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Jordan Times
13-04-2025
- Jordan Times
Gaza's cultural heritage under threat amid ongoing conflict
AMMAN — The ongoing war in Gaza, which started in October 2023, is the last phase of a long process of 'eradicating Palestinian physical presence' in the Gaza Strip as well as erasing the Arab historical monuments, archaeological sites and sacral architecture. Gaza has been populated since the Bronze Age and it was an important commercial hub on a trade route that went from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. The Gaza Port connected southern Europe and Greco-Roman world with the incense trade from Hijaz. Meanwhile, an exhibition opened last week at Paris's Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) that showcases a glimpse of Gaza's archaeological heritage against the relentless warfare and destruction in the region. The event titled, 'Rescued Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History,' will conclude on November 2, and it features over 130 objects that attest to the rich and complex history of Gaza as a crossroads of culture and commerce between Asia, Africa and Europe. The density and distribution of its archaeological sites surveyed in 1944 at the end of the British Mandate and updated by the Palestinian Department of Antiquities in 2019 is eloquent . A total of 130 sites to which should be added the remains of ancient cities and towns within the cities of Gaza, Khan Yunis, Dair Al Balah, Rafah and Bait Hanun, in tens of villages and in eight Palestinian refugee camps, noted a British-affiliated archaeologist Claudine Dauphin. Bronze and Iron ages Near the Wadi Gaza ford on the ancient coastal road linking Palestine and Egypt since the Bronze Age, the Way of Horus ancestor of the Roman Via Maris, lie two major Bronze Age sites. "Rescued from developers in 1997 and excavated by Pierre de Miroschedji on behalf of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique [CNRS], Tel as-Sakan [3,400-2,350 BC] offered a 10m high stratigraphic section covering1000 years of the Early Bronze Age and urban development under Ancient Egyptian impetus," Dauphin explained. The archaeologist added that excavated by the British Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie (1925-1942) in 1930-1934, Tel El Ajlun (1,900-1,200 BC) yielded in several Bronze Age buildings, including the "Palace", five large deposits of gold jewellery (1,750-1,550 BC) ranking amongst the greatest Bronze Age finds in the Levant, now in the British Museum and the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem. In 1990 Professor Louise Steel of the University of Wales, Trinity St David's, Lampeter sifted through the previously excavated soil, unearthing dozens of foundation cones stamped with the cartouche of Pharaoh Thutmosis III (1,481-1,425 BC). Excavations were resumed by a University of Gothenburg Swedish Mission directed by Peter Fisher in collaboration with Moain Sadeq of the Palestine Department of Antiquities in 1999 and 2000 focusing on Late Bronze Age levels, Dauphin underlined. "Thus, from the 4th millenium BC ties were established with Egypt before it took Southern Palestine in the Early Bronze Age and ruled over the Egyptian Province of Canaan in the Late Bronze Age. Mentioned as 'Hazattu' in an Egyptian text dated to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmosis III [1,484-1,421 BC], Gaza itself was probably founded in the 3rd millenium BC," Dauphin elaborated. The archaeologist noted that its region was overseen by a pharaonic Egyptian agent, but the city itself was a kingdom whose ruler pledgd allegiance to the pharaoh. Spectacular and also the earliest (Late Bronze to Early Iron Age, 13th-11th centuries BC) of that particular category of ancient coffins, were 50 anthropoid clay coffins found in 1973 in the excavations of a cemetery south of Dair Al Balah under Israeli occupation (1967-2005). Coil-built in local clay, the naturalistic face lids were moulded in relief displaying large Egyptian features- almond shaped eyes, arched eyebrows, straight noses and full lips, Dauphin said, noting that arms are often thin and stick like, crossed or holding objects such as lotus blossoms. Grotesque style coffins have eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, ears and beard that have been applied separately to the leather-hard clay, this being associated with the construction practices of the Philistines, the scholar underlined, adding that from the dates associated with the finds, it appears that the coffins originated with Egyptian influences in Canaan and were subsequently adopted by the Philistines. "These burials were typically associated with a large variety of expensive grave offerings: Cypriot, Cananite, Egyptian, Mycenaean and Philistine pottery storage jars, pithoi and cooking pots outside the coffin and smaller, higher quality Cypriot milk bowls, Egyptian alabaster cups, pilgrim flasks and juglets. flasks and juglets inside," Dauphin highlighted. The endangering of Gaza's cultural eritage The cultural heritage of the Gaza Strip has been endangered both indirectly and directly continuously since the creation of Israel in 1948. It increased significantly during the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip (1967-2005) ; the June 2006 Israeli air raids and incursions in retaliations from 2008 until now. A danger to the cultural heritage of Gaza has been both indirect and direct. Indirect danger Demographic growth in the Gaza Strip has led to the destruction of archaeological sites by bulldozers preparing the ground for building new homes for the growing population, widening main thoroughfares and providing sports ground for children and youths to evacuate stress, Dauphin said. The archaeologist noted that, the damage inflicted from the air by Israeli bombs on a sports field at Mukheitin in the Northern Gaza Strip damaged a Byzantine ecclesiastical complex uder the surface revealed revealed a small church. "In the course of three excavation seasons [1998-2002], a three-aisled church, an offertory chapel, and a four-room building with a baptistery were uncovered. A 450 m2 mosaic pavement was restored by the Musée de l'Arles Antique [Museum of the Antique city of Arles in Provence]," the scholar said. The archaeologist added that 17 Greek inscriptions from the 5th to the mid-8th century AD enabled the identification of this site with a funerary complex for a wealthy Christian family of Gaza. At Abu Baraqeh, the widening in 1999 of the coastal road in Dair Al Balaq revealed a small church on the shore. Its pavement was lifted by mosaic-restoration experts of the Museum of Arles in Provence and restored in France, the archaeologist added. Direct Danger Direct danger is posed both by carpet-bombing and targeting. It is clear from the successive lists of destroyed cultural sites produced by UNESCO that IDF pilots have a predilection for targeting and deliberately target, which is more effective in radically destroying, as emphasised by Hamdan Taha, the founder of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities. "Since the start of the 2023-24 war on Gaza, Palestinian cultural heritage has undergone widespread destruction from Israeli targeting of ancient sites, historical and religious buildings, museums, cultural and academic buildings, public buildings, and infrastructure,' Taha said. 