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Collections and Documentation Section:

This is the most important section in the museum. The section’s staff is responsible of documenting the museum’s collection on a software specialized for museum’s collections. It provides in-depth information about each piece. Moreover, each piece is maintained, stored and exhibited in the optimal possible way to preserve it and ensure its safety from any damage, caused by the passage of time and the physical and environmental changes surrounding the collections.

Conservation Laboratory

The conservation laboratory became functional after the completion of training specialized technicians by Italian experts in textiles restoration. This was part of the project for the rehabilitation of the museum, funded by the Italian association “Provincia di Pisa-Instituzione Centro Nord Sud”, during the period 2010-2012. The training comprised the techniques and mechanisms of textiles restoration following a practical and theoretical course.

The laboratory was equipped with various tools and materials required for textiles restoration and treatment. The lab technicians repair and treat all kinds of damage that attain different types of fabrics. During the past years, several ancient thobes were repaired, in addition to carpets that belonged to the museum’s collection.

Furthermore, the lab repaired damaged thobes and pieces of fabrics that belonged to other local entities.

Research Section

This section aims to conduct studies and researches, as well as to publish various books in the domain of Palestinian heritage and history in general, and Jerusalemite heritage in specific. It uses as a reference the collections of the Palestinian Folkloric Heritage Museum, the Jerusalemite manuscripts and photocopies of registers from the Shari’a (religious) court in Jerusalem.

Following are the publications of the Section:

An index of the manuscripts in Dar Isaaf al-Nashashibi Library, 2002
An introduction to the book “al-Insaf fi Masa’el al-Khilaf” (translated from German), 2006
Personalities of Jerusalem in the 20th Century, 2010
Dar al-Tifel al-Arabi Association, History & Present, 2012
History of Clothing Industry in Jerusalem, min al ghazel ila al kai, 2015
History of Printing in Jerusalem, 2017
Biography of Hind al-Husseini, 2017
Doctors of Jerusalem in the 20th Century, 2017
Marriage contracts in Jerusalem during the Ottoman Rule, 2017
Fountains of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in Jerusalem, 2018
Legal personalities in Jerusalem in the 20th Century, 2019
Seventy Years Serving Jerusalem, Dar al-Tifel al-Arabic Association, 2020
Pedagogics of Jerusalem in the 20th Century, under way
History of Arabic Libraries in Bait al Maqdes, 2nd edition, under way

Museum Workshop

The museum workshop started welcoming school students as of 2005, following the completion of the first phase of rehabilitation of the museum’s building and beginning of the trial operational period. After the last re-opening of the museum in 2012, the workshop was activated to become an important part of the museum’s tours for students of all ages. In the workshop, the students can produce a heritage art piece as a souvenir, inspired by modules from the museum’s exhibition.

The museum workshop seeks to consolidate and deepen the local and foreign audience’s knowledge of Palestinian heritage. This is achieved by organizing multitude of workshops and courses specialized in traditional handicrafts, such as embroidery, print on silk, and calligraphy, with the participation of artists, designers and individuals from the local community in cooperation with external entities and experts.

Programs and Public Relations Section

This section is responsible for preparing programs and activities that reflect the message and objectives of the Palestinian Heritage Museum, and that adapt to its continuous and changing expositions. It also seeks to promote networking with local and international stakeholders to implement its programs, through creating partnerships such as educational programs based on cultural exchange. For example, two projects “The American Alliance of Museums” were conducted in partnership with Minnesota Historical Center in 2014. A partnership was built with the National Arab-American Museum in 2016, where courses and workshops were conducted by the museum with specialists.

This section of the museum plays an important role in hosting book launching ceremonies, poetry readings, screening documentaries, and organizing markets for local artists/designers in cooperation with local entities such as the Jerusalem Tourism Cluster and Jerusalem Art Market. It also organizes cultural and musical events and festivals in cooperation with local and international associations, including al-Kamanjati Association and the Palestinian comedian Amer Zaher. It organizes lectures about various historical topics, and coordinates the museum’s fixed program for school tours. It receives touristic and official delegations and organizes their visits in the museum. The partnership programs in the museum compromise a collection of local exhibitions, such as: The exhibitions of Yabous Cultural Center within the Jerusalem Festival for Popular Arts held for several years, and joint exhibitions with the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit. Some of the international exhibitions include: An exhibition of a collection from the museum in Florence and Pisa in Italy, in addition to the “Palestinian