The Municipality of Greater Amman began executing the master plan for the 700,000 square meter al-Hussein Park, located at the outskirts of Amman.  The master plan design is the work of Jafar Tukan and Partners in association with the Paris office of the San Francisco (USA)-based international landscaping and planning firm EDAW.  The park will include a number of components such as the King Hussein Memorial, museums, sports areas, and a cultural village.  A number of local offices are being invited to participate in architectural competitions for the design of these components.  Work on the 12 million JD (16.8 million US$) project is expected to take about two years.  For additional information concerning projects being carried out by the Municipality of Greater Amman, visit their web site at http://www.access2arabia.com/moga/

Construction began on the second phase of al-Mazar Mosque and the Mu’ta Battle Martyrs’ Monuments in al-Mazar in southern Jordan.  The site marks an important battle that took place in early Islamic history between Muslim and Byzantine forces.  The project was designed jointly by GDAR Group, Shubeilat Badran Associates (SBA) Architects and Consulting Engineers, and Tibah Consultants.  The design of the project was completed in 1995, and construction of its first phase was completed in 1999.  The project includes a mosque for 1500 worshipers, a commercial center, lodging facilities, and shrines for the leaders of the Muslim army who died in the battle of Mu’ta.

Construction began on the sports hall at Zaytunah University, near Amman.  The 3,000 square meter hall, which was designed by Sobeh Engineering Office, has seating that can accommodate up to 600 spectators.  The hall is expected to cost 500,000 JD (700,000 $US).