Securing the rubble at the Dome of Dar Al Saada and evacuating historic manuscripts

Palestine

Dar al Saada is a 13th century example of Mamluk masonry in Gaza City. CISS had only just completed the restoration of its dome, adapting the building into a cultural centre where the recently conserved manuscript collection of the Great Omari Mosque was to be displayed. The collection holds 188 catalogued manuscripts across 2,152 pages, most written in the early, middle, and late Ottoman eras, with the oldest dated back from 14th century CE. The dome was struck down again in Israel’s assault on Gaza, leaving the manuscripts buried beneath rubble and solid waste later dumped on the site.

With a CER grant of €27,313, CISS worked with the Municipality of Gaza to secure the site and recover its artefacts. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) cleared it of explosive hazards, and the area was flagged as a protected humanitarian site through OCHA's Humanitarian Notification System before any work began. The team documented the ruin photographically, fenced it, and posted two guards on twelve-hour shifts for a month to prevent further losses. The municipality removed the solid waste, and the stones of the dome were moved to a designated humanitarian site in Gaza City, where they were handled, cleaned, and stored for eventual reconstruction. Working alongside them, national conservators searched the rubble for the remaining manuscripts, adding on to the 30 already salvaged before this operation.

The dome's masonry and the manuscript collection are now held together in Gaza’s municipal custody awaiting reconstruction when possible.