A new exhibition under the title “Patrimony in Peril” was launched at the Museum of Art and History (MAH) in Geneva. It included 44 pieces of archaeological artifacts from Gaza-confirmed amphoras, statuettes, vases, oil lamps, and figurines. These dated from the Bronze Age until the Ottoman era and a picture of daily, civil, and religious life within the region. The exhibition gives protection and support to such a culturally rich heritage stranded between the drastic conflict and destruction present in Gaza.
This collection, composed of more than 530 objects:
Has been kept in Geneva since 2007 because the political situation in Gaza is too fragile. Such conditions made impossible the safe return of the artifacts. Initially intended for an archaeological museum in Gaza, those artefacts have been stuck for 17 years in Switzerland, without any conditions to protect them in case of their return.
Objects from other conflict zones:
Also represented have included those from Sudan, Syria, and Libya. Additionally, this exhibition marks a special anniversary: the 70th anniversary of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property. It reminds the world community of the importance of cultural heritage to be protected, especially in areas of war and conflict, precisely where they are deliberately targeted with the view to erasing people’s identity and history.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
The conflict has caused massive destruction in Gaza’s cultural sites. To date, UNESCO has reported the destruction in 69 cultural sites in Gaza, including religious buildings, historical landmarks, and archaeological sites, since the Israel offensive after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Geneva in the meantime promised it would keep the artefacts as long as required; it kept protection until the situation allowed them to have those artefacts back.
