Archaeologists excavate monastery to reveal Gaza Strip’s ancient lineage

Away from the ongoing violence, researchers uncover the vestiges of Palestine’s Byzantine past

An archaeologist looks at the site of an ancient Byzantine monastery on Monday, near Nusseirat in the Gaza Strip. A mere 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Gaza City, after a short drive through lush vineyards, one discovers the stunning site of an ancient Byzantine monastery whose first church is believed to have been erected at the end of the fourth century AD. The site was first excavated by the Palestinian Authority in 1998, four years after it took control of the Gaza Strip.

By Sophie Claudet - Agence France-Presse

NUSSEIRAT, Gaza Strip - Just a short drive outside Gaza City, through lush vineyards, Palestinian and French archaeologists are excavating a remarkable Byzantine monastery which they hope will draw tourists once the violence is over.

The site, whose first church is believed to have been erected at the end of the fourth century AD, was first excavated by the Palestinian Authority in 1998, four years after it took control of the Gaza Strip.

“But the Israeli army stumbled on the site when it was still occupying the area, although the Israelis did not carry out proper digs,” explained Abdelaziz Midan, the site’s archaeological supervisor.

The current works, mainly intended to uncover the remaining 20 percent of the large monastery that spans one and a half hectares (3.7 acres) in the middle of the Gaza Strip, are being undertaken by a French delegation of experts and financed by the French Consulate in Jerusalem.

“We are working closely with the Palestinians at the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry,” said Rene Elter, who heads the French cooperation mission.

“We bring them our expertise and benefit in return from their prior knowledge of the site,” he said.

Midan could not agree more: “We greatly benefit from this cooperation by learning more about the significance of the site, by having access to technologies and an expertise we do not have or cannot afford.” Once the entire site is uncovered and its remarkable mosaics are restored, Palestinians hope to turn part or all of the site into a museum — with French help.

“There are no tourists now, but they will be back one day,” says Ahmed Abdelrahman, who is responsible for the site’s excavation.

Pupils and local inhabitants are already drawn to the site, attracted by its beauty and originality in the otherwise battered and impoverished Gaza Strip.

To Elter, the site is of great importance on more than one account.

“The monastery was originally built around the remains of Saint Hilarion, who settled here as a hermit. With him started the construction of monasteries throughout historical Palestine.” Saint Hilarion, of Greek descent, was born in Gaza in AD 329 and fled to Cyprus when his secluded hermitage was overrun by monastic followers. Although he died there, his remains were brought back to Gaza around AD 370.

“Until the eighth century, this site was a mandatory resting and worshiping area for pilgrims coming from Jerusalem on their way to the Sinai,” he said.

North of the monastery, vestiges of a hostel and the well-preserved remains of a hamam, or Turkish bath, with marble tubs, large pools, and a sophisticated plumbing network still stand.

Elter attaches special value to this site because “it links Palestinians to ancient history, to their roots and ancestors. In fact, the Byzantines are more of their ancestors than they are ours,” he adds.

The Nusseirat site, 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Gaza City, is one of the many Byzantine sites on the Gaza Strip, which also housed a large Roman city and port, rivaling Alexandria.

“Egyptians, Persians and Greeks also once inhabited the Gaza Strip. The oldest vestige ever found here dates back 3,500 years and is Egyptian,” said Elter.

Midan and Abdelrahman noted that Palestine and its indigenous Canaanite people were always occupied but that “some occupations were much better than others. The rulers were changing but the population stayed pretty much the same,” says Midan, who could not help drawing his colleagues’ attention to an F-16 Israeli warplane streaking over the site.

“It’s surreal working here because we’re cut off from reality, except for a few reminders when we hear bombings, shootings and planes in the distance,” says Elter.

Meanwhile, Palestinian workers are busy uncovering and cleaning newly found mosaics whose tints of blue, red, green and ocher are wonderfully intact.

Previously discovered mosaics feature delicate drawings of animals, birds, fountains and flowers.

In the center of the site lie three floors of mosaics with intricate geometric patterns on which the last of the three churches that have been discovered so far was built.

Elter is confident that yet another church will be discovered under the mosaics, one dating back to Saint Hilarion’s times.