{"id":824,"date":"2026-01-03T05:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T05:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thanassiscambanis.com\/sipa\/?p=824"},"modified":"2026-01-03T05:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T05:53:59","slug":"the-cost-of-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thanassiscambanis.com\/sipa\/2026\/01\/the-cost-of-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cost of History\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An ancient town in Jordan wrestles with the fallout of USAID cuts and dwindling tourist<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 6, 2025, Madaba, Jordan. Mosaic fragments from Hippolytus Hall in front of the Church of the Virgin Mary. Source: Elisabeth Schmeissner.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Elisabeth Schmeissner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe because of the holiday, or the sweltering June heat, the city of Madaba, 24 miles south of Amman, Jordan, is empty. It\u2019s Eid al-Adha, and I\u2019m there on my day off from work with a friend to visit Madaba\u2019s famous mosaics. Crowds of tourists usually flock here, but the shopkeepers I pass on the way tell me it\u2019s been many months since such crowds have swarmed the main street like they used to. On this day at the Madaba Archaeological Park, we are the only visitors. A tour guide introduces himself as Suleiman is eager to talk. We follow as he runs from mosaic to mosaic, explaining their meaning and history. He points out mosaic animals from the Byzantine period and subsequent cover-ups done by the Umayyads that render them headless, a relic of changing cultures and religions. Around the next wall, Suleiman splashes a bit of water onto a mosaic of a pomegranate tree, and I watch the colors come to life as the dust trickles away. He talks fast, running his fingers over the tiles softly as he explains. Every question I ask, he rushes to answer. I got back in touch with him a few months later, to see how he was doing. \u201cYeah I talked too much in the museum, I gave you all the information,\u201d he jokes during our phone conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserving history is difficult, and these sites are costly to excavate and maintain. Besides money brought by tourism, nearly every archaeological site in the country bears symbols of various development agencies, marking a global cooperative effort to preserve these treasures. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID),  formerly a top donor, ceased funding projects that used to benefit tourism sites in early 2025. Madaba is one such place where tourism and international funding are paramount to helping the local economy and reducing unemployment. What has happened to the people who rely on historical sites for a living since the changes in funding? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jordan is dotted with historical treasures from every era of human civilization \u2013 from Bronze Age pottery, to the Roman ruins of Jerash, and the Ottoman mosaics, layers of different civilizations and cultures stack on top of each other. Tourists from all over the world used to flock to Jordan to see the lost city of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, or the mountaintops and valleys that great biblical figures once walked on \u2013 conveniently generating billions in much-needed revenue. After recovering post-COVID, tourism plummeted once again due to regional instability and perceived danger, and is only now making a comeback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Archaeologist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suleiman recalls being a young kid growing up in Madaba, always walking past the museums and meeting visitors from other countries. One time, he reminisces, \u201cI saw the excavations in the hill of Madaba, so I jumped over the wall to see what was going on there. I would come back home, watch TV about archaeologists, excavations, YouTube of archaeology sites in Egypt, Mesopotamia too\u2026 yeah, there grew up something in my heart, that I want to be an archaeologist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fascination with his hometown excavations eventually led to a degree in archaeology from the University of Jordan, a job with Antiquities of Madaba doing excavation for four years, and then a position with the American Center of Research (ACOR). ACOR is an institute that implements USAID SCHEP (Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project). The program<\/a>, according to its website, \u201chelped communities around archaeological sites harness the potential of their cultural heritage resources\u2026 to create opportunities for education, employment, and economic development.\u201d SCHEP made local children \u201cfeel as though they are a part of the site\u201d by introducing them to writing in the ancient Arabian Thamudic script, crafting mosaics, and reconstructing pottery. It gave Suleiman an opportunity to do what he loved, within his own community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universities from all over the world came to excavate archaeological sites in Madaba and around Jordan, and Suleiman was their point person. \u201cI give them information, then we take off the first layer of soil and go downwards slowly. If someone finds coins or mosaics, they call me and we inventory it,\u201d he says. His voice then lights up with excitement. \u201cWhen I discover mosaics or coins, it’s like someone gave me one billion dollars. It’s something unique for me\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making do with less<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excavation and restoration, according to Suleiman, \u201c[costs] a lot of money to do, and the Jordanian government doesn\u2019t have that much money.\u201d Most of the excavations were done by people from universities outside of Jordan. Suleiman switched jobs to become a professional tour guide instead. \u201cI miss my old job,\u201d he says solemnly, \u201cbut it is difficult to find a job as an archaeologist with the government.\u201d Still, he gets to work at his beloved archaeological park and is able to sometimes take visitors around Jordan, to other historical sites, to explain the history for them. Suleiman has a lot of pride in his work \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m not like a general tour guide, I\u2019m a professional,\u201d he says, \u201cI explain to them with a passion, from my heart, you know?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locals from Madaba and Jordanians around the country have also stepped up to fill the gaps left by tourism and international funding. In the process, they have discovered new parts of their country and come together to preserve their communal heritage. Suleiman says he and other tour guides take locals from Madaba to other parts of Jordan like Petra and Ajloun Castle, so the economy in those areas gets better without the presence of foreign visitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fill in what was left by USAID, Madaba Antiquities continues \u201ctrying to do archaeological excavations with the local community,\u201d Suleiman says. Locals from Madaba jumped in to help with the effort of making their city more attractive, for much less pay than foreign archaeologists would get. \u201cHere in Madaba, there’s a lot of Christians who live here. So the Christians and Muslims all work with each other\u201d he continues proudly. \u201cAnd Muslims will restore the churches, and Christians will restore the mosque; they work together to restore each other\u2019s sites. They live and work in harmony. I\u2019m glad to see that in my city\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An ancient town in Jordan wrestles with the fallout of USAID cuts and dwindling tourist June 6, 2025, Madaba, Jordan. Mosaic fragments from Hippolytus Hall in front of the Church of the Virgin Mary. Source: Elisabeth Schmeissner. By Elisabeth Schmeissner…<\/p>\n

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