'More than 100 archaeological sites, 256 historical buildings, many museums, hospitals, libraries, cemeteries, and over 100,000 archaeological objects, were destroyed" ["Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Gaza", Jerusalem Quarterly 97, Spring 2024, 45-70]," Taha elaborated. Further damage leading to total eradication is caused by demolition, the movements of military vehicles and the installation of pumps, as at Anthedon (Tel Blakhiyyah) which had been listed on 2nd April 2012 as a tentative World Heritage Site, Dauphin concluded.
Arab News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
France's IMA launches Arab Fashion Award
PARIS: The Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris has announced the launch of its Arab Fashion Award — the AFA-IMA — to promote and celebrate the rising stars of the Arab world's fashion scene. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Since its opening in 1980, the IMA has supported Arab creativity in all its forms, including fashion. It has hosted numerous shows and exhibitions highlighting the role fashion plays at the intersection of cultures. Philippe Castro, chief of staff of the presidency of the IMA, and the man behind the new initiative tells Arab News that 'the moment seems ripe' for the launch of the award. 'We're seeing Fashion Weeks popping up in Riyadh, Dubai, Beirut and Marrakesh. We're seeing enormous creativity in fashion design in the (Arab) region as a whole and there is a growing appetite for these designers. They deserve our attention,' Castro says. 'Christian Dior once said, 'The air of Paris is the very air of haute couture.' The same can be said today of the air of Riyadh, Beirut, Egypt, Morrocco and Tunisia. All these places have a long tradition of couture. Take Tunisia, for instance; it's no coincidence that master couturier Azzedine Alaïa came from Tunisia.' If Paris is the world capital of fashion, that is thanks in no small measure to Castro's longtime colleague Jack Lang, president of the IMA. As Minister of Culture, it was Lang who saw the potential for fashion to become a booming industry for France. In 1982, he succeeded — in the face of a lot of pearl-clutching — in making the Cour Carrée of the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens the principle venues of Paris' runway shows, moving fashion front and center in public consiousness. The number of fashion shows in Paris doubled between 1980 and 1990, after which fashion was definitively established as a sector that means serious business. 'Jack Lang made fashion fashionable.' Castro says. 'We're very lucky to have him as our president. He gave an unprecedented impetus to young fashion designers in the 1980s. Having worked alongside him for many years, as a big advocate of fashion, this award seems natural and inevitable.' Castro is a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia, where, he says, he has witnessed 'an incredible evolution in fashion' over the past decade, especially in Riyadh and Jeddah. 'There is a tangible effervescence and dynamism visible with people on the streets. On my most recent visit to Riyadh, I visited concept stores selling abayas. I find the reinterpretation of the abaya and the thaub brilliantly creative,' he says. 'The designers have limitless imagination; they know how to explore their own culture creatively. I was also fascinated to see superb Saudi-designed streetwear for the first time. I fell for a towelling beach robe with pockets and a hood inspired by traditional Saudi robes — pure creative genius!' Navigating the international fashion world is a complex challenge for young international designers. Creative talent is not enough, they need experienced professional mentoring. So the IMA is partnering with the world-renowned Institut Français de la Mode (the French Fashion Institute) to help the award winners develop their professional skills in cutting, patternmaking and marketing as part of the prize. This first edition of the AFA-IMA is deliberately fluid. Jewellery and accessory designs are also eligible for entry. The award has two categories; Emerging Talent and Innovative Talent, with an option for the jury to grant a third award to an established Arab designer. Other categories may be added as momentum grows. 'It will evolve according to the type of entries we receive and be adapted accordingly,' says Castro. 'This is an haute-couture — not ready-to-wear — process.' The award is open to designers who are nationals of Arab League countries or part of their diasporas. The jury consists of key figures from fashion, art and culture including Pascal Morand, executive president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode; Pascale Mussard, the founder of Hermès' upcycled luxury brand Petit h; Lebanese fashion designers Rabih Kayrouz and Milia Maroun; Elsa Janssen, director of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris; and Manuel Arnaut, editor of Vogue Arabia. 'We composed our jury of people at the pinnacle of their profession. We always aim for excellence,' says Castro. 'The members will follow the prize-winners' progress closely. This is not a one-off. It's a long-term initiative to showcase the region's enormous creativity. 'We composed the jury of good friends of the IMA — a friendly needle and thread which will make dazzling embroidery. It's a project that comes from the heart, because fashion is all about emotion. If there is no heart, there is no point,' he continues. 'We are living in an era of severity, if we can diffuse some beauty into the world, so much the better for us all.'
