An interactive list/map of museums, galleries, art foundations and cultural centers in Jordan

 

CSBE has developed this interactive list / map of about fifty museums, galleries, art foundations, and cultural centers in Jordan. The list includes the names and addresses of each institution as well as basic information about it.

For the full list (arranged alphabetically), please scroll down.

For the Arabic version, click here.

 

Amman

Museums

 

The Archaeological Museum / University of Jordan

The University of Jordan

Tel: +962 6 84 3555, ext. 3412

A small archaeological museum was initially established at the University of Jordan in 1962. The museum was expanded and transferred to its present location in 1986. The museum features exhibition halls, research workshops, photography rooms, and a conservation laboratory.

 

Children's Museum

King Hussein Park

Tel: + 962 6 541 1479 

www.cmj.jo

Designed for children aged 14 and under, the museum’s facilities include an exhibit hall, a multi-purpose hall, a children’s library and IT center, an activity room, an outdoor exhibit area, an outdoor theatre, a museum shop, a birthday room, a café, and a planetarium.

 

Currency Museum

Central Bank of Jordan, King Hussein St., Downtown Amman

Tel: +962 6 463 0301, ext. 2580 

http://www.cbj.gov.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=272

The Central Bank of Jordan exhibits a collection of coins circulated in the historical area of Jordan, including ones from the pre-Islamic, early-Islamic, Ottoman, and modern eras.

 

The Jordan Ahli Bank Numismatic Museum

79 Queen Noor St., Shmeisani

Tel: +962 6 568 7090, ext. 3729

www.ahli.com/en/jordan/about-us/product/numismatic-museum

The museum collection features over 4500 coins dating as far back as 600 B.C. It showcases valuable Nabataen silver and copper, as well as Umayyad copper coin collections. It also has a collection of Mesopotamian, Phoenician, and Roman coin weights, along with an extensive collection of Decapolis and Provincial Arabia coins, many of which are still unpublished. The museum also has a library dedicated to the topic of numismatics.

 

Jordan Archaeological Museum

Amman Citadel, Jabal al-Qal'a

Tel: +962 6 463 8795

The Jordan Archaeological Museum was built in 1951 in the Amman Citadel compound. It houses artifacts from numerous archaeological sites in the country. The collection includes ancient items of daily life such as pottery, glass, coins, jewelry, flint and metal tools, inscriptions, and works of sculpture.

 

Jordan Folklore Museum

The Hashemite Plaza, inside the Roman Theater

www.doa.gov.jo/En/inside.php?src=sublinks&SlID=5172&MlID=5046

The museum was founded by the Department of Antiquities, and officially opened in 1975. It houses items representing the culture of the desert, the culture of the villages, and the culture of the town and city in Jordan. Its collection represents items of daily life from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, such as costumes and utensils used for food preparation.

 

 The Jordan Museum

Ras al-‘Ayn, next to the Greater Amman Municipality headquarters

Tel: +962 6 462 9317

http://jordanmuseum.jo/en

Opened in 2014, the museum is the largest in Jordan and hosts its most important archaeological findings. It presents the history and cultural heritage of Jordan from the Paleolithic era to modern times through three major galleries devoted to archaeology, folklore, and contemporary history. 

 The Jordanian Museum of Popular Costumes and Traditions

The Hashemite Plaza, inside the Roman Theater

www.doa.gov.jo/En/inside.php?src=sublinks&SlID=5171&MlID=5046

The Jordanian Museum of Popular Traditions was established in 1971. It features works of Jordanian and Palestinian folk heritage.

The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts

Husni Fariz St., Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 6 463 0128

www.nationalgallery.org

The Jordan National Gallery for Fine Arts was opened in 1984. It consists of two buildings, one on each side of the National Gallery Park. The park also takes on the role of a sculpture garden connecting the two buildings.

The museum has one of the most extensive permanent collections of contemporary art from the region found anywhere.

