The Department of Architecture and Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage in the Faculty of Engineering at Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) held an introductory symposium on the urban heritage in the old Gaza, within the project “Stories to be told so that we do not forget – Protecting the ancient Palestinian archaeological heritage through arts”. The symposium was attended by: Dr. Anwar Awadallah – Head of the Architectural Engineering Department, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Kahlout – Head of the Scientific Committee, Dr. Ahmed Al-Astal – Director of Iwan Center, Mr. Ahmed Al-Sammak – President of Basma Society for Culture and Arts, and Engineer Mahmoud Al-Balawi – Iwan Center Projects Coordinator , a number of faculty members, and students of the faculty of Engineering.
Dr. Awadallah stressed that the aim of the symposium lies in enhancing communication with students, strengthening and increasing knowledge and community awareness, holding extracurricular activities and community participation in urban heritage preservation plans, and highlighting the role of digital communication networks in the local community’s contribution to decision-making.
Mr. Al-Sammak pointed out that every building in old Gaza indicates the story and history of the people, and clarified that Basma Society for Culture and Arts holds various activities in order to raise awareness among people about the importance, care and protection of old houses and architectural culture to preserve Palestinian civilization and cultural imprint.
Eng. Al-Balawi drew attention to the civilizational, cultural and historical status of Palestine among the peoples of the world and continents, and indicated that it witnessed conflicts due to the importance of its strategic location, and reviewed the most important archaeological sites in Palestine, including: Hisham’s Palace, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Nativity, and the Jericho Tower, which is one of the oldest defense towers in the world .
It is worth mentioning that the project of “Stories to be told so that we do not forget – Protecting the Ancient Palestinian Heritage through Arts”, is organized by Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage in partnership with Basma Society for Culture and Arts, and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and under the supervision of Welfare Association (Taawon).
