French-Palestinian Heritage Workshop Sets Goals

A joint Palestinian-French workshop plans to publish a book called “Hyper Heritage” that will define Palestinian heritage, its components and challenges.

The Birzeit University Department of Architectural Engineering, in cooperation with the Palestinian National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, University of Paris 8 and Cnam Paris Centre held on December 17-18, 2013 a workshop entitled: "The role of digital media in heritage conservation."

The workshop is part of a UNESCO-funded campaign to encourage and promote the use of modern technology in preserving and documenting heritage.

Palestinian institutions at the workshop also presented their experiences in the field of heritage preservation, including the establishment of a digital library for elements of Palestinian heritage and traditions.

Participants also agreed to conduct an analytical study of three sites, the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, Thaheriyeh town of Hebron and the old town of Taybeh and to choose one as a case study. Finally, a master's degree program that benefits from the French experience will be offered in collaboration with the Arab American University in Jenin.