Meet the man out to save Gaza's antiquities
Nafez Abed, one of Gaza’s most prolific sculptors, has been restoring Palestinian artifacts for almost 35 years, but his work receives limited recognition in the funding-deprived Gaza Strip, where tourists are rare.
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.
