Dialectics of Architectural Heritage in Palestine

Abstract

Architecture is considered one of the greatest products of man through history. It is the most important witness to the lives of people with all their political, religious, economic, and cultural sides. It gains its importance of being the strongest link with the heritage of predecessors. All societies work hard to protect their architectural heritage and keep it safe and maintained. The holy Palestine is well known with its distinguished architectural heritage that is very rich and diversified. This architectural heritage gains added value because of the religious monuments of sacred churches, mosques, and schools. Architectural heritage represents the past peacefully settled in its stones and ornaments. Architectural heritage in Palestine is a dialectic complexity mixing past and present, death and life, sadness and happiness, and peace and war. The Palestinian architectural heritage can only be understood through these dialectic relationships that shaped the Palestinian existence on the land of Palestine. It has been refusing and resisting all the attempts of aggressive wars and invasions to destroy this existence. It always has represented an important weapon for Palestinian existence always resurrected from death and destruction. Only with the Israeli occupation since 1948 the architectural heritage of Palestine witnessed systematic destruction. This occupation destroyed, changed the functions, and changed the names of the many historical buildings of Palestine and all their Arabic and Islamic symbols. The architectural heritage in Gaza city has been the victim of this aggression since the start of this century with continuing military attacks. Many Palestinian, Arab, and international organizations have worked very hard to save what has remained despite the financial, technical, and security difficulties. IWAN Centre for Architectural Heritage at the Islamic University of Gaza with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Prince Claus Fund managed to conserve several buildings. Some of these buildings continued to serve their original functions like Al Samra Turkish Hammam and Al Omari Mosque in Jabalia. Other buildings were adapted to new functions like Al Alami house which has been reused as a cultural center. At the same time, the instructors, and students at the departments of architectural engineering and civil engineering at the Islamic 7 University of Gaza contributed to the conservation activities practically on site and by several studies and research. All these efforts went in vain with the unprecedented destructive Israeli war started on Gaza in October 2023 that threw against the wall all international principles and ethics. Most if not all historical buildings have been destroyed including the Grand Omari Mosque which is considered in this book. The Islamic University of Gaza and its IWAN center for architectural heritage have also been savagely destroyed. The destruction of architectural heritage in Gaza was employed as a barbaric tool for the uprooting of the Palestinian existence from Gaza. This book is a collection of 4 chapters written on architectural heritage of Palestine. The first chapter discusses the dialectics of architectural heritage in Al Khalil district with a phenomenological approach for place attachment. It emphasizes the dialectic relationships in Palestinian architectural heritage that inseparably attach the Palestinians with their land. Chapters 2 to 4 deal with issues of architectural heritage in Gaza. Chapters 1 to 3 introduce new concepts that never appeared before to the study, analysis, and management of architectural heritage. They open the door wide for future development and applications on architectural heritage in Palestine and worldwide. Despite the pain of losing completely or partially the historical buildings mentioned in these articles in this war, the articles remind with this heritage that will never die. The book is an attempt on the road of resurrection of the Palestinian Phoenix (Anka). Through the mountains of rubble and the smokes of death, the Palestinian heritage will be resurrected.