Al Qarara Cultural Museum

Al Qarara Cultural Museum

متحف القرارة الثقافي
Established	2016 (2016)
Dissolved	October 2023
Coordinates	31°22′07″N 34°20′31″E
Type	Archaeology museum
Collections	Archaeology, history
Collection size	3500
Director	Mohamed Abu Lahia

The Al Qarara Cultural Museum (Arabic: متحف القرارة الثقافي) was a museum in al-Qarara, near Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 2016, the museum featured the archaeology and history of the area, collected by its founders and by local community members. It was destroyed by Israeli forces in October 2023.

Background

The museum was founded in 2016 in Al Qarara, a village close to Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, by six people, including museum director Mohamed Abu Lahia and his wife Najla Abu Lahia. Mohamed became interested in local archaeology from childhood, whilst Najla studied archaeology and art at Gaza University.^[1][2]

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities granted the museum, housed in a former grain silo, a private licence.^[2] It was the second museum, and the first private museum, to be established in the area.^[1][2] The museum was designed to educate people about Palestinian cultural heritage, to strengthen their sense of identity.^[1][3][4]

Collections

The museum contained over 3500 archaeological, historical and numismatic objects from the Gaza region.^[5] The objects dated from 4000 BC to the present-day, many of which were collected or donated by local community members.^[2] Key objects included Byzantine mosaics, swords dating to the Crusader period, thobes, as well as jewellery worn by women prior to the Nakba.^[6] It also included military items dating to the British Mandate in Palestine.^[5] In 2021 the museum celebrated the National Day of Palestinian Heritage.^[7]

Each item was documented and then numbered before being displayed at the museum. Documentation of items is a very difficult process. I decided to start a museum to preserve the history and the heritage of Palestine. People visit the museum to learn more about their history and heritage.

— Najla Abu Lahia, Najla Abu Lahia starts cultural museum in Gaza by collecting more than 3,000 artifacts, Jinha Women's News Agency^[6]

Destruction

The museum and its collection were damaged in October 2023 by Israeli forces via an airstrike just outside the Museum. The museum's structure, display cases, and collection were damaged.^[8] The Arab Organization of Museums (ICOM-Arab) later confirmed the museum was completely destroyed after Israel issued a warning to evacuate its collection to the south of Gaza.^[9][10]

Awards

• ICCROM Sharjah Award for Reviving Cultural Heritage (2022)^[1]

See also

• List of museums in the State of Palestine
• Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
• Central Archives of Gaza City

References

1. Rahman, Mustafa Abdel (2022-10-05). ""متحف القرارة" يضم مئات القطع الأثرية وشاهد على تاريخ فلسطين" [Al-Qarara includes hundreds of artefacts and a witness to the history of Palestine]. عربي21 [Arabi21] (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
2. Namey, Isra (14 September 2021). "In Gaza, a museum filled with history 'picked up' along the way". Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
3. "متحف القرارة... فكرة شبابية للحفاظ على التراث" [Al-Qarara Museum...a youth idea for preserving heritage]. Maan News (in Arabic). 2023-10-18. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
4. "في متحف القرارة الثقافيّ.. ترى كل العصور التي وطئت فلسطين | وكالة سبق24 الإخبارية" [In the Al-Qarara Cultural Museum, you see all the eras that have set foot in Palestine]. Sabq24 (in Arabic). 2023-10-18. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
5. "متحف القرارة... زوجان يحاولان الحفاظ على التراث في غزة" [Al-Qarara Museum... A couple trying to preserve heritage in Gaza]. Al Araby (in Arabic). 2021-04-17. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
6. Karajeh, Nagham. "Najla Abu Lahia starts cultural museum in Gaza by collecting more than 3,000 artifacts". Jinha Women's News Agency. Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
7. "Palestinians attend an exhibition on the National Day of Palestinian Heritage | apaimages". www.apaimages.info. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
8. Zaki, Saeed (2023-10-18). "خسائر كبيرة في قطاع الثقافة الفلسطينية جراء العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة" [Huge losses in the Palestinian cultural sector as a result of Israeli aggression in Gaza]. Cairo24 (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
9. Adams, Geraldine (2023-11-06). "Global museum community responds to Israel-Hamas war". Museums Association. Retrieved 2024-11-07. Icom-Arab has confirmed to Museums Journal that two important museums in Gaza, Al Qarara Cultural Museum and Rafah Museum, have been completely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
10. Saber, Indlieb Farazi. "A 'cultural genocide': Which of Gaza's heritage sites have been destroyed?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-07. ICOM-Arab told Al Jazeera this museum was given advanced warning by Israeli forces to empty its contents and evacuate to the south of Gaza.

External links

• عملت الشابة نجلاء أبو نحلة على أنشاء متحف القرارة الثقافي بجهودها الخاصة in Arabic (YouTube), Jinha Agency
• نجلاء أبو نحلة شابة فلسطينية تؤسس متحف ثقافي في قطاع غزة in Arabic (YouTube), Jinha Agency
• Official TikTok