Barqa Museum in Nablus collects Palestinian heritage
A family of collectors from Nablus has single-handedly created a museum of more than 5,000 pieces that reflect Palestine’s heritage since the Canaanite period.
NABLUS, West Bank — Northwest of Barqa, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Nablus, lies a private museum that brings together more than 5,000 historical objects that were collected by a Palestinian family over a period of nearly half a century.
The History Museum of Palestine, or the Barqa Museum as city residents call it, houses everyday items once used by Palestinians, such as old coins, pottery and manuscripts that date back to Canaanite, Roman, Byzantine, Greek, Islamic, Mamluk and Ottoman eras.
It also houses a library that includes over 1,200 books on the ancient civilizations of Palestine.
“The two-story museum founded over 40 years ago is 150 square meters [1,614 square feet],” Muntasser Salah, the owner of the Barqa Museum, told Al-Monitor.
