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Gaza: how to save and pass on an endangered heritage, the Intiqal Initiative

Physical location
Room 1, 1st floor - ENSAPLV - Site Ardennes, 23 rue des Ardennes, 75019 Paris

© R. Elter/PUI /EBAF, 2022-23

Conference in French open to all, organized by teacher Brent Patterson as part of IEHM EXPLO812 “Patrimoine en danger – documenter, diagnostiquer, protéger, préserver, réparer” (M1)

Presentation of the Intiqal program, which has trained around a hundred young archaeologists and architects from Gaza in all aspects of research, restoration and enhancement for transmission in conflict zones. One team reached international level to uncover the mosaics of the Saint-Hilarion monastery. Today, the team continues to monitor archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip. With Unesco having listed the sites as World Heritage and Heritage in Danger, the Intiqal program is ready to take stock of the situation, save what can be saved and restore what can be restored. This work was recently presented at the Trésors Sauvés de Gaza exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe and in the book, Gaza comment transmettre le patrimoine (Riveneuve 2025).
  

Biographical details
René Elter is an archaeologist and research associate at the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem and the Institut Français du Proche Orient. Since 2002, he has directed the research and development program for the Saint Hilarion monastery in the Gaza Strip. Scientific coordinator of the Intiqal initiative for the NGO Première Urgence Internationale, he runs a number of training programs in archaeology and the heritage professions, and develops projects involving emergency rescue operations and the preservation of the Gaza Strip’s important heritage.

Event