Read about RIWAQ, a featured case study in our 2024-2025 Annual Report.
In 2022, with CPF funding, RIWAQ began a regenerative, three-year project working in the West Bank and Gaza, continuing their previous efforts to rehabilitate 50 of the most significant historic centres in Palestine.
Their activity in this project has focused on the rehabilitation of sites in the historic centres of Qalandiya, Beit Hanina and Kafr ’Aqab in rural Jerusalem alongside the protection and promotion of a wide range of Palestinian intangible cultural heritage, including traditional crafts, dance, music and oral history. In Gaza, the project focused on the collection of stories and oral histories in Deir Al Balah as well as the design and production of a heritage activity booklet for children in Gaza and the West Bank.
Shatha Safi, Director of RIWAQ, said ‘The rehabilitation of Beit Hanina has led to growing interest in heritage within the community, more gatherings and discussions on common topics, needs and initiatives are brought up. Cultural heritage is playing a key role in social cohesion and change. The planned physical and non-physical activities in Gaza and Deir Al Balah once implemented will contribute to the healing and recovery process.'
Their key successes include:
- Enhanced use of two public spaces in Qalandiya, a community garden in Kafr ’Aqab, and two historic homes in Qalandiya and Beit Hanina.
- Strong cooperation with local authorities to continue the management and protection of cultural sites in the future.
- Cultural events with communities in Gaza, resulting in the documentation of oral histories made available in a lively, interactive and innovative way for children and their families.
- A specialised internship for 5 architectural students and 2 Summer training programmes for 12 architectural students focusing on restoration, documentation, and adaptive reuse.
- Digitisation of 70,000 items, including valuable documents and photographs held in the RIWAQ archive, as well as physical upgrades to the archive itself.
- Employment of 29 local workers, generating 4,542 working days across all sites.
The war has caused insurmountable destruction in Gaza and severely exacerbated the risks to Palestinian heritage and livelihoods the West Bank. Despite enormous challenges, RIWAQ has continued to work closely with communities and local authorities and develop vibrant, functional spaces for Palestinians to engage with and protect their cultural heritage. Together with their partners, RIWAQ has successfully increased the protection of and access to cultural heritage in the West Bank and Gaza and their vital work continues into 2025–26.
Discover more from our latest annual report.
