Department_of_Antiquities_(Jordan)
The Department of Antiquities (Arabic: دائرة الآثار العامة, romanized: Dāʼirat al-Āthār al-ʻĀmmah) is a government department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with responsibility for archaeological research and cultural heritage management.[1] It is part of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.[2]
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.[3]
The department has published an academic journal, the Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, since 1951,[4] and has organised an international conference on the history and archaeology of Jordan every three years since 1980.[5] 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 (MEGA-J).[6]