🔵 Press Release: The Exhibition “Treasures Saved from Gaza: 5,000 Years of History”

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Geneva Museum of Art and History and the Palestinian National Authority, and with the support of the Aliph Foundation, brings together 130 archaeological masterpieces that bear witness to the richness and fragility of Gaza’s heritage. Among these treasures, a spectacular Byzantine mosaic from Abu Baraqeh illustrates Gaza’s importance as a strategic crossroads since antiquity.

The exhibition also features rare artifacts from the Franco-Palestinian excavations that began in 1995, as well as artifacts from Jawdat Khoudary’s private collection, on display for the first time in France. A dedicated section will focus on the challenges of preserving cultural heritage in times of war, featuring an overview of Gaza’s cultural heritage today, recent studies, a catalog of archaeological discoveries, and previously unpublished photographs of the city from the early 20th century.

Thanks to the support of its partners, this exhibition puts Gaza’s millennia-old history into perspective while raising awareness of the need to protect its heritage. Through this initiative, L’Œuvre d’Orient reaffirms its commitment to preserving the cultural and spiritual roots of the peoples of the East in the face of contemporary challenges.

L’Œuvre d’Orient is a French nonprofit organization under the 1901 law, recognized as serving the public interest, which has been working for 170 years to support Christians in the Near and Middle East, serving the entire population (education, health, culture). Before the events, approximately 1,000 Christians lived in Gaza. L’Œuvre d’Orient regularly supported several projects, including the four Christian schools that educated more than 2,000 students, over 98% of whom were Muslim. 

These schools fostered a valuable spirit of coexistence. Since October 2022, L’Œuvre d’Orient has been providing support