the Ottoman Empire from the sixteenth century until 1917.
The 1948 war that established Israel, transformed the Gaza Strip from a minor port and agricultural hinterland into one of the most overcrowded places on Earth.
An Israeli blockade imposed on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control in 2007, high unemployment rates and UN funding cuts have exacerbated conditions for Gaza’s nearly two million residents.
Division of labour
The core team behind Gaza’s new digital archive includes al-Sallaq and civil engineer Mayar Humaid. For the past seven years, they have committed their time and money towards the project.
“We started the project using our own funds in 2014, but after receiving a local prize in 2016 we expanded our work and team,” said al-Sallaq, referring to a $10,000 award granted by Swiss-based NGO Taawon Foundation.
A-Sallaq has since hired a group of photographers, graphic designers, IT experts and more civil engineers to set up the platform.
The team divides various tasks including researching, collating and documenting historical details, and filming and photographing each site for the archive.
With a website, mobile application and Instagram page to update, the team has its fair share of work to do.
“All the information we collect is uploaded onto the website with a photo, video and description of the historical site provided,” said Humaid, who is responsible for updating the Instagram page “Kanaan Ps”.
Despite the team’s efforts, the website remains under construction and the mobile application needs further updates.
While the team is proud of what it has achieved so far, al-Sallaq said it faced challenges every step of the way, especially when trying to access historic sites that fall within restricted areas.
“Although we have authorisation from the ministry of tourism to conduct our field visits in Gaza, we can’t reach areas along the border [with Israel] due to security reasons,” said Humaid.
“The border sites are located underground in areas Israel calls ‘the underground city’,” she said, referring to a network of tunnels that Israel alleges Palestinians have used to smuggle commercial goods into Gaza, as well as weapons to armed groups.
Initially, Kanaan only focused on documenting Gaza’s historic buildings and sites. In recent years, the project has moved towards artefacts as well.
But to do so, the team has needed a three-dimensional printer and camera, which according to al-Sallaq, Israel bans the import of because of restrictions on “dual-use” products – things that can allegedly be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Instead of giving up on the idea, however, al-Sallaq hired a mechatronics specialist to design a 3D printer for the project. “And he succeeded,” she said, explaining that Kanaan can now document smaller objects.
According to Humaid, the project has encouraged people to help protect and restore historical buildings and sites in Gaza.
“A group of artists were inspired by our work and started initiatives to rehabilitate some of the historical buildings we documented,” said Humaid.
Among them is the Al-Kamalia School, established in the heart of the Old City in 1237 to accommodate students of religious knowledge and poor members of the community.
Named after the Ayyubid sultan, Al-Kamil, the school is an important example of the influence that the Ayyubid dynasty – founded by Salahdin and that ruled parts of Egypt, Syria and Iraq during the late 12th and early 13th centuries – had over Gaza.
Bringing together a group of volunteer artists, Abdallah al-Ruzi, 38, helped restore the old school as part of an initiative called Mobaderoon.
“We knew Al-Kamalia School was an historic building, but with the help of Kanaan we were able to identify its exact name and historical significance,” al-Ruzi told Al Jazeera.
Ruzi said while Mobaderoon was keen on restoring other historic sites in Gaza, they were struggling with a lack of funds.
According to Jamal Abu Raida, director general of antiquities at Gaza’s ministry of tourism, the two initiatives have helped support the role of the mi