Department of Antiquities (Jordan)

The Department of Antiquities (دائرة الآثار العامة) is a government department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with responsibility for archaeological research and cultural heritage management. It is part of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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.

The Department has organised an international conference on the history and archaeology of Jordan every three years since 1980.

Publications (print and online)

 * Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (ADAJ), an academic journal published since 1951


 * The Middle Eastern Geodatabase for Antiquities – Jordan (MEGA-J), a comprehensive public geographic information system and database of archaeological sites in the country, developed in cooperation with the Getty Conservation Institute

Directors general
The department is headed by a director general.
 * Ridha Tawfiq, 1923–1928
 * Tawfiq Abu al-Huda, 1929
 * Ala Edein Toqan, 1931
 * Adeeb al-Kayed, 1933
 * Hisham Kair, 1933–1939
 * Gerald Lankester Harding, 1939–1956. Harding's book "The Antiquities of Jordan" is still considered a reference to this day.
 * Abd el–Kareem Gharaybeh, 1956
 * Saeed al-Durrah, 1956–1959
 * Awni al-Dajani, 1959–1968. Al-Dajani is the first Jordanian holder of a Ph.D. in Archaeology.
 * Michael Jmaiaan, 1968
 * Yaacoub Ouais, 1968–1971 and 1972–1977
 * Mansour al-Bataineh, 1971–1972
 * Adnan al-Hadidi 1977–1989
 * Ghazi Bishah, 1989–1991 and 1994–1999
 * Safwan al-Tall, 1991–1994
 * Fawwaz al-Khraysheh, 1999–2010
 * Ziad al-Saad, 2010–2011
 * Faris al-Hmoud, 2011–2013
 * Monther Jamhawi, 2013–2018
 * Yazeed Alian, 2018-2021
 * Ahmed Shami, (acting) Feb 2021-July 2021
 * Hisham al-Abadi, since July 2021