Under the Patronage of HRH Princess Dana Firas: Al Hussein Technical University Organizes “Heritage Hackathon 2025” to Foster Innovation in Cultural Site Protection

[August 14, 2025] – Amman – Under the patronage and participation of Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage and President of ICOMOS-Jordan, and in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Firas bin Raad, Al Hussein Technical University (HTU), one of the Crown Prince Foundation’s initiatives, organized Heritage Hackathon 2025 in collaboration with the International Council on Monuments and Sites in Jordan (ICOMOS-Jordan) and the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL). This multidisciplinary innovation challenge aims to merge technical expertise with heritage knowledge to safeguard cultural sites.

The hackathon brought together outstanding students from game development and programming, architecture, archaeology, and heritage management, offering them the opportunity to work in cross-disciplinary teams to design and develop innovative digital tools and solutions that address both natural and human threats to cultural heritage.

The event concluded with the selection of three winning projects, recognized for their potential to raise awareness on the importance of heritage protection, encourage the use of modern technology in documentation, monitoring, and community engagement, and inspire innovative, practical approaches to heritage conservation. The hackathon also provided a collaborative and educational environment that enhanced participants’ skills and broadened their perspectives on integrating applied sciences with the humanities.

In her remarks, HRH Princess Dana Firas emphasized that protecting heritage is a shared responsibility, noting that “Innovation and technology have become essential tools in addressing the challenges facing our heritage. Initiatives like this empower young people to become true guardians of our national legacy.”

HTU President, Prof. Ismael Al-Hinti, expressed his pride in the partnerships uniting the university with national and international institutions in the service of heritage. “This event reflects the university’s belief in the importance of integrating technology with the humanities to graduate a generation capable of creating realistic and sustainable solutions to protect our cultural heritage,” he said.

Organizers affirmed that Heritage Hackathon 2025 represents a practical model for how digital innovation can serve heritage preservation, underscoring the commitment of academic institutions and international partners to encouraging youth to actively contribute to safeguarding Jordan’s cultural identity and heritage for future generations.