IFPO showcases decade of research on Palestinian urban architecture
The project, led by French architects and urban planners Luc Vilan and Yves Roujon in collaboration with IFPO, focuses on the architectural fabric of Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus—three historic highland cities along the ancient route linking Damascus to Cairo via Jerusalem.
Speaking at the event, IFPO Amman head and researcher Najla Nakhlé-Cerutti highlighted the importance of preserving Palestinian urban heritage, particularly amid ongoing regional challenges.
'This work reflects the transnational vocation of our research at IFPO in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan,' Nakhlé-Cerutti said. 'After earlier work on Damascus, Vilan and Roujon undertook this program in Palestine, focusing on the architecture of its cities.'
The research, which began in 2011 without a predetermined timeline or scope, evolved through close collaboration with local communities.
'When we arrived in Palestine, we didn't know we would spend ten years working on its cities,' the researchers said during the lecture. 'The project developed progressively, shaped by our engagement with local actors.'
Based on extensive fieldwork and direct observation, the study examines the material and structural elements that define Palestinian cities. The resulting publication presents a layered, cumulative understanding of urban form and heritage across the three cities.
Notably, the research sheds light on the 'hosh'—a large traditional Palestinian house that remains a defining feature of both urban and rural settlements.
The publication includes architectural surveys, detailed drawings, maps, and interpretative texts, making it a valuable resource for architects, researchers, and students alike.
While Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus are often framed in religious or political terms, the study re-centers attention on the cities as architectural achievements—built environments that embody collective memory and cultural continuity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Jordan Times
04-08-2025
- Jordan Times
Dire water shortages compound hunger and displacement in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Atop air strikes, displacement and hunger, an unprecedented water crisis is unfolding across Gaza, heaping further misery on the Palestinian territory's residents. Gaza was already suffering a water crisis before nearly 22 months of war between Israel and Hamas damaged more than 80 percent of the territory's water infrastructure. "Sometimes, I feel like my body is drying from the inside, thirst is stealing all my energy and that of my children," Um Nidal Abu Nahl, a mother of four living in Gaza City, told AFP. Water trucks sometimes reach residents and NGOs install taps in camps for a lucky few, but it is far from sufficient. Israel connected some water mains in north Gaza to the Israeli water company Mekorot, after cutting off supplies early in the war, but residents told AFP water still wasn't flowing. Local authorities said this was due to war damage to Gaza's water distribution network, with many mains pipes destroyed. Gaza City spokesman Assem al-Nabih told AFP that the municipality's part of the network supplied by Mekorot had not functioned in nearly two weeks. Wells that supplied some needs before the war have also been damaged, with some contaminated by sewage which goes untreated because of the conflict. Many wells in Gaza are simply not accessible, because they are inside active combat zones, too close to Israeli military installations or in areas subject to evacuation orders. At any rate, wells usually run on electric pumps and energy has been scarce since Israel turned off Gaza's power as part of its war effort. Generators could power the pumps, but hospitals are prioritised for the limited fuel deliveries. Lastly, Gaza's desalination plants are down, save for a single site reopened last week after Israel restored its electricity supply. - Sewage floods - Nabih, from the Gaza City municipality, told AFP the infrastructure situation was bleak. More than 75 percent of wells are out of service, 85 percent of public works equipment destroyed, 100,000 metres of water mains damaged and 200,000 metres of sewers unusable. Pumping stations are down and 250,000 tons of rubbish is clogging the streets. "Sewage floods the areas where people live due to the destruction of infrastructure," says Mohammed Abu Sukhayla from the northern city of Jabalia. In order to find water, hundreds of thousands of people are still trying to extract groundwater directly from wells. But coastal Gaza's aquifer is naturally brackish and far exceeds salinity standards for potable water. In 2021, the UN children's agency UNICEF warned that nearly 100 percent of Gaza's groundwater was unfit for consumption. With clean water nearly impossible to find, some Gazans falsely believe brackish water to be free of bacteria. Aid workers in Gaza have had to warn repeatedly that even if residents can get used to the taste, their kidneys will inevitably suffer. Spreading diseases Though Gaza's water crisis has received less media attention than the ongoing hunger one, its effects are just as deadly. "Just like food, water should never be used for political ends," UNICEF spokeswoman Rosalia Bollen said. She told AFP that, while it's very difficult to quantify the water shortage, "there is a severe lack of drinking water". "It's extremely hot, diseases are spreading and water is truly the issue we're not talking about enough," she added. Opportunities to get clean water are as dangerous as they are rare. On July 13, as a crowd had gathered around a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, at least eight people were killed by an Israeli strike, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. A United Arab Emirates-led project authorised by Israel is expected to bring a 6.7-kilometre pipeline from an Egyptian desalination plant to the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, in Gaza's south. The project is controversial within the humanitarian community, because some see it as a way of justifying the concentration of displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza. 