Queen Rania Visits Open-air Exhibition; Tours Downtown Amman

(Jordan Times - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday visited an open-air exhibition of photographs in Jabal Qalaa taken by school and university students as part of a competition entitled “Amman in a Picture”.

On display at the outdoor exhibition, organised by the Greater Amman Municipality in cooperation with the private sector, were a total of 40 photographs taken by young participants aged between 16 and 23 years, depicting various locations across the capital.

Amman Mayor Omar Maani, senior officials and representative of companies were also present at the opening of the exhibition. The winning photos were selected by a team of professional photographers from the Kingdom. At the exhibition, the Queen was presented with a photo taken by the first place winner, which depicted one of the oldest houses in Amman and was signed by all the contest participants. Also yesterday, Queen Rania toured downtown Amman, visited the old markets, spoke with storeowners and checked on the tourism situation. As she walked down Al Hashemi and Al Salt streets Queen Rania spoke with shoppers and also stopped by Abu Ahmad’s famous peanut stand, which has been serving downtown residents for some 35 years. She also toured the Malhas Souq, one of the oldest markets in the city centre and visited the “Arab Culture Kiosk” where she purchased books on the capital’s history. Abu Ali, the kiosk owner, was honoured by His Majesty King Abdullah last year for his role in promoting culture and books across generations.