(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Five countries across the Mediterranean are working under Jordanian leadership to safeguard the region's heritage and culture by preserving its ancient theatres.
Under the Ancient Theatres Enhancement for New Actualities (ATHENA) project, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Spain and Italy are working on documenting and studying six of their ancient theatres to ensure that they continue to play a vital cultural role for future generations.
"These are theatres that have survived for thousands of years; we need to make sure that they remain intact for thousands more to come," the project's manager, Nizar Al Adarbeh, told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.
The initiative is funded by the European Commission's Euro-Med Heritage IV Programme and is one of the "first major Euro-Med projects" to be led by Jordan through the Department of Antiquities (DoA), according to Adarbeh.
The project, which continues until February 2013, covers the south theatre in Jerash and the Petra Theatre in Jordan, the Siracusa Theatre in Italy, the Carthage Theatre in Tunisia, the Cherchell Theatre in Algeria and the Merida Theatre in Spain.
Jerash's south theatre, in the Kingdom's north, was built in the late 1st century AD, according to the project's team.
Petra Theatre in the south is located near the Treasury in the ancient Nabataean city and was also built in the 1st century AD.
"Many ancient theatres in the region are still used, which makes them vulnerable to further deterioration," Adarbeh explained.
"An ancient theatre may be affected negatively by the volume of sound used in concerts, for instance, or the large number of spectators exceeding its capacity," he said.
The initiative, which includes around 60 personnel from the participating countries, will lead to drawing up a strategic plan that can be applied on a regional level to preserve ancient theatres and enhance their cultural role, its director added.
"We have a common heritage across the Mediterranean. Through this project, we will learn from previous experiences in using theatres to help set management guidelines for other countries that wish to revive their ancient theatres," Adarbeh noted.
"For example, we recommend against organising any activities at the Petra Theatre. Our field research shows that it can easily deteriorate further," Adarbeh told The Jordan Times.
Work is divided into six groups, with each led by a country and tasked with a certain aspect, such as documentation, financial administration or capacity building.
One group is preparing a thesaurus of theatre-related terminology.
The theatres included in the initiative are also being documented via 3D laser technology.
"So far, we have documented the theatres in Petra and Jerash using 3D laser scanner with the help of Italian specialists," Adarbeh said.
Two Jordanians from the DoA have been trained further in the scanning technology in Italy earlier this year and are currently training other surveyors at the department.
"We will also use this technology after the project to document all archaeological sites. This method is more accurate than the documentation methods we had been using," Jamal Safi, one of the Jordanians who attended the training in Italy, said.
Safi, who works at the DoA's main surveying department, told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a workshop on 3D laser documentation that the technology limited the possibility of errors and produced faster results.
"This technology will help us develop accurate virtual 3D models of archaeological sites that include every small detail, down to every crack," Safi added.
But for Adarbeh, the ATHENA project's most important impact is its outreach.
Earlier this month, the project's team in Jordan, in cooperation with the Madrasati initiative, brought over 1,500 students from Jerash, Zarqa, Amman and Salt to Jerash's south theatre to attend an educational and entertaining activity on the importance of preserving heritage.
"We wanted to show them that these theatres belong to everyone, not just famous artists and performers," Adarbeh said.
He voiced hope that an annual programme would be prepared for students, in cooperation with the Madrasati initiative, to develop their "sense of belonging" to heritage sites.
"By attending such events and getting the chance to participate in them, the children will see these sites as something living, instead of mute stones. This will help them develop an urge to preserve these places," Adarbeh added.
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