GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – The 500-year-old great brick walls of the al-Kamalaia School have slowly emerged from the years of accumulated rubbish as grassroots conservatives have begun the long process of restoring its former glory.
Located in the heart of Gaza’s old quarter, the Mamluk-era building is part of a growing number of historic structures at risk of demolition.
“She was in a very difficult, pathetic state. It was a heap, ”said Abdullah al-Ruzzi, artist and lead volunteer.
Al-Ruzzi and other artists launched the Mobaderoon program, or initiators, seeking to save abandoned houses and buildings from two periods of Gaza history: the Mamluk sultanate and later the Ottoman Empire.
In the old section of the Palestinian enclave, less than 200 houses from these eras are partially or completely standing, according to tourist officials. They are threatened by neglect, decay or even demolition by a new urban development.
“The lack of public awareness and the economic considerations of the owners are the biggest threats to these buildings,” said Ahmed al-Astal, director of Iwan, the institute of history and heritage at the Islamic University of Gaza. “These houses are our identity, but ignorance leads to their destruction.”
Because the Gaza Strip is small, with 2 million people living in just 300 square kilometers (115 square miles), experts and volunteers fear that the structures of past centuries will disappear, like those of much older civilizations.
Population growth, the conflict with Israel and the mismanagement of Hamas, the militant group that has led Gaza since 2007, have helped erase many signs of Gaza’s five-millennium history. The territory was enriched by its location along the route that connects ancient Egypt, the Levant and Mesopotamia. For example, Hamas bulldozers destroyed large parts of a rare, 4,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement. to make way for a housing project.
Mobaderoon is part of a handful of organizations looking to preserve ancient sites in Gaza City. But their efforts are usually limited in scope and have no systematic plans.
The team took two weeks to remove the garbage from the al-Kamalaia school, named after a Mamluk sultan. Every day, young people and men gather there, sweeping the dusty floor, brushing the bricks and supporting the windows with wooden frames.
Following the completion of the renovation, al-Ruzzi says the goal is to turn the building into a place for cultural and artistic activities, as there are few such facilities in Gaza.
“This is the only school that still maintains its architectural position, it still has classrooms. It is clear that this school has been used until recently in the education and memorization of the Koran, because it is located in the old city “, said Jamal Abu Rida, director of the archeology department of the Gaza Ministry of Tourism.
Gaza residents are worried about financial hardship, battling a 13-year-old Israeli-Egyptian blockade and fighting a coronavirus outbreak that has overwhelmed the health system. Campaigns to protect heritage and archeological sites are not priorities, but they are welcome.
“Initiatives are very important because their goal is to preserve cultural heritage,” al-Astal said.
A few blocks away, another team is working on renovating a house, Ghussein Palace, named after the family that has owned it for 200 years. The workers scraped the bricks to remove the layers of dust that hid their features. Others made measurements for the door frames.
Work on this house began in August and is scheduled to be completed in January. “It has been left for a long time and has many cracks and problems,” said Nashwa Ramlawi, the architect leading the restoration. “The place has a great patrimonial and cultural value. We will dedicate it to whatever serves the community; a cultural, service or social center open to all. “