak. through exhibition). The permanent exhibition room of KAM 3. Conservation of local heritage, not only (FIG. 2), which was renovated through the material culture (such as archaeological TSDP (JICA et al. 2000b), is located in the or folklore collections) but also intangible lower court of Karak castle2. This room is one heritage. of the original halls of the castle. Renovation 4. Participation of local people in heritage of the exhibition included expansion of the education and presentation. exhibition space through the addition of a 5. Development of community-based tourism newly renovated annex room. The new KAM based on the diversity of regional heritage; exhibition was opened in 2004. museums can play a role as gateways to The concept of KAM is as follows: local heritage tourism. 1. To be a regional museum for Karak, which In recognition of these potential roles for presents the local history of Karak castle, the museums, JICA has implemented this museum city of Karak and the Karak region. project in Jordan as a part of a wider heritage 2. To promote local community awareness of tourism project aimed at bringing direct or their own cultural heritage and the history of indirect benefits to local communities through Karak. tourism based on local heritage. The three 3. To be an information point for heritage regional museums discussed below are expected tourism in the Karak region, where tourists to fulfil the potential roles outlined above (see can obtain information about the history and also Oyama 2007). heritage of Karak castle, the city and the region. Karak Archaeological Museum 4. To be a gateway for heritage tourism in Karak, Karak Archaeological Museum (KAM) is which is crucial for the local economy. one of local archaeological museums operated The target area of KAM was defined as the 2. Main exhibition space at Karak Archaeological Mu- seum. 2. The permanent exhibition room of KAM was temporarily closed for renovation work at the end of December 2013. This article describes its condition before the temporary closure. – 252 – ROLE OF MUSEUMS WITHIN JORDANIAN LOCAL COMMUNITIES Karak region, corresponding to the area of is displayed. Iron Age pottery, mainly Karak governorate. This area was part of ancient from the Iron Age city of Balūʻ, is also Moab (Miller 1991: 1), so ‘Moab’ is one of the on display, including a terracotta model key topics in the KAM exhibition. The Ghor of a shrine from Balūʻ. The exhibition area was originally included within the scope topic also includes the domination of of KAM, but after the opening of the ‘Lowest the Moabite kingdom by Assyria after Point on Earth Museum’ in Ghawr aṣ-Ṣafī, the Tiglath-Pileser’s campaign of 734 - 732 Dayr ‘Ayn ‘Abaṭa exhibition was moved from BC (Miller 1991: 10). KAM for demarcation purposes. e. The Nabataean kingdom and Karak: Nabataean sites in the Karak region, such Exhibition of KAM as Dhāt Rās and al-Qasr. A Nabataean The content of the permanent exhibition is relief within Karak castle is also as follows: introduced. 1. Introduction f. Karak in the Roman period: the Via Nova a. Geography of the Karak region and Traiana, which was constructed by the city of Karak, focusing on the main Emperor Trajan between 111 and 114 AD, archaeological sites along the Kings passed through the Karak region. It passed Highway. al-Rabba (Rabbathmoba / Areopolis), the b. Timeline: archaeological periods and main city of the Karak region during the main historical events associated with Roman period. In the east, there is the Karak and Jordan, from the Palaeolithic Roman fort at Lajjun, which was part to the modern era. of the limes arabicus. Artifacts from the 2. Local history of the Karak region Rabba excavations are on display. a. Dawn of history: Palaeolithic and g. Karak in the Byzantine period: Karak was Neolithic in Karak; display includes a the seat of a bishop, being depicted in the hand-axe from Wādī ʻIsal and flint tools Madaba mosaic map as Charachmoba. from Wādī al-Ḥasā. The display includes artifacts from a b. Cities of the plain: Early Bronze Age Byzantine tomb at Muhay and a lamp cities in the Ghor area, including Bab from Lajjun depicting the tree of life. adh-Dhrāʻ and Numayra. Early Bronze h. Battle of Muʼtah: the first battle between Age pottery, gold earrings and necklaces Muslim troops and Byzantium in 629 from Bab adh-Dhrāʻ are on display. AD. c. Egyptian influence on Karak: the i. Mediaeval sugar production: the Mamluk Egyptian campaigns by Tuthmosis III sugar factory at Ṭawahīn as-Sukkar in (ca. 1482 - 1450 BC) and Ramesses II Ghawr aṣ-Ṣafī. (ca. 1304 - 1237 BC) probably included 3. History of Karak castle and the city of Karak the Karak area (Miller 1991: 8). The a. Karak castle and the fortified city of Balūʻ stele from Karak is also referred as Karak: the city is situated on a hill at an an example of Egyptian influence. elevation of ca. 1,030 m; Karak castle lies d. Moabite Kingdom: the story of the 9th on the southern edge of the town. Sur- century BC Moabite king Mesha is rounded by steep valleys, the city is a nat- told through display of a replica of the ural fortress that could only be accessed Mesha stele. The Karak inscription, a via two tunnel-entrances in the west and basalt fragment displaying the Moabite east of the city (Mayer 1990: 118). The language that was discovered in 1958, city was also surrounded by towers and a – 253 – KOJI OYAMA wall. The concept of Karak as a fortified of Karak castle, e.g. fosse; glacis; towers; city is reinforced through a model. arrow slit) is introduced, along with siege b. Geopolitical importance of Karak (Darb engines used against the castle, such as al-Ḥajj trade route): Karak lies on the catapults and siege towers. A catapult pilgrimage route to Mecca (Darb al-Ḥajj), stone excavated from the castle is also that connected Damascus with Mecca, as on display, as is chainmail and a ceramic well as serving a conduit for trade between grenade. Syria, Egypt, Palestine and the Arabian g. Pottery from Karak castle: a display of peninsula (el-Majali et al. 1987: 311-315). imported glazed ware, such as Syrian In view of the geopolitical importance ‘blue-and-white’ pottery excavated from of Karak, the Crusaders constructed a Karak castle, indicating the taste of the castle there to control the pilgrimage and Mamluk ruling class at Karak (Brown trade route (Hillenbrand 1999: 292). By 1989: 297-298). Ayyubid - Mamluk hand- using an interactive topographical map, made coarse ware is also on display as a the geopolitical importance of Karak is comparison. underlined. 4. Bab adh-Dhrāʻ tomb c. Karak in the Crusader period: Karak In order to display Early Bronze Age burial castle was constructed by Payen the customs, objects from the Bab edh-Dhra Butler, a lord of the Latin Kingdom, tombs are displayed as they were discovered in 1142 (Mayer 1990: 116) in order to in the chamber of an EBIA shaft-tomb relocate the lordship of Oultrejourdain (Schaub 1979). from Shawbak to Karak. After several sieges by Ṣalāh ad-Dīn, the castle finally Local Community Awareness Program by fell into Ayyubid hands in 1188 (Pringle KAM 1993: 286-287).