Gaza Volunteers Race to Save Cultural Heritage Amidst Conflict

Inside a tent in southern Gaza, volunteers meticulously brush dust from a stone mosaic, their gloved hands carefully handling fragments of history. This delicate operation is part of a critical effort to preserve Gaza's rich cultural heritage, which has been severely impacted by the ongoing conflict. The United Nations reports that over 160 historic and cultural sites across the Palestinian territory have suffered damage.

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Several mosaic artworks have been lost or destroyed, either completely or partially. It is important that we work to revive this art, remind our children and our community, and send a message to the world that we are committed to our heritage and our Palestinian cause.

Mohammed Abu Lahia, a Palestinian visual artist involved in the preservation, noted the loss of many mosaic artworks, some completely destroyed. "It is important that we work to revive this art, remind our children and our community, and send a message to the world that we are committed to our heritage and our Palestinian cause," he stated. The threat extends beyond ancient archaeological treasures to more recent cultural artifacts, many of which risk being damaged or buried under rubble from airstrikes and shelling.

With Israel maintaining strict controls over goods entering Gaza, volunteers are working without professional conservation equipment. They employ ordinary paintbrushes for cleaning mosaics and have set up a makeshift scanning station using a camera and a black-lined box to digitize old photographs and paper documents. These digital copies are then uploaded for safekeeping.

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This stone is a piece called a mortar, and it was used for grinding grains and herbs. It is approximately 5,000 years old.

Artifacts being preserved range from ancient items, like a 5,000-year-old mortar described by cultural heritage guide Muhannad Abu Lahia, to items from the 20th century, including the late Ottoman period, the British Mandate, and the Egyptian administration. Many of these were saved by residents displaced by the conflict. Volunteer Taghreed Hajjari highlighted a paper archive containing historical maps of Khan Yunis from the British Mandate era. At one table, women painstakingly pieced together hundreds of fragments to recreate a contemporary mosaic, using a printed guide and carpenter's pincers.

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This is a paper archive containing maps of Khan Yunis and structural maps of the Khan Yunis area from the time of the British Mandate.