Its
walls collapsed and its minaret cut short, Gaza’s Omari mosque remains
standing but vastly diminished. Around it, the historic old city is also
in tatters. The 7th-century mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of
Gaza, was Gaza’s most famous and its surroundings a focal point of the
Palestinian enclave’s history and culture, but the damage done to its
heritage over more than 100 days of Israeli bombardment spreads across
the city.
For the few Palestinians who remain,
and the far greater number displaced and hoping to return, the culture
and history has been reduced to memories.
“The
city is a ghost town, people walk around with pale faces and their
spirits are tired after having gone through this war. If you walk to the
old city of Gaza,
you will only remember the memories and feel sickened and saddened by
the amount of destruction of cultural and religious sites,” said Bader
Alzaharna, who lives in Gaza City despite the intensity of Israel’s
ground operation in the area.
“The old city of
Gaza, which used to be full of cultural sites, is grey and overcast.
Walking in Gaza feels like we are in a movie, in a fictional story, in a
fantasy. The scene is apocalyptic.”
Unesco,
the UN agency responsible for protecting culture, says it has verified
damage to at least 22 sites, including mosques, churches, historical
homes, universities, archives and the archeological site of Anthedon Harbour, Gaza’s first known seaport... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/04/everything-beautiful-has-been-destroyed-palestinians-mourn-a-city-in-tatters
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