 

Martyr's Memorial and Military Museum

Al Hussein Sports City, Gate 4

Tel: +962 6 566 4240

The Martyr's Memorial was inaugurated in 1977 by the late King Hussein to commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. It was designed by the late Jordanian architect Victor Adel Bisharat (1920 - 1996). In 2016, the building was renovated by the architectural office Paradigm DH. The museum narrates the sacrifices of Jordan’s soldiers since the Great Arab Revolt up to this day. It also holds personal belongings of Jordan’s late Kings.

 

Museum of Parliamentary Life

12 Al-Kulliyah al-‘Ilmiyyah al-Islamiyyah St., Jabal Amman 

The museum occupies Jordan’s old Parliament building. It functioned as the meeting place for the Jordanian Legislative Council during the early 1940s. It is also where King Abdullah I bin al-Hussein declared the independence of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on May 25, 1946. The museum then functioned as the headquarters for the National Assembly from 1947 until 1978. It is also where King Talal bin Abdullah and King Hussein bin Talal took the oath of office. The museum consists of three parts: The Parliament Hall; the exhibition halls that narrate the story of parliamentary life in Jordan; and the offices of the Head of the Senate, the Speaker of Parliament, and VIP halls.

 

 The Prophet Mohammad Museum at the King Hussein Mosque

Al Hussein Gardens

The Prophet Muhammad Museum, which was opened in 2012, is located in the King Hussein Mosque in al-Hussein Gardens. It includes a number of artifacts connected to the Prophet Muhammad, such as his letter to the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, in which he urged him to convert to Islam; a single hair of his beard; and a sapling of the tree under which he rested on his way to the Levant.

 

 The Royal Automobile Museum

King Hussein Park

Tel: +962 6 541 1392

www.royalautomuseum.jo

The Royal Automobile Museum was established in 2003. The museum showcases a wide variety of vehicles including those used by the Sherif Hussein bin ‘Ali, King Abdullah I, King Talal, and King Hussein.

 

See Amman Exhibition

Greater Amman Municipality, Ras al-‘Ayn

https://www.ammancity.gov.jo/ar/tourism/viewamman.aspx

 The main attraction of this exhibition, which was opened in 2011, is a 48 square meter model of Amman.

 

 TIRAZ: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress

19 Riyad al-Mufleh St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 6 592 7531

www.facebook.com/pg/Tirazcentre

TIRAZ, which is the home ofthe Widad Kamel Kawar dress collection, features the largest existing collection of Palestinian and Jordanian traditional costumes from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Its collection includes over 3000 costume items, and also weavings, home utensils, and jewelry.

 

Art Foundations

 

 Darat al Funun

Nadim al-Mallah St., Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 6 464 3251/2

www.daratalfunun.org

The grounds of Darat Al-Funun, which is affiliated with the Khalid Shoman Foundation for the Arts, encompass a number of older buildings, the earliest of which dates back to the 1920s, as well as the remains of a sixth-century Byzantine church that was built over a Roman temple. The Darat’s exhibitions showcase a wide-ranging collection of contemporary art from the Arab World. The Darat also organizes a wide selection of indoor and outdoor events, including concerts and readings.

 

 MMAG (Mohammad and Mahera Abu Ghazaleh Foundation)

30 ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan St., Jabal Amman

www.mmagfoundation.org

The newly-established MMAG features gallery spaces and a public learning program. Plans are also being made to establish an art school as part of the Foundation.

 

 The Royal Film Commission

5 ‘Umar bin al-Khattab St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 6 464 2266 

www.film.jo, facebook.com/FilmJo

Founded in 2003, the Royal Film Commission is a public organization that aims at encouraging people to tell their stories through film, create educational programs, promote film culture throughout Jordan, provide work opportunities in the cinematic field, offer management and support for local and foreign productions, and to position Jordan as a location for international productions. It hosts a program of films and film related lectures, and also houses an extensive film library and a café. It is housed in an the early-1930s Mango House that features panoramic views of downtown Amman and the Amman Citadel.

