Jordan… the dawn of Christianity

"Jordan the Dawn of Christianity" exhibition was inaugurated in Rome a few days ago, under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, and marked in the presence of the minister of tourism, a number of members of parliament, a number of pilgrimage directors in Italy, as well as press and media personnel. I was honored to attend this exhibition, which was supervised and directed by my dear classmate Iyad Al-Khuzouz, with whom I pursued my studies at the National Patriarchal College which is affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate in Ashrafieh in early 1980s.

What really draws attention is the excellence and the perfection of its display method, as it is located in the first place in the heart of the Italian capital, Rome, particularly in a hall affiliated with the Vatican called Palazzo Della Cancelleria. When one enters the exhibition, which is held in an area not fewer than 500 square meters, one can first hear the echo of history as the entrance was built seemed to be built of Jordanian stones. Then, one begins to hear oriental music that was especially well-prepared for this exhibition. Then, one can read the explanations relevant to the archaeological artifacts which were dispatched from Jordan to Rome for the duration of the exhibition. They are 90 archaeological and historical artifacts that are considered the treasures of Grand Jordan which abounds with numerous historical treasures, because they catapult one into the history which reflects these artifacts. There are, of course, relevant explanations in Italian and English, as well as Arabic because the targeted visitors of this exhibition are not Jordanian citizens, as they can visit their country and can see these artifacts at home and among its people. Yet, we now talk about the targeted visitors from Italy and the Vatican, because the exhibition takes place this year while marking the jubilee of the 2,025th anniversary of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, at a time when the city of Rome and the Vatican are expecting no fewer than 35 million visitors. Consequently, the month of February where the exhibition is held will be abounding with pilgrims who come on daily bases and enter through the Holy Door which symbolizes the Jubilee Year.

A good and impressive promotion process was held in Italy, as the media talked about it because on January 8 a press conference was held in Jordan with the participation of Minister of Tourism Lina Annab, His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan, and the director of the Jordan Tourism Board. It was attended by journalists and media personnel from Jordan, as many of whom were invited to Italy and the Vatican to talk about this exhibition to their respective people and to invite them to visit it.

The highlight of the event was the visit paid by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, accompanied by the first lady of Italy, as well as the presence of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Holy See who acts as prime minister and who inaugurated our Baptist Church over a month ago. Consequently, the importance of this exhibition--which is held under the Royal patronage of His Majesty the King and in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah--was greatly highlighted and given major media coverage associated with propitious efforts exerted by the Jordan embassy in Rome, the Jordan embassy to the Holy See, the Jordan Tourism Board, the Ministry of Tourism, and other influential figures which made this exhibition a success.

We cannot talk today about the large numbers of people who have visited the exhibition to date, but we are talking about the positive evaluation at the end of February, which indicates that this exhibition drew the attention of numerous pilgrimage directors in Italy, especially the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, which has a friendly relationship with the Jordanian tourism authority, as well as all interested parties.

I saw joy and happiness mapped out on the faces of all the visitors to the exhibition. We always told them that whoever visits this exhibition is not called a pilgrim, because one  effectively delves into the depths of history namely, "Jordan, the Dawn of Christianity". It is very interesting that this exhibition is held in 2025, implying that there is a span of five years to prepare for the year 2030, at a time when we will celebrate with Jordan and the entire world the 2,000th anniversary of the baptism of Lord Jesus Christ. From the baptism, the good news of Christianity was launched, thus the title of the exhibition confirms the historical truth that Jordan is truly “the dawn of Christianity.”

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