OHS and the UJ project are recruiting students for a field school in January 2010.

This project is affiliated with the American Center for Oriental Research, in Amman, Jordan.

A beta version of Open Hand's new Umm el-Jimal website is now online.

Open Hand is also working in Kenya and Bolivia. Or click to see past and upcoming projects.

The Umm el-Jimal Project is a research and cultural heritage project that seeks to understand the archaeology, history, and people of Umm el-Jimal, in northern Jordan. This ancient site and modern town is home to almost 2000 years of history—from ancient times to the present. About 70 minutes northeast of modern Amman, over 150 stone buildings still stand from the original Byzantine and early Islamic town, as well as additional ruins from an earlier Nabataean and Roman village. Even more amazing, ancient water channels and reservoirs are scattered among the ruins, and once served thousands of people and animals. What if these reservoirs could bring life to the desert once again?

That’s why Open Hand Studios and the Umm el-Jimal Project are collaborating with several local groups to not only create a permanent museum and archive of the ancient site, but restore function to the ancient water system. The partnership includes Umm el-Jimal’s modern residents and municipality, Jordan’s Department of Antiquities and Ministry of Education, and the American Center of Oriental Research. The online museum and archive will include archaeological research, oral histories of Umm el-Jimal’s 20th century residents, an interactive virtual tour of the site, and a 3D reconstruction of ancient Umm el-Jimal. But most importantly, the reconstructed reservoir system will sustainably collect and store much-needed water for the town’s 6000 residents, their farms, and animals.