The Opening of the Old Hebron Museum

Hebron, 14 October 2021: UNESCO, Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC), the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities with the participation of local and international partners celebrated the inauguration of the Old Hebron Museum after completing the rehabilitation of the abandoned historic building of “Palestine Hotel”.
From the iconic “Palestine Hotel” to a museum with exhibitions envisaged to present stories from Hebron, Old Hebron Museum is poised to welcome local and international visitors. The premises overlooks the traditional and historic urban fabric of the Old Town of Hebron, which is inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage list since 2017.
In his opening remarks Mr. Göran Paulsson, the Head of the Swedish Development Cooperation highlighted the long history of Sweden’s support to the cultural heritage in Palestine and its role in job creation and the preservation of collective memory and identity. He stated that since its inception in 2012, the partnership between Sweden and UNESCO enabled the rehabilitation of 75 cultural heritage sites in various Palestinian localities with a total amount of over USD 18.29 million. The Old Hebron Museum now becomes on top of this list.
Ms. Noha Bawazir, UNESCO representative to Palestine described the museum building as a masterpiece that bears witness to the unique mission and principles of UNESCO, where architectural heritage conservation is connected to the safeguarding of the narratives of Hebron inhabitants, and the stories of the past and present. She added; to achieve this, UNESCO provided all the support needed to enable the museum’s operationalization.  Ms. Bawazir thanked all those who contributed to preserving this distinctive landmark and expressed her gratitude to Sweden for the continued support and generous donation over the past years.
The rehabilitation of the museum started in 2018, with generous funding from Sweden, as a showcase for Hebron’s rich history and contemporary life. UNESCO provided technical support to HRC in the comprehensive documentation of the building as well as in providing the museum’s design and museography, furniture and equipment in addition to supporting the preparation of its content.
In her closing remarks, H.E. Ms Rula Ma’ayeh highlighted that Hebron had been named as World Craft City in 2016, which indicates the rich experience the city can offer to its visitors, and the inauguration of the Old Hebron Museum, after years of neglect and abandonment, will definetly contribute to spreading a bright image of Hebron’s rich culture and history. H.E. also stressed the need to unite all efforts to bring life back inside the Old Town of Hebron and promote tourism there, stressing the Ministry's readiness for support and cooperation with all partners and stakeholders.
Participated in the inauguration the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; H.E. Ms. Rula Ma’aya, Head of Development Cooperation at the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem; Göran Paulsson, Governor of Hebron; Mr. Jibrin Al Bakri, Mayor of Hebron; Mr. Tayseer Abu Snieneh, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science; Dawas Dawas and UNESCO Representative and Head of Ramallah Office; Ms. Noha Bawazir. The ceremony was moderated by the General Director of Hebron Rehabilitation Committee; Mr. Imad Hamdan.

The Opening of the Old Hebron Museum

Old Hebron Museum