Investment opportunity to establish a cable car connecting Mukawir to the Dead Sea in Madaba
Amman4 min read
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The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has launched, as part of investment opportunities in Jordan, a proposed project to establish a tourist cable car in Madaba Governorate. It will depart from the historic Mukawir Castle area and extend to the Dead Sea, through a two-phase route, with the aim of enhancing religious, historical, and natural tourism, attracting more visitors, and stimulating local economic activity.
According to an introductory document on the investment opportunity, the project is named "Mukawir Cable Car," and its proposed route begins from the bus parking lot near the historic castle towards the Dead Sea, providing visitors with views of the surrounding hills, valleys, and natural landscapes, including the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley.
The document indicated that the project aims to enhance tourism connectivity between historical and religious sites, mentioning Mukawir, Tell Mar Elias, and Anjara among the targeted locations, and leveraging the cultural and religious heritage of these areas to attract tourists, especially Christian pilgrims.
The project aims to increase tourist numbers and extend their length of stay in Madaba Governorate, raise revenues for commercial and service establishments, and provide job opportunities during the construction and operation phases.
The project includes the construction of modern cable car stations near Mukawir Castle and the Dead Sea, a visitor center providing historical information, rest areas, and shops for gifts and souvenirs, in addition to restaurants, cafes, vehicle parking, and shuttle services connecting the project to nearby tourist sites and hotels.
It also includes organizing tourist tours supervised by specialized guides to introduce the historical and religious significance of the sites, while taking into account environmental sustainability requirements, preserving the surrounding nature, and using modern engineering techniques to ensure passenger safety and operational efficiency.
On the investment side, the document states that investors will be responsible for providing the necessary capital to develop the project and prepare it for operation, with the possibility of their participation in decisions related to marketing, pricing, and partnership development.
The document did not specify the investment cost of the proposed project, the length of the cable car route, or its capacity in figures, nor did it include a timeline for the start or completion of implementation.
Mukawir holds historical and religious significance because its castle, historically known as "Machaerus," is linked to the final chapters of the life of John the Baptist.
The area includes archaeological landmarks dating back to different historical eras, including remains of Byzantine churches and mosaic floors, which enhances its status among Christian pilgrimage and cultural tourism sites in Jordan.
Efforts to develop Mukawir are part of a broader trend to enhance religious and cultural tourism in Jordan, coinciding with preparations to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ at the Baptism Site (Al-Maghtas) in 2030.
The launch of the investment project comes in light of efforts to develop the Mukawir site and enhance its position on the map of religious and cultural tourism, in cooperation between Jordan, the European Union, and Italy.
In July 2024, Jordan and the European Union signed a 10-million-euro program to rehabilitate the Mukawir and Abila (Qweilbeh) sites, in cooperation with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and civil society organizations.
The program includes works to improve access to Mukawir Castle, preserve its archaeological landmarks and historical caves on the road leading to it, and develop visitor facilities, in addition to archaeological survey, restoration, fencing, and installation of interpretive panels.
The budget for the project, which is implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation under delegated cooperation from the European Union, amounts to approximately 5.885 million euros, of which 535,000 euros is a contribution from the agency. Its implementation spans 36 months and includes Mukawir and Abila with technical support from the University of Perugia, Italy.
The European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, confirmed last September that the coming months will witness intensive work with the Jordanian government and the Italian side to develop the Mukawir site, protect its archaeological landmarks, and enhance its presence as a global tourist destination.