 

Art & Culture Centers

 

The Duke's Diwan

12 King Faisal Street, Downtown Amman

Tel: +962 6 477 5804

This historic townhouse, which dates back to 1924, had served as Amman’s first post office until the late 1940s, the Ministry of Finance until 1948, and the Haifa Hotel until the late 1990s. In 2001, Mamduh Bisharat, who is known as “The Duke” among his friends and acquaintances, restored the house as a Diwan – an open house – showcasing its different historical phases. The house also hosts numerous informal events and concerts.

 

Jadal Cultural Center

Al-Kalha Stair, Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 79 919 5993

www.jadalculture.com; facebook.com/Jadal.Amman  

The space is situated in an older house dating back to the early 1930s. It features a library that is open to the public, a multi-purpose room, and a meeting space. Also, its courtyard houses a small café. Jadal hosts lectures, public talks and discussions, movie screenings, and performances.

 

Galleries

 

 Dar Al-Anda Art Gallery

3 Dirar bin al-Azwar St., Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 6 462 9599, +962 77 755 7570

www.daralanda.com 

Dar Al-Anda includes exhibition spaces and organizes concerts and cultural events within the setting of restored house. It also offers studio spaces and guest quarters for artists-in-residence.

 

 Dar Al-Mashreq

92 Suways St., ‘Abdun

Tel: +962 77 700 2070 

www.orientgallery.net

Dar al-Mashreq was established in 1996. It showcases emerging and established Arab artists, and features a permanent collection alongside special exhibitions.

 

 Darat al-Tasweer

Mohammad Iqbal St., Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 79 920 6666

www.facebook.com/groups/darataltasweer

Darat al-Tasweer aims at introducing the art of photography to professionals and amateurs alike. The space features an exhibit hall, a dark room, a studio, a library, and a lecture room. Darat al-Tasweer holds regular photography exhibitions, and organizes courses, workshops, and photography trips.

 

Duinde Gallery / Salam Kanaan Gallery

24 Rainbow St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 79 555 7346 

www.salamkanaan.com

Jordanian artist Salam Kanaan originally used this building as his own private gallery, with his atelier located downstairs, but gradually expanded its scope to include works by other artists.

 

 Fann wa Chai

25 Kulliyyat al-Shari'ah St., Jabal al-Luweibdeh

Tel: +962 79 808 2004

www.facebook.com/FannWaChai

Fann wa Chai is an art gallery, tearoom, and Internet café. It regularly hosts exhibitions, live music, and poetry readings.

 

 Foresight 32

32 Ibn al-Rumi St., Umm Udhaynah

Tel: +962 6 556 0080

www.foresightartgallery.com

Foresight 32 originally opened as Baladna Art Gallery in 1991, and was the first private art gallery in Jordan. It exhibits local, regional, and international artists, and also offers space for workshops, courses, and festivals in a remodeled 1960s villa.

 

 Jacaranda Images

18 ‘Umar bin al-Khattab St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 6 464 4050

www.jacarandaimages.comwww.facebook.com/JacarandaImages

Jacaranda Images is a gallery dedicated to prints and works on paper. It features works of photography, drawings, etching, lithographs, and screen prints by emerging as well as established Jordanian and international artists.

 

 Nabad Gallery

46 ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 6 465 5084

www.nabadartgallery.comwww.facebook.com/Nabad.ArtGallery 

Nabad exhibits contemporary art by emerging and established visual artists from the region and abroad. It is housed in a renovated 1930s residence that provides panoramic views of older Amman.

 

 Nofa Creative Space

31 ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 77 740 1222 

www.facebook.com/pg/NofaCreativeSpace

Nofa Creative Space is located in a house that is almost a century old. It features art exhibitions, concerts, as well as lectures, and also is used for personal and corporate events.

 

 Orfali Gallery

46 al-Kufa St., Umm Udhaynah

Tel: +962 6 554 6932

www.orfali.net

Orfali Gallery features emerging and established artists from the Arab World and beyond.

