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Saturday, November 7, 2009

Palestinian mosaic restoration project

PA tourism minister surveys mosaic restoration project

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khouloud Daibes visited the Riwayah museum in the Bethlehem Peace Center on Saturday to check on the progress of a mosaic restoration project set to launch next month.

The mosaics, set chronologically, will narrate the history of Palestine through the lens of Bethlehem from its development under the Byzantine empire through to the Mamluk period. The project will become a permanent fixture of the museum.

The museum is a continuing project under the wing of UNESCO in cooperation with Minister Daibes, the Municipality of Bethlehem and the Peace Center. The mosaic exhibition is funded by Norway, as part of the mandate of the museum to offer long term-exhibitions of historical and scientific interest.

The museum one day hopes to hold comprehensive archives of the ancient, medieval and modern history of Bethlehem, offering interactive audio-visual aides for researchers, students and visitors to learn more about the rich past of the city, its people and their culture.

“In a time when Palestinian heritage is being threatened by the Israeli occupation and the Jeudization of Palestine's historic sites, particularly in Jerusalem, the Riwayah museum is one essential element in connecting and maintaining our Palestinian past with our Palestinian future," Daibes said.

Its location in Bethlehem's Manger Square, Daibes stressed, gives the museum the unique ability to highlight the millenia of history all around the square, from Byzantine to Mamluk and Ayyubid, with the Nativity church on its right, and the Mosque of Omar on its left, overlooking hills of full of historic homes and monuments. "The museum will be a testament to the diversity of Bethlehem's past, and will contribute to the preservation of that past and its place in our global and human heritage."

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