Thousands of visitors had the chance to travel through nearly 20 countries, celebrating their cultural heritage at the 2018 International Heritage Exhibition, which concluded on Thursday.

The three-day exhibition, organised annually by the University of Jordan's Foreign Students Office under the Deanship of Students Affairs, witnessed the attendance of several ambassadors, cultural attaches, diplomatic bodies, and visitors from various Arab and foreign communities in Amman, according to organisers.

"The event seeks to foster cultural understanding among different nations and bring people together to celebrate their national heritage," Director of the Foreign Students' Office Loai Qaddah told The Jordan Times, adding "there are 5,200 foreign students in the university who constitute 14 per cent of the total number of enrolled students and they have the right to demonstrate and celebrate their cultural identity with their peers."

Each participating team displayed a uniquely designed corner reflecting their national identity, where students dressed in their country's traditional outfits showcased foods, folklore and music from their respective countries.

Photos and models of famous archaeological sites, geographical maps and historical books were also on display.

"The event gave us the opportunity to show a different aspect of our country as many people associate Iraq with war, deaths and conflicts, but we could share here the beautiful cultural side of it," a representative of the Iraqi corner said.

The Algerian representative, who described her country as "the one million and a half martyrs' country" was enthusiastic to share her nation's history and the story of achieving independence.

Other representatives shared success stories and biographies of important political and scientific figures who "made a change in their countries' history".

"I was introduced to countries that I had never heard of and learnt new words from other languages and dialects. I made new friendships with people from all over the world," said Leen Ibrahim, one of the visitors, adding "these countries are no longer just names that I see on the map, but an amazing culture and great people whom I respect and value."

"I left the event with so many pictures taken from various places around the world and special souvenirs from every country," Suha Ali, another visitor, added. 

The Tunisian representative praised the event, expressing hopes to see similar activities being conducted on a larger scale to include all expatriate communities in the Kingdom and not only students.

The participating countries included Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Singapore, Ghana, Macedonia, Indonesia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Senegal, Brunei, Thailand, China and Jordan.