We have to admit that we have not done much reminiscent of this man who loved Jordan, and who asked to have his body buried in the blessed Jordanian soil. Who are we talking about? He is the universal archaeologist Fr. Michele Piccirillo. He has been mentioned in a seminar organized by the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, the Italian Embassy in Amman, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) office in the Kingdom.
In a paper presented by Director General of the Department of Antiquities Dr. Munther Jamhawi, titled of "New Concepts of Religious Tourism," he depicted the closeness between civilizations and religions through the preservation of heritage. He also said that Jordan is characterized by its blessed water and pure soil which brought about over the years archaeological "harmony" which was reflected in the form of “anthropological harmony” that is prevailing among the various components of the population. He concluded by quoting His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan, whose patronized the seminar in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya, and asserting “Ethics in Archaeology” which calls for respecting and protecting heritage in the same way as we respect humans.
The next address was about Fr. Michele Piccirillo who is credited for the discovery of several sites that constitute the cornerstone of religious tourism, such as the Baptism Site and Umm ar-Rasas as well as the discoveries at Mount Nebo where he was buried in 2008. The address was referring to him by his colleague in his Franciscan studies, Claudio Bottini,who had arrived from Jerusalem. He presented a paper titled, “In Memory of Fr. Michele Piccirillo who Supports Historical and Archaeological Heritage in the Middle East.” He described Fr. Piccirillo’s major landmarks whom is always referred to as a lover of the Jordan and the Middle East. He was born in Italy in 1944. He came to Jerusalem in 1960, and since 1973 he administered the excavations and renovations at the shrine of the Prophet Moses on Mount Nebo. He also worked with the Jordanian government in excavations in various places. He published several books on mosaics in northern Jordan, in Jordan as a whole, and in Madaba. Since 1996, he contributed to the discovery in the historic Baptism Site. In 2000, he stood by Pope John Paul II at the top of Mount Nebo and explained to him the history and the treasures in Jordan. He passed away in Italy in 2008 and, according to his will, his body was brought to Jordan and buried at Mount Nebo.
Claudio Bottini concluded his address by saying: I met Fr. Piccirillo in Italy a few days before his death. He told me about the happiest day of his life. Do you know what it was? It was the day when the late King Hussein bin Talal presented to US President Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Rabin the book "Mosaics of Jordan," in Wadi Araba on October 26, 1994.
Furthermore, I recall my meetings with Fr. Piccirillo when I told him about my birthplace, the township of Wahadneh, in northern Jordan which is located near the birthplace of Prophet Elijah where he discovered mosaics dating back to previous eras. He told me one day: “We found a script similar to the one we had found in Madaba. It says: "This people loves Christ." I think that he mentioned this is his book about mosaics in northern Jordan. It was merely a “script” by the Christians of Jordan in the 6th century AD.
How need to pay greater attention to those who gave due attention to Jordan’s history, treasures and soil, water and mosaics…We need to pay tribute to all those who love Jordan throughout history. Fr. Piccirillo deserves to have a street as well a history and archaeology faculty named after him. He is worthy to be mentioned in school curricula, to have his books translated and published at the expense of the concerned sides, as well as to have a film relating his life and deeds for all these are abound with love for the Jordanian soil.
