Dear Friends of the Museum for Islamic Art,

We, the Board of the Friends of the Museum for Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum e.V. and the Orient-Institut Beirut, would like to invite you to a round table discussion with Palestinian experts, consisting of a historian, a monument conservator and a museum chairman, on Friday, 7 February 2025 from 5 pm in the Brugsch Pasha Hall to discuss the situation of the cultural heritage sites in Gaza.

The Gaza Strip is a historical crossroads of world cultures with numerous archaeological and historical treasures: Anthedon (al-Balakhiyya), a Hellenistic city mentioned by Josephus; the Tel al-`Ajjul site from the Bronze Age; the Bureij Mosaic from the late Byzantine period, which was only discovered in 2022 by a farmer near Gaza City; the 1600-year-old St Porphyrius Church; the 1700-year-old St. Hilarion Monastery; the al-Hashim Mosque, which houses the tomb of the Prophet Mohammad's grandfather; the Umari Mosque, originally a Byzantine church that survived the Crusaders;

the Mamluk Palace, which until recently housed Gaza's museum; the 14th century Baths of the Samaritans and much more. This identity-forming cultural heritage is threatened with destruction. According to the UNESCO assessment, Israeli air and ground attacks have already damaged more than half of the 120 cultural sites that could be verified by satellite imagery in September 2024 - including ten religious sites, 43 buildings of historical or cultural significance, two camps for movable cultural property, six monuments, one museum and seven archaeological sites.

Our event will shed light on the importance of these heritage sites for local, national and trans-regional identities; present Palestinian heritage preservation projects in Deir al-Balah, Gaza City and Khan Yunis from 2012 to 2022; and highlight how the Palestinian people are trying to protect and save their cultural heritage. 
 
The expert panel will take place
on 7 February 2025 from 5 pm in the
Brugsch-Pascha-Saal (4th floor, currently without lift - not barrier-free)
Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 6, 10117 Berlin
The event will be held in English

Discussion with:

• Prof. Khaldun Bshara, Birzeit University; former director of Riwaq Centre, Palestine
• Prof. Sherene Seikaly, University of California at Santa Barbara, currently Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin, Editor Journal of Palestine Studies
• Omar al-Qattan, Chairman of the Board of the Palestinian Museum in Ramallah and Trustee of the A.M. Qattan Foundation

Moderation:

• Prof. Dr Jens Hanssen, Director of the Orient Institute Beirut

Welcome and introduction:

• Volkmar Wenzel, Chairman of the Friends of the Museum for Islamic Art e.V. and former German Ambassador to Syria
• Prof. Dr Stefan Weber, Director of the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin