KIMIA in Jordan: made in Italy solutions for the conservation of the archaeological site of Petra

KIMIA S.p.A. will be the protagonist of an important technical initiative in Jordan, on 10 and 11 April 2025. Our specialised technicians will go to the archaeological site of Petra to carry out application tests and practical demonstrations of specific products for the restoration and protective treatment of stone surfaces.

The mission was organized in collaboration with the Jordanian non-profit organization SELA For Training and Protection of Heritage, and is part of the broader "Jordanian Archaeology as a Sustainable Industry (JASI)" program, supported by Drosos Foundation and Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA), testifying to a joint commitment to safeguarding the cultural heritage of the Petra area, one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The initiative will be opened by the workshop "Building a Legacy: Best Practices in Architectural Conservation and Construction Techniques" to be held in Amman on 10 April. For the occasion, Eng. Stefano Agnetti and Dr. Eugenio Roccetti of KIMIA will share with the stakeholders present the skills and solutions that the company has developed in the field of historical heritage conservation.

The following day, 11 April, KIMIA representatives will be busy in Petra for the applications and training demonstrations of their products at the Palace Tomb, one of the largest royal tombs of the archaeological site, dating back to the first century AD.

To testify to the strong synergy between restoration and training, both in Amman and Petra, will be Dr. Cristiana Bartolucci, director of CESF - Building Center for Safety and Training of Perugia, creator of the training project that last year had brought the president of SELA, Arch. Maria Elena Ronza, and a group of restorers from the same organization to Italy. For the occasion, the group had visited some construction sites in Venice, Norcia, Assisi, Perugia, Rome and Naples, carried out a practical training course with CESF and KIMIA and participated in two workshops at the Universities of Florence and Perugia.

Commenting on the activities in Amman and Petra is Ing. Stefano Agnetti, head of the KIMIA Technical Office: "Our participation in Jordan, after the important contribution given to the reconstruction of the Al-Hadba Minaret in Mosul, Iraq, represents another opportunity for KIMIA 

An extraordinary opportunity to be present in the Middle East. The main objective of the planned activities is to concretely demonstrate how our products can contribute effectively and respectfully to the conservation of an archaeological site of immense historical and cultural importance. Through the application tests at the Palace Tomb, we want to provide local experts with the methodologies to face the challenges of restoration with the best tools. For us, however, it will be important to understand more closely the peculiarities of Petra's monuments and the needs related to their conservation. At the same time, participation in the Amman workshop will allow us to share with a very wide audience of experts and local institutions our knowledge on the subject, the result of more than 45 years of experience in Italian seismic areas and in many of the most precious monuments of our country. The goal, in synergy with CESF Perugia and SELA, is to create a lasting exchange of knowledge in the field of architectural conservation, to spread our products in the country and to give rise to training programs for the years to come".