ST. HILARION, Gaza Strip (AP) —
The ruins of this ancient complex sit on dunes by the sea, a world away
from Gaza City's noise and bustle. Up in the sky, birds compete for
space with children's kites flying from a nearby farm.
St.
Hilarion's monastery, a reminder of the time in late antiquity when
Christianity was the dominant faith in what is now the Gaza Strip, is
one of many archaeological treasures scattered across this coastal
territory.
"Archaeology in Gaza is
everywhere," says French archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Humbert, who
excavated in the territory from 1995 to 2005. He says it was once a
"very rich oasis, with gardens, cities and you have settlements,
dwellings, fortresses, cities everywhere, everywhere."
The strip
of land on the Mediterranean, sandwiched by Israel and Egypt, is now
largely isolated, but once was a thriving crossroads between Africa, the
Levant and Asia.
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| A picture taken on November 28, 2010 shows a mosaic belonging to the
archeological site of the Saint Hilarion Monastery one of the largest
Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tel Umm al-Amr close to
Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. A haven of peace in a sea of
concrete that is the Gaza Strip, the crumbling remains of the Holy
Land’s oldest monastery are in danger of disappearing for lack of funds
to preserve them. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABED. |
 |
| BBC News The mosaic found at St Hilarion monastery is covered in sand when it is not being worked on to protect it from damage. |
Mosaic pavement in the choir of the early church, 2010
IN WMF JOURNAL
IN THE MEDIA
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