Dialectics of Architectural Heritage in Palestine
Özet
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
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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.
