Securing historic rubble at Souq Al Qaisariya

Palestine

The Qaisariya Bazaar is a narrow covered passageway in the old quarter of Gaza City. Running along the southern edge of the Great Omari Mosque, it was long used as the city's gold trading market. In 2024 the bazaar was hit directly by an Israeli airstrike. Large holes opened along the length of the roof, the eastern gate was destroyed and buried, and structural cracks left several elements at risk of collapse. Rubble from the Omari Mosque, which was also bombed, weighed down and added pressure onto the weakened roof. Before withdrawing, Israeli forces additionally piled concrete rubble against the outer wall, further obstructing access.

With €25,850 from CER, CCHP worked alongside the Municipality of Gaza, United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and local shop owners to recover roughly 20 tons of historic rubble from inside and outside the site. Stones were lifted by hand and cart, classified by material and original position, and moved into secure storage on site for future restoration. The team then shored up vulnerable sections with wood and steel beams, repaired the sewage and rainwater drains, and installed protective coverings along the roof ahead of the rainy seasons.

Shop owners, displaced families, and Gazan expertise grounded the project, and returning residents were hired and paid to recover rubble and guard the site. For now, the bazaar remains protected from natural elements, with its historic fabric stored and documented by the community that depends on it, ready for full restoration once conditions allow for it.