Fadel al-Utol
Fadel al-Utol | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 (age 43–44) |
| Citizenship | Palestinian |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Years active | 1995–present[1] |
Fadel al-Utol (b. 1981) is a Palestinian archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of Gaza. He has been involved in various excavations in the Gaza Strip since becoming interested in archaeology as a teenager. He has campaigned for the preservation of Gaza's historic sites and during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip he documented the damage it caused them.
Fadel al-Utol was born in 1981 in the Al-Shati refugee camp.[2] Al-Utol first became involved with archaeology as a teenager in the 1990s, when he asked archaeologists working at Anthedon if he could take part. He was supported by Jean-Baptiste Humbert, who led the investigations at Anthedon, and helped al-Utol take part in training outside Gaza.[3] Later in the 1990s, al-Utol was part of the team that conducted excavations at Saint Hilarion Monastery near Deir al-Balah, working on the Byzantine church.[4] For al-Utol, archaeology is a form of resistance: "I remember that when I was little I resisted the occupation by throwing stones, but today I resist the Israeli occupation, peacefully, by preserving the remains of ancient civilisations, which are much older than the creation of Israel".[5]
In 2017, Hamas began bulldozing Tell es-Sakan, a Bronze Age settlement near al Zahra. Al-Utol led protestors campaigning to stop building work.[6][7] Al-Utol was part of the team excavating the Ard-al-Moharbeen necropolis – a Roman site in the north of the Gaza Strip – which was discovered in 2022. When the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip began in October 2023 Al-Utol closed the archaeological site and evacuated his family south to Rafah where they lived in tents.[8] During the conflict, al-Utol documented the impact on Gaza's archaeological and cultural sites. As well as his own first-hand accounts, he gathered accounts from a group of volunteers.[9] Following the ceasefire in January 2025, thousands of Palestinians who had been displaced by the war began to return home; al-Utol and his family made the journey home to Gaza City on foot. Along the way, he documented the damage to the Byzantine Church of Jabalia – a site he had previously worked at.[10]
References
- ^ Malik, Nesrine (2 August 2024). "The Gaza archaeologist: Inflation is 500% – and the tents are like an oven". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Imbert, Louis (2022-11-18). "'Gaza is a man who cries and doesn't want to say so': The enclave from North to South, a crossing between sea and wall". Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Snaije, Olivia (25 January 2024), "The Past Is Being Destroyed in Palestine — As Well as the Present", New Lines Magazine, retrieved 24 February 2025
- ^ Fadel. Archéologie entre oubli et résistance...! [Fadel. Archaeology between oblivion and resistance...!]. 28 February 2020. Event occurs at 01:35. Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Fadel. Archéologie entre oubli et résistance...! [Fadel. Archaeology between oblivion and resistance...!]. 28 February 2020. Event occurs at 02:45. Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Akram, Fares (6 October 2017). "In Gaza, Hamas levels an ancient treasure". AP News. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Smith, Bernard (29 October 2017). "Bronze Age site in Gaza endangered by desperate need for housing". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Geranpayeh, Sarvy (29 February 2024). "Dreams of rebuilding Gaza: five culture workers share their stories". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ "Gaza's archaeology experts say enclave's historic treasures saved by 'irony of history'". Times of Israel. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ "Heritage first: Archaeological update from Northern Gaza", Everyday Orientalism, 29 January 2025, ISSN 2635-215X, retrieved 24 February 2025