The Duke's Diwan () is an arts and cultural center and

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

. Located on

King Faisal Street King Faisal Street () is a main street in central Aleppo, Syria. Located to the northwest of the Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square connecting the Aleppo Public Park with Al-Sabil Park. The street ends up with Shihan Square to the north of the city cent ...

in downtown

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, it is housed in one of the city's oldest buildings. Built in 1924 as Amman's first post office, the building later became the Finance Ministry, and then the Haifa Hotel from 1948 to 1998. In 2001, it was rented by Mamdouh Bisharat, a Jordanian heritage conservationist and businessman, at double its price to prevent the building's owners from knocking it down. Bisharat turned the building into a ''Diwan'', a gathering place for artists, thinkers, and poets. The rooms of the Diwan, filled with antiquities, pictures, and old furniture, are arranged to show visitors how Jordanians lived during the 20th century.

Background

Built in 1924 by Abdul Rahman Madi, the residence is one of the oldest in the city. It was rented by the government of

Transjordan Transjordan may refer to: * Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River * Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan * Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946) * Hashemite Kingdom o ...

to become Amman's first post office until the 1940s. The building later became the Finance Ministry for a short period, and was converted into the Haifa Hotel for 50 years following the

Nakba The Nakba () is the ethnic cleansing; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; of Palestinian Arabs through their violent displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings, along with the destruction of their s ...

in 1948. The building was rented in 2001 by Mamdouh Bisharat, a Jordanian heritage conservationist and businessman, at double its price to prevent the building's owner from knocking it down. A royal decree issued by the late

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

in 1974 had officially recognized Bisharat's own nickname as the ''Duke of Mukhaibeh'' (an area of the Jordan Valley where his family had acquired land over the years), in recognition of Bisharat's efforts in preserving heritage. Bisharat says he started his preservation efforts in 1958 when he bought archaeological pieces destined for the black market from treasure hunters and handed them over and registered them in Jordan's Department of Antiquities. Bisharat turned the building into a ''Diwan'', which is the Arabic word for a room that is always open to guests; a gathering place for artists, thinkers and poets. The rooms of the Diwan, filled with antiquities, pictures, and old furniture, are arranged to show visitors how Jordanians lived during the 20th century. Furniture which dates back to the 1920s was restored, including period-specific chairs, a freestanding stove, and a vintage radio. Sketches of Amman's Ottoman and Roman ruins, and pictures of the building when it was a hotel, of Amman during the 1930s, and of King Hussein who was Bisharat's close friend can be seen hanging on the walls. The Diwan frequently hosts musical performances and painting, literature, poetry, and theater events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke's Diwan, The Museums in Amman Museums established in 2001 2001 establishments in Jordan Former post office buildings Defunct hotels

Background

See also

References