Gaza heritage team seeks secure storage after rescuing 1,700 artefacts
The Mayasem Association says its Guardians of Heritage team has recovered more than 1,700 objects from four museum collections, but lacks the conditions and equipment for long-term conservation.
A Gaza heritage team says it has rescued more than 1,700 historical objects from four museum collections. Its next challenge is moving them from emergency storage to a stable environment where they can be protected over time.
The Guardians of Heritage team, part of the Mayasem Association for Culture and Arts, works from a tent in al-Mawasi. Assistant coordinator Shaimaa Mohammad al-Natour told Al Jazeera that the team records, photographs and stabilises recovered items using limited supplies.
Its work includes field surveys and responding to reports from residents who find artefacts among rubble. The team logs each item’s location and condition, assigns it a unique code and uses a policy of minimal intervention to avoid damaging original features.
Access is restricted to some objects, including those in areas near the “Yellow Line”, al-Natour said. The team is also planning to transfer recovered items to more secure locations, a process that requires checking records and crate contents and documenting the objects before and after transport.
The group says it needs controlled storage, specialised equipment and conservation materials, as well as training in preventive conservation and collection management. UNESCO is cited as reporting that at least 164 cultural sites in Gaza have been damaged since Israeli military operations began in October 2023.
The initiative also runs activities on heritage, traditional crafts and oral history with children, young people, women and displaced residents, according to al-Natour.