Express Tribune
06-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Gaza heritage goes on display in Paris institute
A new exhibition opening in Paris on Friday showcases archaeological artifacts from Gaza, once a major commercial crossroads between Asia and Africa, whose heritage has been ravaged by Israel's ongoing onslaught, reported AFP. Around a hundred artifacts, including a 4,000-year-old bowl, a sixth-century mosaic from a Byzantine church and a Greek-inspired statue of Aphrodite, are on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe. The rich and mixed collection speaks to Gaza's past as a cultural melting pot, but the show's creators also wanted to highlight the contemporary destruction since October 2023. "The priority is obviously human lives, not heritage," said Elodie Bouffard, curator of the exhibition, which is titled Saved Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History. "But we also wanted to show that, for millennia, Gaza was the endpoint of caravan routes, a port that minted its own currency, and a city that thrived at the meeting point of water and sand," she told AFP. One section of the exhibition documents the extent of recent destruction. Using satellite images, the UN's cultural agency UNESCO has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza, including the 13th-century Pasha's Palace. Bouffard said the damage to the known sites as well as treasures potentially hidden in unexplored Palestinian land "depends on the bomb tonnage and their impact on the surface and underground". The story behind Gaza's Treasures is inseparable from the ongoing wars in the Middle East. At the end of 2024, the Institut du Monde Arabe was finalising an exhibition on artifacts from the archaeological site of Byblos in Lebanon, but Israeli bombings in Beirut made the project impossible. "It came to a sudden halt, but we couldn't allow ourselves to be discouraged," said Bouffard. The idea of an exhibition on Gaza's heritage emerged. "We had just four and a half months to put it together. That had never been done before," she explained. Given the impossibility of transporting artifacts out of Gaza, the Institut turned to 529 pieces stored in crates in a specialised Geneva art warehouse since 2006. The works belong to the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank. In 1995, Gaza's Department of Antiquities was established, which oversaw the first archaeological digs in collaboration with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF). "Between Egypt, Mesopotamian powers, and the Hasmoneans, Gaza has been a constant target of conquest and destruction throughout history," Bouffard noted. The exhibition runs until November 2, 2025.
