NAGHAM KARAJEH

Gaza- 31-year-old Najla Abu Lahia collected artifacts for two years and then started a museum named “Al Qarara Cultural Museum” in the town of al-Qarara located in the south of the Gaza Strip. She started the museum especially in al-Qarara because the town is an ancient town. “I find some rare artifacts buried underground or kept by old people in the town,” she told NuJINHA.

A separate space to display the jewelry used before the Nakba

At the museum, many artifacts including Canaanite pottery, Roman coins, Byzantine mosaics, Crusader swords, turn-of-the-19th-century farming equipment, copper cookware, and traditional embroidered Palestinian thobe dresses, have been displayed. Najla Abu Lahia has reserved a special space to display the jewelry used by women before the Nakba.

‘I have collected more than 3,000 items

“I have collected more than 3,000 items of Gazan heritage and history since I started collecting them,” Najla Abu Lahia, studied art and archaeology at Gaza University.

“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.”