The Old City Revival Program at Al-Taawon (Welfare Association) has concluded a specialized training course titled "Introduction to Historical and Architectural Development in Palestine." The course included 3 theoretical lectures totaling 9 training hours, delivered by Dr. Nazmi Al-Ju'beh via the Zoom platform, and a practical component consisting of two field tours.
The first field tour took place in the Old City of Jerusalem and its surroundings, visiting major historical and religious landmarks, led by the specialized guide, Hisham Al-Khatib. The course was attended by 33 participants from various specializations, with the field tours limited to participants able to access Jerusalem.
The course aimed to introduce participants to basic terminology in the field of cultural heritage and link it to the Palestinian context. Emphasis was placed on the importance of heritage for identity and economic development in Palestine and its position within a broader framework encompassing the Levant and the Mediterranean basin. It also reviewed the development of historical architecture in Palestine as a fundamental component of the civilizational landscape, focusing on the influence of environment and geographical identities, and presented diverse architectural models across different historical periods up to 19th-century architecture, to illustrate architectural identity, diversity, and unity in each era.
The field visits complemented the theoretical lectures by exploring key landmarks in the Old City and its surroundings, identifying the features of each historical period. The first tour included visits to major sites within and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound: Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the Double Gate, the Eastern Terraces / Marwani Musalla, the Iron Gate (Bab Al-Hadid), the Gate of Mercy and Repentance (Bab Al-Rahmah wa Al-Tawbah), Dar Al-Qonsol, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The second tour included visits to the Mount of Olives: the German Lutheran Church of the Ascension, the elevator, the Mount of Olives overlook, the Church of Dominus Flevit, the Church of Gethsemane, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, structures and tombs in the Valley of Hinnom, as well as the Umayyad Palaces, the Nabi Dawud (Prophet David) Mosque complex, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and the Nabi Dawud Gate.
Participants emphasized the importance of the course and the information covered in the theoretical lectures, expressing the need for more courses to educate about the history and historical/religious sites in Palestine in general and Jerusalem in particular. They also suggested that future field visits should encompass different areas in Palestine.
Engineer Fatima Manasra stated that her participation was an extremely useful and enriching experience, thanking the Foundation for its continuous efforts and unwavering support.
Mr. Majed Khayal expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the lecturer and the Foundation for the management, organization, and follow-up. He noted the necessity of advertising such courses through multiple communication channels to extend the benefit to all interested individuals from across the Arab world and beyond, as the historical and architectural dimension of Palestine is an important topic of interest to many followers of the Palestinian cause.
Engineer Enas Abu Shalbayeh expressed her thanks and appreciation to Dr. Nazmi Al-Ju'beh, the engineers of the Revitalization Program, and the Taawon Foundation, wishing success for the "Qudsi" project.
This course is part of a series of training courses organized by the Jerusalem Program for the Revitalization of Old Cities within Al-Taawon (Welfare Association), under the project "Quality Urban Development and Sustainable Interventions - Rehabilitation for Revitalization" (QUDSI-R4R). The project is funded by the European Union through the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in the Arab Region (UN-Habitat) and is partially implemented by the Jerusalem Program for the Revitalization of Old Cities at Al-Taawon (Welfare Association).
