University students to renovate former PM’s Jabal Amman house

AMMAN –– A number of university students, in collaboration with local architects, will renovate former prime minister Ibrahim Hashem’s residence in Jabal Amman. 

The project, to be implemented under an agreement signed by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and the German-Jordanian University (GJU), will cost around JD700,000, according to a source at the university who preferred anonymity.

Hashem formed five governments in 1933, 1944, 1955, 1956 and 1957. He was also president of the Senate in 1951 and 1955, according to a GAM statement.

He died in Iraq in 1958 during the uprising of Abdel Kareem Qasem, the statement said. 

The house will be used for GJU’s college of architecture and provide students with a venue for heritage, architectural and cultural activities.  

“Students will document the whole process until they finish the job,” the GJU source told The Jordan Times.

The project will provide students with a great opportunity to implement what they learn at university and further encourage them to be creative in their work, according to the source.

Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji said the agreement reflects GAM’s partnership with the university and the local community. 

A GAM statement quoted  him as saying that the municipality extended its scope of heritage areas in the capital, covering downtown Amman, Jabal Hussein, Jabal Luweibdeh and Jabal Jofeh.

GJU President Natheer Abu Obeid expressed hoped that the project will positively contribute to promoting Amman’s heritage, adding that the university is proud to partner with GAM. 

There will be future collaboration between the university and the municipality in preserving heritage sites and implementing cultural projects in Amman, the GJU source said.