Arab News
03-04-2025
- General
- Arab News
Gaza heritage and destruction on display in Paris
PARIS: A new exhibition opening in Paris on Friday showcases archaeological artifacts from Gaza, once a major commercial crossroads between Asia and Africa, whose heritage has been ravaged by Israel's ongoing onslaught. Around a hundred artifacts, including a 4,000-year-old bowl, a sixth-century mosaic from a Byzantine church and a Greek-inspired statue of Aphrodite, are on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe. The rich and mixed collection speaks to Gaza's past as a cultural melting pot, but the show's creators also wanted to highlight the contemporary destruction caused by the war, sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023. 'The priority is obviously human lives, not heritage,' said Elodie Bouffard, curator of the exhibition, which is titled 'Saved Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History.' 'But we also wanted to show that, for millennia, Gaza was the endpoint of caravan routes, a port that minted its own currency, and a city that thrived at the meeting point of water and sand,' she told AFP. One section of the exhibition documents the extent of recent destruction. Using satellite image, the UN's cultural agency UNESCO has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza, including the 13th-century Pasha's Palace. Bouffard said the damage to the known sites as well as treasures potentially hidden in unexplored Palestinian land 'depends on the bomb tonnage and their impact on the surface and underground.' 'For now, it's impossible to assess.' The attacks by Hamas militants on Israel in 2023 left 1,218 dead. In retaliation, Israeli operations have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and devastated the densely populated territory. The story behind 'Gaza's Treasures' is inseparable from the ongoing wars in the Middle East. At the end of 2024, the Institut du Monde Arabe was finalizing an exhibition on artifacts from the archaeological site of Byblos in Lebanon, but Israeli bombings on Beirut made the project impossible. 'It came to a sudden halt, but we couldn't allow ourselves to be discouraged,' said Bouffard. The idea of an exhibition on Gaza's heritage emerged. 'We had just four and a half months to put it together. That had never been done before,' she explained. Given the impossibility of transporting artifacts out of Gaza, the Institut turned to 529 pieces stored in crates in a specialized Geneva art warehouse since 2006. The works belong to the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank. The Oslo Accords of 1993, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, helped secure some of Gaza's treasures. In 1995, Gaza's Department of Antiquities was established, which oversaw the first archaeological digs in collaboration with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF). Over the years, excavations uncovered the remains of the Monastery of Saint Hilarion, the ancient Greek port of Anthedon, and a Roman necropolis — traces of civilizations spanning from the Bronze Age to Ottoman influences in the late 19th century. 'Between Egypt, Mesopotamian powers, and the Hasmoneans, Gaza has been a constant target of conquest and destruction throughout history,' Bouffard noted. In the 4th century BC, Greek leader Alexander the Great besieged the city for two months, leaving behind massacres and devastation. Excavations in Gaza came to a standstill when Hamas took power in 2007 and Israel imposed a blockade. Land pressure and rampant building in one of the world's most densely populated areas has also complicated archaeological work. And after a year and a half of war, resuming excavations seems like an ever-more distant prospect. The exhibition runs until November 2, 2025.
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-04-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Gaza Heritage and Destruction on Display in Paris
A new exhibition opening in Paris on Friday showcases archaeological artifacts from Gaza, once a major commercial crossroads between Asia and Africa, whose heritage has been ravaged by Israel's ongoing onslaught. Around a hundred artifacts, including a 4,000-year-old bowl, a sixth-century mosaic from a Byzantine church and a Greek-inspired statue of Aphrodite, are on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe. The rich and mixed collection speaks to Gaza's past as a cultural melting pot, but the show's creators also wanted to highlight the contemporary destruction caused by the war, sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023, AFP reported. "The priority is obviously human lives, not heritage," said Elodie Bouffard, curator of the exhibition, which is titled "Saved Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History". "But we also wanted to show that, for millennia, Gaza was the endpoint of caravan routes, a port that minted its own currency, and a city that thrived at the meeting point of water and sand," she told AFP. One section of the exhibition documents the extent of recent destruction. Using satellite image, the UN's cultural agency UNESCO has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza, including the 13th-century Pasha's Palace. Bouffard said the damage to the known sites as well as treasures potentially hidden in unexplored Palestinian land "depends on the bomb tonnage and their impact on the surface and underground". "For now, it´s impossible to assess." The attacks by Hamas militants on Israel in 2023 left 1,218 dead. In retaliation, Israeli operations have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and devastated the densely populated territory. The story behind "Gaza´s Treasures" is inseparable from the ongoing wars in the Middle East. At the end of 2024, the Institut du Monde Arabe was finalising an exhibition on artifacts from the archaeological site of Byblos in Lebanon, but Israeli bombings on Beirut made the project impossible. "It came to a sudden halt, but we couldn´t allow ourselves to be discouraged," said Bouffard. The idea of an exhibition on Gaza´s heritage emerged. "We had just four and a half months to put it together. That had never been done before," she explained. Given the impossibility of transporting artifacts out of Gaza, the Institut turned to 529 pieces stored in crates in a specialized Geneva art warehouse since 2006. The works belong to the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank. The Oslo Accords of 1993, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, helped secure some of Gaza's treasures. In 1995, Gaza´s Department of Antiquities was established, which oversaw the first archaeological digs in collaboration with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF). Over the years, excavations uncovered the remains of the Monastery of Saint Hilarion, the ancient Greek port of Anthedon, and a Roman necropolis - traces of civilizations spanning from the Bronze Age to Ottoman influences in the late 19th century. "Between Egypt, Mesopotamian powers, and the Hasmoneans, Gaza has been a constant target of conquest and destruction throughout history," Bouffard noted. In the 4th century BC, Greek leader Alexander the Great besieged the city for two months, leaving behind massacres and devastation. Excavations in Gaza came to a standstill when Hamas took power in 2007 and Israel imposed a blockade. Land pressure and rampant building in one of the world's most densely populated areas has also complicated archaeological work. And after a year and a half of war, resuming excavations seems like an ever-more distant prospect. The exhibition runs until November 2, 2025.
