BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The Palestine Museum of Natural History at Bethlehem University opened its doors to the public on April 12. The museum, located in the southern West Bank, is one of the first museums of its kind in Palestine and the Arab world. The museum’s officials aim to turn it into a major center for research, teaching and development in biodiversity in Palestine.
Work on the museum began in 2014 when Mazin Qumsiyeh, the museum’s director and an expert on biodiversity, started to collect samples and scientific research from Palestine to identify and then categorize its natural biodiversity.