{"id":6282,"date":"2026-09-30T14:59:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6282"},"modified":"2026-09-30T14:59:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:59:26","slug":"palestinian-archaeologists-race-against-time-to-save-gazas-heritage-arts-and-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6282","title":{"rendered":"Palestinian archaeologists race against time to save Gaza\u2019s heritage | Arts and Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>6 Minute, 47 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Alongside Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza, there has been an apparent attempt to erase the Palestinian enclave\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

At least 164 cultural sites in Gaza have been damaged since Israeli military operations began in October 2023 and March 2026, according to UNESCO.<\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Among the ancient landmarks affected in waves of Israeli bombing are the Great Omari Mosque and Hamam al-Sammara, Qasr al-Basha in Gaza\u2019s Old City, and the al-Qarara Cultural Museum near Khan Younis.<\/p>\n

Among the rubble are precious artefacts and antiquities, which tell a story of Gaza\u2019s rich cultural history, being at the crossroads of multiple empires and peoples over centuries.<\/p>\n

Amid the destruction and disorder of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed at least 74,022 Palestinians, valuable relics of Palestine\u2019s history are being lost.<\/p>\n

The Mayasem Association for Culture and Arts\u2019 \u201cGuardians of Heritage\u201d team is racing against time to recover these items at risk of deteriorating or being stolen.<\/p>\n

Shaimaa Mohammad al-Natour, assistant coordinator of the programme, told Al Jazeera that her team has so far rescued more than 1,700 historical pieces from four museum collections since their work began.<\/p>\n

\"Members
Members of the Guardians of Heritage team inspect and clean recovered archaeological pottery inside a temporary storage tent in al-Mawasi, the southern Gaza Strip [Enas Naser\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team is working hard to recover the remaining lost artefacts of Gaza\u2019s 5,000-year-old history. But they face huge challenges, including continued displacement, a shortage of specialised restoration equipment and Israeli military restrictions.<\/p>\n

There is also the dangerous task of rescuing items near the so-called \u201cYellow Line\u201d, a dividing zone in Gaza where Israel has complete military control. As of April, 196 Palestinians have been killed in this area since a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nature of the areas used to be manageable, but their current locations are completely inaccessible,\u201d al-Natour told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main difficulty in continuing our work with these collections is their location behind the \u2018Yellow Line,\u2019 which poses a grave risk to the team. One of our core principles is: human life comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 84 percent of all structures in Gaza damaged or destroyed since Israel\u2019s war on Gaza began, the team currently works from a tent in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis. What began as a self-initiated effort has turned into a field operation with the huge burden of ensuring that Gaza\u2019s heritage is not lost.<\/p>\n

The team conducts extensive field surveys across southern and central areas of Gaza to document the damage inflicted on both private and public museum collections during Israel\u2019s nearly three-year assault on the enclave.<\/p>\n

It is the first organised local effort to address the impact of the war on the region\u2019s historical landmarks. The team works closely with locals and displaced residents who find artefacts among the debris which carpets Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe handle notifications by first filling out a comprehensive survey containing the informant\u2019s details, the artefact\u2019s location, and its condition,\u201d al-Natour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team then heads to the site to rescue the items, after which the processing stages begin: cleaning, archiving and photography.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team follows a strict protocol to ensure the historical and spatial value of each retrieved piece is preserved, starting from recording the circumstances of its discovery to giving it an independent digital identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter rescuing the pieces from their locations, the documentation and archiving process begins. We try as much as possible not to bring any artefact into storage without a record and basic information to help us identify its origin,\u201d said al-Natour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe start by logging the location and it from multiple angles and link the images to a unique number or code for the artefact to prevent any mix-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A specialist catalogues and documents salvaged traditional metalwork and heritage items inside the temporary preventive conservation tent [Enas Naser\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team is committed to preserving the information, image, unique code and origin of every artefact they find, despite encountering significant challenges.<\/p>\n

Certain archaeological items, particularly pottery and glassware, are subject to immense physical stress caused by explosions and collapsed building debris, resulting in fractures. These need the utmost care when being handled, with the team operating a policy of minimal intervention and stabilisation through conservation first aid. They know that permanent restoration could cause irreversible damage or alter original features.<\/p>\n

They begin by inspecting each piece, documenting its condition, and photographing damage to the item. But they are limited by the technical gear at hand: mobile phones for high-resolution photography and parallel paper records to safeguard against any possible data loss from the Excel sheets that document the items.<\/p>\n

Identification tags with a unique number record each artefact, while basic packaging materials and wooden crates store the items. Soft brushes are used to gently remove surface dust from pottery without compromising original markings.<\/p>\n

While these tools provide a short-term solution to the problem of conservation, more professional methods remain contingent on securing essential equipment and resources, which they currently lack. Securing these tools is difficult in a war zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn times of war, sometimes the greatest achievement is simply halting the deterioration of an artefact and keeping it intact as much as possible until suitable conditions for specialised treatment become available,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Operating from a tent in a coastal region exposes the recovered materials to volatile weather conditions, as well as insects and rodents. Destructive environmental factors such as humidity, mould and vibrations also threaten both the artefacts and the wooden boxes they are stored in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wooden crates themselves require continuous monitoring because humidity and temperature fluctuations can rot the wood or foster mould growth, which in turn damages the contents inside,\u201d al-Natour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, constant movement and transporting crates from one spot to another expose the items to shocks and vibration, particularly fragile or broken pieces \u2026 Working in an area housing vast numbers of displaced people makes daily movement and transport much harder, while storage space remains extremely limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Members
Members of the \u2018Guardians of Heritage\u2019 team inspect and clean recovered archaeological pottery inside a temporary storage tent in al-Mawasi, the southern Gaza Strip [Enas Naser\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The solution would be to establish a stable storage environment where temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting can be controlled. Specialised packaging and preservation materials suitable for each archaeological item are also needed, along with devices to monitor environmental conditions within the storage space.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur greatest need is to transition from emergency rescue to long-term professional conservation,\u201d al-Natour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, we need specialised training in preventive conservation, emergency collection management, handling damaged artefacts, damage assessment and database management.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team is now looking at the next stage of operations \u2013 shifting items from tents to more secure locations. But this will be a lengthy process that will require reviewing records and databases, cross-referencing item numbers with crate contents, photographing their condition before and after transfer, and reorganising them to ensure easy access and tracking.<\/p>\n

The impact of the initiative extends beyond saving stone artefacts and ancient vessels to building community awareness that makes residents and displaced individuals the guardians of their own culture, oral history and heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our activities with children, youth, women and displaced residents, we organise simplified educational and field activities, workshops, and programmes linked to antiquities, traditional crafts and oral history. We encourage participants to ask questions and document stories tied to places and artefacts,\u201d said al-Natour.<\/p>\n

Still, despite the challenges, there are lessons learned in saving Gaza\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rescue process itself has become an educational tool \u2013 when people see a team working under these conditions to extract a historical piece from beneath the rubble, they begin to view heritage as something worth protecting rather than something dispensable in times of crisis,\u201d said al-Natour. \u201cWe firmly believe that community awareness is one of the most vital lines of defence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alongside Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza, there has been an apparent attempt to erase the Palestinian enclave\u2019s cultural heritage. At least 164 cultural sites in Gaza have been damaged since Israeli military operations began in October 2023 and March 2026, according to UNESCO. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Among the ancient landmarks affected…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t