The Ewan Center for Cultural Heritage at the Faculty of Engineering at the Islamic University in collaboration with the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning at the University of Palestine organized an introductory symposium on urban heritage in Old Gaza, within the project “Stories to be Forgotten”, in partnership with the Basma Society for Culture and the Arts and with funding from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
The seminar was attended by Dr. Nahad Al-Meghni, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning, Dr. Nagam Ali Hassan, Head of Architecture, Dr. Ahmed Al-Astal, Director of the Ewan Cultural Heritage Centre, Engineer Mahmoud Al-Balaoui, Conservation Project of the Ewan Centre wan, and Professor in al al al al-SamMam al-SamMam – Consultam – Consultam – Consultam – Consultam – Consultam Consultam – consultant consultant consultant
For his part, Dr. Al-Meghni welcomed the attendance and spoke about the importance of extracurricular activities in developing student awareness and producing cognitive thinking among students. He stressed the importance of learning about the historical culture of Palestine and the Old Town of Gaza and its references to Palestinian rights
In turn, Dr. Al-Astal noted the role of the Ewan Center in promoting Palestinian cultural identity and preserving cultural and historical heritage through local and external partnerships to guide and promote joint action to achieve its objectives
Dr. Hassan explained that targeting architecture students comes to empower students towards community engagement, and train them theoretically and practically on how to preserve archaeological heritage
For her part, Professor Samak emphasized the role of institutions in raising community awareness of the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of architecture, stressing that the Basma Society supports youth initiatives that serve Palestinian society
Engineer Balaoui gave a presentation explaining Palestine’s historical significance and its most prominent archaeological sites, moving on to the cultural heritage of the Gaza Strip and, consequently, the Old City of Gaza City and its various historical buildings
Dr. Al-Ghani gave a shield of thanks and appreciation to the Aiwan Centre in honor of their efforts in protecting the architectural heritage, and the Ewan Centre gave a book entitled “Preservation of Architecture”
The event included a field tour of a number of historical sites in the Old City of Gaza, including Bath al-Samra, Al-Qaysariyah, the Full School, and Al-Radwan Palace, which ended in the historic Al-Ghussein House, where a cultural competition was presented and a passport distributed to participants amid interaction and welcome