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Gallery|Gaza

Meet the research team working to save Gaza’s history, heritage

The Eyes on Heritage institute aims to digitally archive thousands of rare books and manuscripts that date back hundreds of years.

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The documents preserved by Eyes on Heritage volunteers showcase how history, geography, religion and politics have impacted Gaza in the past few centuries. The oldest, a religious text, dates back 300 years. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
By Abdelhakim Abu Riash
Published On 18 Aug 202318 Aug 2023
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Nine Palestinian women in the besieged Gaza Strip have been working tirelessly to preserve and document their history, culture and heritage.

The volunteers on the Eyes on Heritage team say their mission to archive rare books and manuscripts began in 2017 when they realised hundreds of documents could be digitally uploaded for researchers around the world to see.

Some date back hundreds of years. With the support of the British Museum, they gather and restore local treasures that help tell a part of southern Palestine’s rich history.

Their project has been especially challenging with Israel’s crippling siege, now in its 16th year. The frequent and prolonged closure of the border crossings in Gaza often halts the delivery of much needed resources, tools and machines required for restoration and archival purposes.

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The Eyes on Heritage institute is run by nine female researchers who volunteer their time to restore and archive rare documents. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
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CEO Haneen al-Umsiu says the team maintains these documents to ensure their longevity and to pass down Gaza’s cultural heritage to future generations. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
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The documents are kept in acid-free boxes inside iron cages. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
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Archive specialist Areej Jreid says she is proud to be among the few in Gaza to have the opportunity to work in the institute’s first digital archive studio. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
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Examining the ink and the papers’ acidity levels usually requires specialised machines, but the Gaza team does this manually because many tools are unavailable due to Israel's blockade. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
Gaza eyes on heritage/Abdelhakim Abu Riash
The team has to wait months for special equipment to come through the border crossings controlled by Israel and Egypt and says it lacks much needed resources. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
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Gaza eyes on heritage/Abdelhakim Abu Riash
The nine volunteers have received training on how to restore, maintain, document and digitally archive rare books and manuscripts, but they say there is a lot more to learn. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
Gaza eyes on heritage/Abdelhakim Abu Riash
Despite its small office space, the institute holds a "wide historic variety of documents, notebooks and manuscripts", CEO al-Umsiu says. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
Gaza eyes on heritage/Abdelhakim Abu Riash
Many of the documents date back to the Ottoman period in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A lot of documents from that period have been lost due to "looting incidents during the British, and eventually Israeli, occupations", al-Umsiu says. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]
Gaza eyes on heritage/Abdelhakim Abu Riash
The team is trying to find a larger location that can hold thousands of books. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]


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