 

 Wadi Finan Art Gallery

4 Mohammad al-Shabibi St., Jabal Amman

Tel: +962 79 596 6623

www.wfinangallery.comwww.facebook.com/WadifinanArtGallery

Established in 2008, Wadi Finan Gallery showcases works of local, regional, and international artists. It also hosts public exhibitions, workshops, and special community collaborations such as art therapy sessions with refugees and people with disabilities.

 

Irbid

Museums

 

 Dar al-Saraya Museum

al-Baladiyyah St., Irbid

Tel: + 962 2 724 5613

www.dam.gov.jo

The Dar al-Saraya archeological museum is located in a building that dates back to the Ottoman period - specifically to the middle of the 19th century - that was originally built as a fortress. Its chronologically arranged exhibits introduce Jordan’s civilization through works of mining, sculpture, mosaics, seals, jewelry, as well as Thamudic and Arabic inscriptions.

 

 Museum of Jordanian Heritage

Yarmouk University

Tel: +962 2 721 1111 

The Museum of Jordanian Heritage is located in the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University. The Museum was opened in 1988 in cooperation with the German Government. It was designed to express the interrelations between archaeology and anthropology, and aims at showing the story and history of mankind in Jordan across the ages.

 

 Umm Qays Archeological Museum

Umm Qays

Tel: +962 79 6716796 www.doa.gov.jo/En/inside.php?src=sublinks&SlID=5161&MlID=5023

The museum is located in the Rusan House within the ancient ruins of Umm Qays. It houses ceramics, tombs, mosaics, columns, and statues dating from the Hellenistic up to the Islamic periods.

 

‘Ajlun

Museums

 

 ‘Ajlun Archeological Museum

‘Ajlun Castle, Ajlun

Tel: +962 2 6420956

Established in 1993 inside one of the halls of the twelfth-century Ayyubid ‘Ajlun Castle (also known as al-Rabad Fort), the ‘Ajlun Archeological Museum showcases artifacts from the Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Byzantine, Crusader, Ayyubid, and Mamluk periods.

 

Jerash

Museums

 

 The Jerash Archeological Museum

Tel: +96226312267

The Jerash Archaeological Museum was established in 1923 inside one of the vaults of the courtyard of the Roman Artemis Temple. The museum was moved in 1985 to a renovated old rest-house. It is dedicated to discoveries from the Jerash region, and its collections span the archaeological periods in the area, from the Neolithic up to the Mamluk eras.

 

 Zeus Museum

Zeus Museum was founded in 2004, and is funded and supervised by the Louvre Museum. The museum displays special architectural elements of the Hellenistic Temple of Zeus. These have been explored by the Institute Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO), which has been involved in the Temple of Zeus since 1982.

 

Al-Salt

Museums

 

Abu Jaber House

Prince al-Hasan bin Talal St., al-Salt

The Abu Jaber House was built between 1892 and 1906. It provides a distinct example of a nineteenth-century merchant residence in the region. Rehabilitation work on the building started in 1999, and it was opened in 2009 as a museum for local history, culture, and trade. The different rooms of the house showcase displays and interpretations that narrate the city of al-Salt. The building also provides remarkable views of the city.

 

 Al-Salt Museum

Prince Hamza St., al-Salt

Al-Salt museum, which is located in a restored Ottoman-era building, covers the local history of the Jordan Valley area. Its exhibits focus on glass and pottery spanning the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic eras, mostly from around al-Salt, but also from the region. The exhibits in addition showcase examples of local traditional dress, displays on traditional farming activities, and mosaic fragments from churches around al-Salt.

 

Madaba

Museums

 

Apostles Church Museum

Al-Nuzha St., Madaba

The ruins of this Byzantine church date back to 568, and it was restored in 1993. The mosaic that adorns the church's floor is known as the "Personification of the Sea" mosaic. It depicts a woman emerging from the sea who is surrounded by mythical aquatic creatures, in addition to rams, bulls, parrots, and exotic vegetation. The church features huge arches that span about sixteen meters.

