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Numismatic Museum |
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About the Numismatic Museum |
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Numismatics is defined as , “the study of coins , tokens, medals, paper money and objects closely resembling them in from or purpose, including standard media of exchange and decorations ” .
Jordan Ahli Bank, under the directship of its Chairman his excellency Dr. Raj’ai Mu‘asher, has been cognizant of the fact that in addition to its economic role, it has a social and educational responsibility to the society in which it operates. Accordingly, the bank rigorously set out and pursued its objectives in this field bearing the motto" deeds and not words".
The bank translated its objectives into actions very effectively. From mosaic murals to sponsoring writers’ publications, and from financing educational projects to funding public children gardens.
It is with the vision, generosity and directorship of his excellency Dr. Muasher, whose foresight in recognizing the historical and cultural value of the Goussous collection which had been in the making for over thirty years, that he gave instructions to set up the Jordan Ahli Bank Numismatic Museum.
The museum opened its doors in 1999, securing Dr. Nayef G. Goussous’ knowledge and expertise as its curator, and ensuring the continuity and preservation of the collection and its passing to future generations.
The bank’s museum is the first of its kind in the country, with collections numbering well over 40,000 coins. The ideals of a collector and the wisdom and generosity of a banking institution come together to produce an excellent educational legacy beneficial to society.
The Jordan Ahli Bank Numismatic Museum is a specialized museum containing coin collections spanning nearly 2,500 years, the earliest dating back to 600 B.C. and the latest coming from recent commemorative issues. The Museum boasts one of the best Umayyad copper coin collections in the world which were published in Dr. Goussous’ “Rare and Inedited Copper Umayyad Coins” – 2004 . In addition, the Museum has an outstanding collection of Mesopotamian, Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic weights. Furthermore the museum has extensive collections of Nabataean and Decapolis and Provincia Arabia, many of which are still unpublished. There are more than 4,500 coins and artifacts displayed in 25 cabinets. The walls of the display gallery are adorned with enlarged pictures of coins. The library of the museum is a specialized one containing books by leading international numismatists plus numismatics periodicals. As part of its educational role, the museum has dedicated one floor of its building for a lecture hall furnished with the latest equipment.
The Museum is open to the public. The visitor’s can enjoy seeing the collections and learning about their history from the coins. The specialist certainly benefits from the coin collections and the library with many graduate college students and numismatists regularly visiting the museum where they are welcomed and assisted. Many, upon visiting the museum, have been drawn to the subject of numismatics because coins are historical documents containing a wealth of information. There is continuing academic work on unpublished coins numbering well over 1,200 coins keeping the museum curator Dr. Nayef G. Goussous busy in an attempt to publish and share with the rest of the world these historical and cultural documents.
Jordan Ahli Bank was founded in 1955. It has served Jordan and the Arab World with 49 branches in Jordan, eight in Lebanon and one in Cyprus and now with a major numismatic museum.
The Numismatic Museum is located in the Jordan Ahli Bank headquarter building on Queen Noor Street in Shmeisani and is open to the public free of charge, Sunday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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