‘Quds Memory’: A Visual Archive Preserving Palestinian History and Heritage
IQNA – The “Quds Memory” collection offers a comprehensive visual record of Palestine’s architectural, social and cultural history, bringing together historical photographs dating from the late 19th century to the present day.
Compiled over decades of research and documentation by Jordanian historian Mohammad Hashem Ghosheh, the project aims to preserve Palestinian heritage and pass it on to future generations.
The collection traces Palestine’s history from the Ottoman era through the British Mandate and Jordanian rule to the Palestinian resistance and the political and social transformations that have shaped the country.
The extensive archive contains carefully selected historical photographs gathered by Ghosheh and added to the Anadolu Agency’s archive, making them accessible to the public, researchers and those interested in the history of Quds and Palestine.
From Displacement to Preserving Palestinian Heritage
Ghosheh links his research project to his personal experience of Quds and displacement. His family was forced to leave the city in 1954, following the 1948 Nakba, when large numbers of Palestinians were forcibly uprooted from their land. The family later settled in Kuwait.
Israel’s occupation of East Quds in 1967 further prevented the family from returning to the city.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ghosheh described the pain of years spent away from his homeland.
“Quds and Palestine were not just our homeland; they were our future, our past and our heart. Until 1994, our return to Quds and Palestine was prohibited,” he said.
After returning to Quds in 1994, Ghosheh began a new chapter of his life, dedicating his efforts to exploring the city, documenting its landmarks and researching its history.
“I began a new life, embarking on research aimed at documenting every historical monument in Quds and republishing the history of Quds and Palestine based on my field research and the primary sources I had been working on,” he said.
Preserving Heritage as a Responsibility to Future Generations
Ghosheh believes that a historian’s responsibility extends beyond recording past events to safeguarding heritage and civilization and passing them on to future generations.
“We must continue writing about our heritage, history and civilization, because without our heritage, we cannot find our future,” he said.
He expressed his belief that Palestinians would one day return to their homeland, stressing that future generations have the right to find their heritage and history preserved. He described this as one of the most important responsibilities of historians.
Ghosheh also emphasized the importance of publishing research on Palestinian history in different languages so that it can reach universities and research centers around the world.
“We must write our own story, preserve it and deliver it to research centers in the United States, Europe and elsewhere in the world. Preserving our story is a major battle,” he said.
Documenting Historic Sites in Gaza and Quds
Over nearly 30 years of research and work, Ghosheh has documented a substantial number of historic Islamic and Christian landmarks in Gaza and Quds.
His work includes architectural drawings and plans detailing the facades, cross-sections and structures of various historic Palestinian sites, particularly in Gaza and Quds. Many of these landmarks have since been damaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks.
Among the sites he identified are the Great Omari Mosque and the Sayyid Hashem Mosque in Gaza, both of which now require restoration. Historic churches, Ibn Marwan Mosque, other mosques across the Gaza Strip, shrines, historic schools and old caravanserais are also included.
Ghosheh said his role as a historian is to produce architectural studies of these sites and document them accurately, preserving their historical records and helping transmit knowledge of them to future generations.
Historical Photographs Reveal Palestinian Life and Architecture
Ghosheh places particular importance on historical photography, considering it a fundamental source for studying Palestine’s history and heritage. Photographs reveal details of everyday life, customs, traditions and architectural development that written records alone may not capture.
According to Ghosheh, travelers visiting Palestine from the 19th century onward often carried cameras and photographed different parts of the country. These images later helped researchers uncover important aspects of Palestinian history that could not have been fully understood through written documents alone.
The photographs reveal not only the evolution of Palestinian architecture but also the lifestyles, customs and traditions of the population.
The “Quds Memory” collection comprises five volumes.
Source: Anadolu
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