CBRL is pleased to announce the relocation of its Amman Institute to the Jabal Al-Lweibdeh neighbourhood of Amman (also written as Jabal Al Weibdeh). The new location is along the busy Al-Baouneyah Street, close to Paris Circle, in an area well-known for its restaurants and cafés, street art, independent shops, and proximity to an array of art and cultural facilities.
Contemporary Amman sprawls out across a series of hills (jabal) beginning in the bustling downtown, ‘Al Balad’ extending to Ras Al-‘Ain, the head of the city’s original water source, and location of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), The Jordan Museum and landmark Roman Theatre. Jabal Al-Lweibdeh and Jabal Amman are two of the modern city’s earliest neighbourhoods that, with the downtown, have grown, regenerated and flourished as the city has massively expanded in recent years.
CBRL in Jordan has been located near the University of Jordan in north Amman since the 1970s when it was established as the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History (BIAAH). The Institute moved to 102 Uhod Street in Tla Al ‘Ali, the building it is now leaving, in 2003, which has served us well for almost 20 years. Moving to the city’s centre in 2022 marks a return closer to CBRL’s early geographical origins when the first director rented a flat on Jabal Amman and began involvement in archaeological excavations at the Amman Citadel, Jabal Al-Qala’a.
The move is a culmination of many years of planning to find a new location that fits CBRL’s vision for a future that connects it to the heart of this important Levantine city hub and its diverse communities. The new facility consists of our library and study spaces, meeting and research offices. There are many affordable and comfortable places for visitors to stay in the vicinity, and the Amman Institute will no longer offer hostel accommodation. All archaeological finds previously stored at the Institute have been returned to the Department of Antiquities.
The Amman team are now working on setting up the new premises, continuing during Ramadan. A formal opening is planned for June. The new street address is on the first floor at 6 Al-Baouneyah Street, Qaiwar Complex, Jabal Al-Lweibdeh, Amman, 11191 Jordan. The PO Box address for regular mail remains unchanged at the current time.
The Amman team has done a fantastic job in the hunt for the new location over an extended period, working tirelessly on the physical move since the start of the year and continuing as we re-establish ourselves in the new location. The team is very grateful for the support and encouragement we have received from all our friends and colleagues, especially at the Department of Antiquities.
We will keep you posted on progress and please note our new email address for general enquiries: jordaninfo@cbrl.ac.uk.
For interested readers, an excellent overview of Amman’s evolution and more on the history of Jabal Al-Lweibdeh and Jabal Amman has just been published in CBRL’s journal, Levant, by colleagues from the CBRL Amman team and Jordan’s Department of Antiquities – read the newly published article here.
Carol Palmer, CBRL & Amman Institute Director