'Fear and helplessness' On July 24, a committee representing Gaza's prominent families issued a cry for help, calling for "the immediate provision of water and humanitarian aid, the rapid repair of infrastructure, and a guarantee for the entry of fuel". Gaza aid workers that AFP spoke to stressed that there was no survival without drinking water, and no disease prevention without sanitation. "The lack of access, the general deterioration of the situation in an already fragile environment, at the very least, the challenges are multiplying," a diplomatic source working on these issues told AFP. Mahmoud Deeb, 35, acknowledged that the water he finds in Gaza City is often undrinkable, but his family has no alternative. "We know it's polluted, but what can we do? I used to go to water distribution points carrying heavy jugs on my back, but even those places were bombed," he added. At home, everyone is thirsty, a sensation he associated with "fear and helplessness." "You become unable to think or cope with anything."
Al Bawaba
04-06-2025
- Al Bawaba
Israeli settlers launch major attack on Deir Dibwan, injuring 35 and causing widespread destruction
ALBAWABA- Violence escalated across the occupied Palestinian territories on Wednesday, as Israeli settlers launched a large-scale attack on the West Bank village of Deir Dibwan, injuring at least 35 people and causing widespread destruction. According to Palestinian officials and eyewitnesses, dozens of settlers stormed the village, located east of Ramallah, setting fire to homes, vehicles, and agricultural land. The attack included the burning of the "Abu Shahada Farm" at the western entrance of the town and targeted homes belonging to the Abu Kaid family. Mayor of Deir Dibwan told Al Jazeera that 35 residents were injured, with Red Crescent emergency teams reporting several cases of physical assault. Two individuals were transferred to the hospital, while five others were treated at a local medical center. Eyewitnesses reported that families were besieged inside their homes as the settlers carried out arson attacks across the town. The violence in Deir Dibwan adds to a growing number of settler-led assaults in the West Bank, amid rising tensions across the region. Meanwhile, in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, Israeli forces conducted a raid in the Kuttab neighborhood, reportedly assaulting residents and searching numerous buildings, according to local sources. In Gaza, the situation remains dire as Israeli troops opened fire near food distribution centers for the second time in three days. Palestinian health authorities confirmed that 27 people were killed in the latest shooting near an aid site, part of a contested humanitarian initiative backed by the U.S. and Israel. Dozens more have been killed across various parts of Gaza since the morning. The repeated targeting of aid areas has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian groups and raised urgent concerns over the safety of civilians relying on food assistance in the besieged enclave.
Al Bawaba
03-06-2025
- Al Bawaba
Video: Egyptian worker raises knife at customer
ALBAWABA - A terrifying video of an Egyptian employee raising a knife at a customer in an ice cream shop sparked outrage and a huge misunderstanding on social media after several fake reports misidentified the man's nationality. The video captured and shared on June 2 revealed a heated quarrel between an employee and an angry customer, which escalated further when the employee threatened the customer to leave using a knife. Social media users wrongfully portrayed the employee as a Palestinian immigrant, sparking unnecessary hate towards a specific group of people. Video: Egyptian worker raises knife at a customer Local fact-checking outlets launched an investigation into the issue at hand, confirming that the employee in question was an Egyptian light-skinned male employed by the ice cream shop's owner, who is Palestinian. Authorities later confirmed that the shop was forced to shut down after reports indicated the Palestinian owner didn't have the necessary legal paperwork to operate the shop, further adding that his residency had expired. A social media user on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared the video, claiming that the individual in question was a Palestinian refugee. They wrote, "A Palestinian refugee brandished a knife at an Egyptian woman inside a shop in Nasr City. You were acting smart in your country, now you're running away, you b*tard." The video garnered nearly two million views and thousands of likes, sparking debate, while several others criticized the user for spreading hate without researching about the incident.
