AFCP II Spring Progress Report

Teamwork in the House XVIII Courtyard
Teamwork in the House XVIII Courtyard

Having received a renewal grant for 2014 from the U.S. State Department’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, Phase I work this spring has focused on further conservation and presentation of Umm el-Jimal’s House XVII-XVIII complex as a continuation of work completed for the original grant in 2012. (Phase II, consisting of post-architectural clearing, study, and documentation, will occur as part of the coming UJ14 field season in June.)

The field work was overseen by Bert de Vries and Muaffaq Hazza of the Umm el-Jimal Project, and Abdul Qader al-Housan and Na’il Tuhamer of the Department of Antiquities in Mafraq. Archaeologist Hana’ Bani Ata joined the team during the last week for the excavation of the trenches in the House XVIII courtyard. The major work was done by twenty conservation specialists from Umm el-Jimal, overseen by foreman Ali Aqil, while the technical work on the Room 5 corbel restoration was overseen by master mason Awda Masa’eid. Here’s the breakdown:

All of the UJP staff and workers express heartfelt thanks to the AFCP for making this preservation and presentation of Umm el-Jimal heritage possible.

Text by Bert de Vries and Jobadiah Christiansen. Photography by Bert de Vries.

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