GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Perched on the roof of a house in Al-Shati camp, west of Gaza City, is a small room with a tin roof and plastic windows. Palestinian sculptor Nafez Abed uses the room as a studio, where visitors are dazzled by the artifacts and sculptures, some of which his hands shaped dozens of years ago.

The 55-year-old sculptor’s talent emerged while he was detained in Israeli jails during the first intifada. Upon his release in 1989, he gradually began honing his craft until he became one of Gaza’s most talented sculptors.

His precision and professionalism in copying and restoring ancient artifacts inspired the Palestinian Authority to hire him in 1994 to work in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, where he advanced in rank until he became deputy director of the antiquities restoration department. His job took him to several countries, including France and Jordan, to benefit from the expertise there.

Abed’s modest workshop has been honored to host many international dignitaries, as well as the curator of the Geneva Museum, who was so impressed with Abed during a 2005 visit to Gaza that he invited him to live in Switzerland and work for the museum. But Abed rejected the offer, preferring to remain in Gaza and restore its artifacts.