Umm el-Jimal staff have been privileged to work closely with a variety of partners, from academic institutions and research centers to nonprofit organizations and government agencies. The following entities have provided logistical, research, and other critical forms of collaborative support.
The Umm el-Jimal Project is an active, highly collaborative, and interdisciplinary project consisting of team members and organizations from around the world. We're always looking to create new working relationships: Contact Us or check out the Get Involved page to get started.
For each project partner below, roll over the link buttons to view a brief history of support. Clicking the link button will bring up the partner's website, if available, in a separate tab.
The Department of Antiquities of Jordan has been much more than the licensing agency. Its directors (successively, Mansour al-Bataineh, Ya'qoub Oweiss, Adnan Hadidi, Ghazi Bisheh, Safwan Tell, Fawwaz al-Kraisheh, and Monther Jamhawi) have always been ready to share staff, materials, labor, and whatever other facilities were within their reach. The same goes for a host of other members of the Department, from senior archaeologists and regional inspectors, to secretaries and librarians.
Calvin College has been the sponsoring institution throughout. Prolonged leaves from teaching have been encouraged by both administrators and colleagues in the Department of History. Since 1977 Calvin has operated the field school through which considerable logistical and financial support has aided our field work, while direct financial help was given for several seasons. Numerous individuals at Calvin, ranging from deans to secretaries, from colleagues to students, have made countless contributions to preparations for fieldwork, financial applications, and publication.
Jama’iyya al-Jawhara as-Sawda’a at-Ta’ouniyya, the Black Jewel Cooperative Society, is a grassroots community organization founded, operated, and led by citizens of Umm el-Jimal to preserve and promote the town's ancient and modern cultural heritage. Black Jewel's responsibilities include collaboration on site conservation, developing a permanent cultural heritage center, and visitor education.
Founded in 2010, the UJ Women's Coop is a grassroots empowerment society focused on increasing economic and cultural opportunities for women of Mafraq governorate. In conjunction with UN Women, UNESCO, al-Hima, and Black Jewel, members of the coop are developing Haurani handicraft and food production capabilities, training as tour guides, and helping educate school children about Umm el-Jimal.
Open Hand Studios is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing our world's rapidly disappearing cultural heritage through innovative educational and community development projects. OHS has worked with the Umm el-Jimal Project since 2007 on a variety of joint research, education, and community initiatives.
Al-Hima is a Jordanian non-profit that supports sustainable, locally–driven projects focusing on conservation of Jordan's cultural and natural heritage. Founded by Hazem Malhas, Al-Hima assists local organizations by building capacity for project management, best financial practice and helping to raise funds. From 2012-2014 Al-Hima cooperated with Umm el-Jimal's municipality and the local community to develop the cultural heritage center and community collective Al Jawhara, as well as provide support for the Umm el-Jimal Women's Cooperative Society.
The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman has played a similar role in Jordan. Its directors, Bastiaan Van Elderen, Henry Thompson, James Sauer, David McCreery, and Pierre Bikai have always been most gracious and generous with advice, facilities, equipment, and have been personally involved; this tradition continues under the current leadership of Director Barbara Porter and Associate Director Chris Tuttle. ACOR has been a home away from home for the project and its staff members.
In 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998 the Ministry of Education donated the Boys' School and Girls' School at Umm el-Jimal for use as excavation camp facilities. Curriculum development specialists from the Ministry of Education are also partnering with the Umm el-Jimal Project on the project's joint Arabic-English school curriculum and education manual.
Umm el-Jimal’s municipality, with special support from local and regional officials, is working with the Umm el-Jimal Project to provide oversight and long-term local management for restoration of the site’s ancient water system and other projects in the community.
UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization—is collaborating with the Umm el-Jimal Project and its partners to empower women and families of Mafraq governorate by contributing to development of the Umm el-Jimal Women's Cooperative Society—including hands-on training and support for handicraft development, tour guiding, and food production.
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment. UN Women's Jordan office is working with the Umm el-Jimal Project, UNESCO, and its other partners to develop programs that create new opportunities for women in Mafraq governorate's cultural and economic life.
The Umm el-Jimal Project is an affiliated publication project of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), the leading North American research society for people and cultures of the Middle East.
For the 1977, 1981, and 1984 seasons, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor—now the Ministry of Social Development, donated the Mafraq Home for Paralyzed Children as the excavation camp during the home's summer holidays.
The Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes (CAMEL) is a research department of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago specializing in geographic information systems and Near Eastern archaeology. CAMEL staff have facilitated the acquisition of high-resolution satellite imagery and provided GIS support.
ETANA is an electronic publishing project on ancient Near Eastern history and culture by a consortium of academic institutions. Umm el-Jimal is a contributing archaeology project to ETANA, and appears in its digital library and online database.
