Amman: His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Sarvath El Hassan, attended the opening of a photographic exhibition and the launch of the book "Gaza, the Arab Gateway to the Sea: Memory and Art" on Tuesday evening.
According to Jordan News Agency, the exhibition features rare photographs and archaeological discoveries from French-Palestinian missions in Gaza spanning from 1995 to 2019. The initiative was overseen by Jean-Baptiste Humbert, an archaeologist with over fifty years of experience in the Middle East.
Organized by the Friends of Jordan Festivals association in collaboration with the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, the event saw the presence of ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom, as well as numerous cultural and diplomatic figures.
During his speech, Prince El Hassan reminisced about his previous visit to the Rescued Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History exhibition at the Arab World Institute in Paris. He noted that many artifacts on display were preserved thanks to their transfer from Gaza two decades ago to the Geneva Museum of Art and History. These artifacts, much like their Palestinian owners, remain displaced.
Prince El Hassan expressed that Palestinians have been deprived of the opportunity to develop a national archaeological excavation program, preventing them from narrating their own history. Consequently, archaeology has transformed from being a mere documentation of the past to an act of resistance against erasure.
He referenced Scottish historian William Dalrymple's observations on the reductive portrayal of Gaza and emphasized its historical significance as one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centers. Gaza has never been a peripheral city but a crucial gateway linking Africa and Asia to the Arab world, the Mediterranean, and Europe.
Reflecting on Gaza's urban development, Prince El Hassan described it as an ongoing historical dialogue, with layers spanning from the Bronze and Iron Ages to the Assyrian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods. He highlighted the port of Blakhiyeh in Beit Lahia, where Roman-era features were discovered, showcasing Gaza's historical role as a Mediterranean hub.
Prince El Hassan underscored the importance of viewing Gaza as a repository of memory, identity, and human history, rather than merely a scene of conflict. He urged for the protection of Gaza's cultural heritage as a vital part of humanity's shared legacy.