Paul Calvert spoke with the director of The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation.



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Preserving Cultural Heritage In Bethlehem

Paul: How do you raise your finances?

Issam: We are a non-profit organisation working under the umbrella of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, but we are financially independent. We depend on donor support for implementing projects. Usually we fundraise and secure money from the international supporting communities such as EU countries and US aid. There are a lot of projects where we tackle the core financing from the local partners, and we are trying to encourage this sense more and more in the local community.

Paul: Are there a lot of empty buildings in Bethlehem?

Issam: Usually the buildings we restore are abandoned buildings and they have been abandoned for a long period. That is why these buildings could be deteriorated, or in bad conditions and in urgent need for restoration.

In Bethlehem for example, in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, we have identified more than 100 buildings that have been empty. That was two years ago and we are in the process of finding the partner organisation who is willing to use those buildings.

Today there is more awareness within the local community about the value of these buildings, and a lot of people now are trying to restore these buildings by themselves, by their own investment.

Paul: Do some of these buildings have a lot of archaeological history?

Issam: Most of these buildings are Ottoman buildings, and buildings related to the Ottoman period. Their age varies between 100 and 200 years old. These buildings are traditional ones, with the cross vault and a type of building that does not exist anymore. Having all these buildings in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour and other villages is an advantage, as they form the historical centre of the city and give value for these towns and villages.

Imagine Bethlehem without an historic town. In the past people used to come to visit Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and leave. Now people are interested to go in the historic town of Bethlehem and see architectural buildings, traditional life, and how people were living.

You can never imagine the historic Church of the Nativity without the historic adjacent town, because it will lose its identity. That's why in the year 2012 we have inscribed Bethlehem on the World Heritage list. The area that has been inscribed is the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage route that passes within the historic town. The whole historic town was considered a buffer zone for the Church of the Nativity.

Paul: Which areas of Bethlehem have you already renovated?

Issam: We have renovated several traditional buildings. Maybe we have renovated more than 15 traditional buildings in Bethlehem itself. In Beit Jala we have renovated something like four; in Beit Sahour we have renovated six or seven. In other villages like Al-Khader, Nahaleen, Hussan, and Battir, in each town we have renovated between one and three buildings. These buildings are spread in all these towns and villages and the historic towns. Our aim was at least to provide one sample of restored building in each village and town.

We have been able to reach most of the villages and towns in Bethlehem, and now we are building on the success stories that we have in selecting and identifying future projects.

Paul: Do you renovate in the traditional style from that period?