On Thursday, August 10, 2023 a photo exhibition by Dr. Ismat Hamarneh was opened at the Sacred Heart Church in Tla’ Al-‘Ali in cooperation with the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan in the presence of Minister of Culture Haifa Najjar.
In a welcoming address on behalf of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-‘Ali and the CCSM, CCSM Director Fr. Rif’at Bader praised the role played by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture in organizing, sponsoring, and promoting cultural activities in various parts of the beloved homeland, pointing out that Culture Minister Najjar has left a special landmark on Jordanian culture under the patronage His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein and Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Al-Hussein Ibn Abdullah II.
Referring to Dr. Hamarneh, Fr. Bader said, “I have known him since I was a priest of the Latin parish in Smakiyeh, Karak, in 1998 where he is a brilliant figure in teaching civil engineering, and he has a refined social presence, and a noble upbringing with his wife, Rita Hamarneh, and his children Nada, Asel, and nun Rand.”
He said: Dr. Ismat Hamarneh’s talent in photography is very impressive which can be added to his numerous talents and academic education. Through these photos he represents two ministries, namely the Ministry of Culture with this wonderful collection of Jordanian beauty depicted through these images, as well as the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities because it promotes visiting Jordan and calls for touching this beauty not only in pictures but in reality.
The minister of culture viewed the photographic images, held in the hall of the Latin Church in Tla’ Al-‘Ali, which included 108 paintings, and expressed her admiration for the works on display. The photographic images reflected archaeological sites and landscapes of areas in Jordan, in addition to views of life, wild creatures that live in Jordan, and birds that land in Jordan during their annual migrations.
The photographic images included several pictures of old Jordanian houses, handicrafts, wild plants, trees, in addition to touristic and archaeological sites including Ajloun, Karak, Madaba, Aqaba, Wadi Seer, Dana, the Roman amphitheater in Amman, and Jerash among others. The photographs also included landscapes, flowers, plants and forests taken by Dr. Hamarneh during his visits to Germany and the Netherlands.
