3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank: When arriving in the West Bank to volunteer at the Excellence Center, one will be ready to explore the specific cultural venues that best give an overview to the history of Palestine and its people. As something of the current cultural capital of the West Bank, Ramallah is a good place to start, with nearby Birzeit extending the discovery trek.

Within this rather cosmopolitan region, three notable museums exist to introduce the essential story of Palestinian: The Yasser Arafat Museum, The Palestinian Museum, and The Mahmoud Darwish Museum.

  • The Yasser Arafat Museum

Opened on November 10th, 2016, 12 years after the noted leader’s death, The Yasser Arafat Museum is a sprawling campus on the former compound where he spent his final years. The Museum itself covers more than 100 years of Palestinian history from the period prior to World War I, through the Nakba and the formation of Israel in 1948, and up to Arafat’s death in Paris in 2004. 

The Museum is an interactive archival summation, offering an audio presentation (via headset and infrared receiver) in various languages, a thorough timeline of the region’s history from the late nineteenth century through the early part of the 21st, and recreations of Arafat’s living and office quarters throughout his life and career.

The latter is buttressed by key artifacts that denote the figure’s international presence through the years, including displays of the keffiyeh headscarves that became his trademark as well as the sunglasses that he wore in 1974 while speaking to the United Nations. This collection would not be complete without a display of the Nobel Peace Prize which Arafat received in 1994, awarded jointly with Israel’s Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin for their negotiations of the Oslo Accords.

The museum’s complex is a stately white building on expansive grounds and a short walk from the mausoleum where Arafat’s body is interred. The overall experience of the Arafat Museum is one of both reverence and historical review. Chris, a volunteer with the Excellence Center stated it thusly, “I think it’s the most thorough presentation of Palestine in the 20th century. I found it very compelling, and I intend to return to study the narrative in more detail.”

  • 3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank
  • 3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank
  • 3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank
  • 3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank
  • The Palestinian Museum.

Though opening in May 2016, The Palestinian Museum in Birzeit (just north of Ramallah) held its inaugural exhibition a year later in August of 2017. The museum is the flagship presentation of Taawon, a Palestinian non-governmental organization founded to promote Palestinian identity and culture. This Museum aims to discuss the past, present, and future of Palestine beyond geographical and political borders. Thusly a key focus is the mobility issues and limits faced by Palestinians in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resulting occupation.

The Museum is renowned for its network of cultural partnerships in the region and is a hub for the research and collaboration on cultural and historic initiatives regarding the Palestinian history, homeland, and diaspora. In fact, as a testament to its global influence, The Palestinian Museum has been a member of the esteemed International Council of Museums since its founding. 

Furthering this cultural significance, the Palestinian Museum received the important Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2019. Designed by architect Heneghan Peng who also designed the Grand Egyptian Museum, the institution is recognized for its fusion of aesthetics and environmental responsibility.

  • Mahmoud Darwish Museum.

As part of Mahmoud Darwish Foundation – the organization founded in 2008 to promote the legacy of author and cultural figure Mahmoud Darwish – The Mahmoud Darwish Museum is a grand tribute to Darwish’ literary and intellectual impact.

In addition to the lofty intellectual representations, the Museum contains specific articles belonging to Darwish, including his desk, his briefcase, and even his final boarding pass. The stellar grounds, a theater, and a notable Cityview round out the calming experience of the Museum – one keeping with the dignity and the simplicity of Darwish himself. While there are many articles and historical texts that can give a good overview of Palestinian history and experience, nothing can replace seeing these presentations in person. 

When Volunteers and interns arrive for their time at the Excellence Center, they will be well-served to visit The Yasser Arafat Musem, The Palestinian Museum and the Mahmoud Darwish Museum – three institutions that present the story of Palestine in informative and memorable fashion. We hope you enjoy reading 3 Important Cultural Museums in the West Bank.

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