Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited on Monday the new building of the German Jordanian University’s (GJU) School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE).
Relocated to the Othman Bdeir House for Architecture and Design in downtown Amman and as a donation from Eng. Othman Bedeir, GJU Chairman of Board of Trustees, the new campus allows students to grasp the historic value of the area especially since it includes a wide variety of genuine archaeological sites.
This move is also part of the GJU’s new project "the Darat Othman Bdeir for Innovation and Entrepreneurship" which aims to conserve Jordan's heritage through the restoration of one of the oldest sites in Amman, Al Abdaleya Basic School for Boys.
Queen Rania visited the faculty deanship building where she met with Eng. Othman Bedeir, Professor Natheer Abu-Obeid, President of GJU, and Professor Mohammad Ali Yaghan, Dean of School of Architecture and Built Environment. The meeting was also attended by students, faculty members and members of the local community.
Her Majesty thanked Mr. Bedeir for his kind donation and said that his generosity and sense of belonging make him a great role model.
Queen Rania added that relocating the university to downtown Amman is a great decision that could add much to the area and encourage other institutions to do the same.
The meeting also discussed how the new campus enriched students’ learning experiences and helped them produce projects inspired by the area. Attendees also spoke about the positive effect this move has brought to the local community.
Following her meeting, Queen Rania toured the new campus and checked its different facilities. She also visited an exhibition that includes various projects done by students and saw a few pictures that demonstrate the renovation work done to the building.
The Queen then visited Al Abdaleya Basic School for Boys to check on the renovations done by SABE. The School, which is also located in Othman Bdeir House for Architecture and Design, was established in 1934 and is considered to be one of the oldest schools in Amman. It currently hosts 200 students.