 

 Madaba Archeological Park

Hussein bin ‘Ali St., Madaba

The Madaba Archaeological Park includes the ruins of several Byzantine buildings. A school specializing in restoring and conserving mosaics also is housed in several buildings adjacent to the park.
The park includes the Church of the Virgin, which has one of the first mosaics in Madaba to be identified by modern scholars (in 1887). The church dates to the late sixth – early seventh centuries, but has components that were added to it as late as 767. The church sits on top of a Roman temple and has a circular plan. The church was abandoned in recent history, and its grounds held several septic tanks installed by residents of Madaba between the 1920s to the 1940s. In 1993, architect Ammar Khammash worked on rehabilitating the Church and covering it with a shelter.

The archaeological park in addition includes the Martyrs’ Church, which dates back to the sixth century, and features a mosaic floor that was damaged by Eastern Church Iconoclasts during the eighth century. Columns, capitals, and bases from a previous Roman structure were reused in the basilica.
The park also showcases what is known as the Burnt Palace, which was discovered after recent excavations revealed parts of several mosaics that decorated its floors. The residence was abandoned after it had burnt down during the Byzantine period.

 

 The Madaba Mosaic Map at the St. George's Greek Orthodox Church

King Talal St., Madaba

This historically significant mosaic floor features the oldest map of Palestine. It has over 150 Greek captions depicting major biblical sites from Egypt to Palestine. It was originally around 15 to 25 meters long and 6 meters wide. It originally contained more than two million stone mosaic pieces.

 

 Madaba Museum / al-Twal House

Haya bint al-Hussein St.

Tel: +962 5 324 4189

The Madaba Museum was established in 1978, and is housed in several old residences built on mosaic floors. It is divided into two units: The Archeological Museum and the Folkore Museum. The two components feature archeological, mosaic, and folkloric collections dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods.

 

 Mount Nebo Museum

Al-Quds St., Madaba

Tel: +962 77 654 2050, +962 77 654 2056

The small museum is located in a church that is part of a functioning monastery and that is situated on top of Mount Nebo. The church sits on the fourth-century foundations of a former church. The site is believed to be where Moses was shown the Holy Land,and is also believed to be the place of his burial. The museum narrates the history of the church and the site.

 

Al-Karak

Museums

 

Al-Karak Archeological Museum

Al-Karak Castle, al-Karak

Tel: +962 6 235 1216

This museum is located in the west wing of the Crusader al-Karak Castle, in a hall that was used during the Mamluk period as living quarters for soldiers. This museum showcases remains that date back to the Neolithic, Moabite, Nabatean, Islamic, and Crusader periods. It was opened in 1981, and was rehabilitated between 2001 and 2004.

 

Al-Mazar Islamic Museum

Next to the site of the early Islamic battle of Mu’ta near al-Karak

Tel: +962 3 237 0319

Opened in 1973, al-Mazar Museum showcases a collection of architectural pieces, carvings, coins, ceramics, and sculptures dating to the Mamluk period.

 

Petra

Museums:

 

 Petra Nabatean Museum

Near the Petra Visitor Center, Petra

Tel: +962 79 671 6796

http://www.visitpetra.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=130

The Nabatean Museum comprises three main halls and showcases over 600 artifacts. The first hall introduces Nabatean history as well as geological artifacts from that period. The second hall showcases archeological discoveries dating from the end of the first century BC until the sixth century AD. The Third Hall contains bronze statues, pottery, trading coins, ornaments, jewelry, and a collection of pottery lamps.

 

Aqaba

Museums

 

 Aqaba Archeological Museum

King Hussein St., Aqaba

Tel: +962 3 201 9063

Housed in the building known as the Residence of the Sherif Hussein bin ‘Ali, the leader of the Great Arab Revolt, the museum displays collections from the Islamic site of Ayla, with items dating to the Rashidun (the Rightly-Guided), Umayyad, ‘Abbasid, and Fatimid periods.

Click here for additional information about the museum building.