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From 1 to 5 June 2026, Prof. Jacek Purchla, as Vice-President and a member of the Europa Nostra delegation, took part in the organisation\u2019s mission to Jordan. Professor Purchla was in Jordan at the invitation of Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas, President of the Petra National Trust and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. On 4 June, Professor Purchla \u2013 as chair of the jury for the European Heritage Award \u2013 represented Europa Nostra at the annual ceremony for the Petra National Trust and European Union Delegation in Jordan Heritage Awards. The ceremony took place at the Odeon Theatre in Amman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jordanian Heritage Award, aimed at countries in the Middle East, is modelled on the European Heritage Award, which is presented annually in five categories by Europa Nostra and the European Commission. Its main aim is to recognise and promote best practices in the protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, to raise public awareness and to support good practices in the field of culture. The award aims to highlight the importance of local organisations working in the field of cultural heritage, including through networking and capacity building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Petra National Trust (PNT) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 1989 as Jordan\u2019s first organisation dedicated exclusively to the protection of cultural heritage. In its early years, the PNT focused on Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Three decades later, PNT has become a centre of excellence in the field of cultural heritage conservation, working in the areas of conservation and restoration of monuments, community engagement, climate resilience, research and the promotion of relevant policies at local, regional and international levels. The President of PNT and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas, oversees the fulfilment of PNT\u2019s mission and the implementation of its vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Purchla is once again working to promote cultural heritage in the Middle East and cooperation with that region. As a representative of Poland, he served, amongst other roles, as a member of the Advisory Board of the Anna Lindh Foundation (2012\u20132014). The task of the council, comprising eminent experts in the field of intercultural dialogue during the term in which Professor Jacek Purchla was involved, was, amongst other things, to identify the role of the Anna Lindh Foundation in the face of the so-called \u201cArab Spring\u201d and to reflect on the consequences of the economic crisis for intercultural relations in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor also visited Bahrain. In 2018, during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee, he was in the country as chairman of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO. In 2019, together with the director of the ICC, Agata W\u0105sowska-Pawlik, he also opened an exhibition entitled \u201cTreasures of Krakow\u201d at the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Bahrain. In 2019, the ICC hosted the exhibition \u201cThe Dark East\u201d, which was a reflection by the Kurdish artist Ahmad Nabaz on the state of the Middle East at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n