AMMAN, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Thursday inaugurated the 32nd Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts.
"We expect the festival to be a great success this year as it brings about many artists and groups from many countries," Aqel Biltaji, head of the festival's higher committee, said at the opening of the festival in the Greco-Roman town of Jerash.
The festival is scheduled to take place between July 20 and 30 in Jerash, and from July 31 until August 6 in Amman.
He added that the festival will include a seminar titled "Jerusalem in the hearts of Jordanians," in light of Amman being the current Capital of Islamic Culture.
The festival highlights the Kingdom's "stability and security amidst a turbulent region," he added Thursday.
Both the main 3,000-capacity southern theatre and the 1,500-capacity northern theatre will host a variety of Jordanian and Arab stars, as well as international troupes.
The Oval Piazza, the "heart" of the festival, will host Jordanian, Arab and international folkloric performances.
The colonnaded street, the ancient main road also known as "Cardo," will have exhibitions that showcase artifacts and handicrafts made by individuals and societies from Jerash and other Jordanian governorates.
In Amman, it will include activities related to Amman as the 2017 Capital of Islamic Culture, such as roundtable discussions on Jerusalem.
The Jerash festival is held in the ancient Greco-Roman town of Jerash, 48 km north of Amman, known in the past as Gerasa.
In 2011, the government revived the festival, which was first launched in 1981, after a four-year suspension.
