The Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University Opens the New Academic Year by Documenting Moroccan Presence

Jerusalem - Afaq News - The Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University opened the new academic year with a scientific seminar titled "The Moroccan Heritage and Endowments in Jerusalem and Palestine: Evidence of Presence and Extended Memory," with the participation of the director in charge of managing the Al-Quds Bayt Mal Agency, Mohamed Salem Al-Sharqawi, and the President of Al-Quds University, Prof. Imad Abu Kishk, along with a number of researchers and academics.

The seminar highlighted the importance of documenting the heritage and endowments associated with the Moroccan presence in Jerusalem and Palestine, cataloging their landmarks and sources of documentation, and studying the transformations they have undergone, which contributes to the transition from scattered knowledge to organized scientific documentation of the Moroccan memory in the holy city and Palestine.

The scientific discussion addressed the importance of documents, endowment deeds, records, images, maps, and narratives related to Moroccan heritage and endowments, along with the challenges facing the documentation of landmarks that have undergone changes or have been lost, and ways to employ digital archiving, databases, and modern technologies in preserving material and documentary memory.

Participants also explored ways to enhance cooperation between academic, cultural, and archival institutions, and to develop specialized scientific projects to catalog, document, and study Moroccan heritage and endowments in Jerusalem and Palestine, making this historical resource available to researchers and future generations, and integrating the study of heritage, endowment, document, and memory within more organized research projects.

Al-Sharqawi: The Moroccan Studies Chair is a space for knowledge production and memory documentation.

Mohamed Salem Al-Sharqawi, the director in charge of managing the Al-Quds Agency for the Welfare of Jerusalem, stated that the interest in scientific and cultural research related to Jerusalem falls within the continuous care that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, President of the Al-Quds Committee, gives to the city and its people, and His Majesty's keenness to protect its cultural identity and preserve its memory.

He emphasized that the uniqueness of the Moroccan Studies Chair lies in its location within the city of Jerusalem, which grants it a distinguished scientific position to work on issues related to Jerusalem and Palestine, as well as to open up studies on the Moroccan presence in the Levant and its historical and cultural relations there.

Al-Sharqawi expressed his hope to continue developing the chair's role as a space for knowledge production and documenting the Moroccan memory in Jerusalem, Palestine, and the Levant, and to expand the partnership between the agency and the university towards scientific, educational, and cultural projects that serve Jerusalem and its people and enhance its presence in the fields of research and knowledge.

Abu Kask: Scientific research is a tool for preserving the cultural heritage of Jerusalem.

For his part, the President of Al-Quds University, Dr. Imad Abu Kask, affirmed the importance of the seminar in highlighting the historical Moroccan presence in Jerusalem and Palestine, and enhancing the role of scientific research in documenting and preserving this cultural heritage, pointing out that its organization reflects the importance of the partnership between Al-Quds University and the Al-Quds Agency for the Welfare of Jerusalem, and their shared interest in supporting Jerusalem and enhancing its presence in scientific and cultural research.

Abu Kask praised the efforts of the Moroccan Studies Chair in organizing scientific events that contribute to deepening knowledge of the Moroccan presence in Jerusalem, emphasizing the university's commitment to continue supporting academic initiatives that serve the holy city, preserve its memory, and enhance scientific research about it.

Nasser Al-Din: Preserving memory requires documenting it and making it available to future generations.

For her part, Dr. Safaa Nasser Al-Din, the head of the Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University, explained that the seminar comes within the chair's interest in documenting the Moroccan presence in Jerusalem and Palestine, transitioning from scattered knowledge to documented and organized scientific knowledge, which opens the door for developing future research projects in the fields of inventory, documentation, archiving, and digitization.

She affirmed that preserving memory is not limited to safeguarding landmarks, but also includes producing knowledge about them and making it available to researchers and future generations, pointing out that the Moroccan artifacts and endowments in Jerusalem and Palestine do not merely represent buildings or properties of historical value, but rather constitute material and documentary evidence of an extended Moroccan presence, linked to religious, social, cultural, and educational roles in the holy city.

Research interventions on impact, endowment, and memory.

The researchers during the seminar addressed several issues related to the Moroccan presence; Dr. Abdul Razak Matani presented a paper titled "The Moroccan Presence in Jerusalem and Palestine - The Impact, Endowment, and Humanity," in which he discussed the aspects of the Moroccan presence and its historical and social dimensions, along with the endowments, landmarks, and community roles associated with it.

Dr. Samer Raddad also presented a paper titled "The Geography of Moroccan Memory in Jerusalem: Between Presence and Exclusion," in which he discussed the relationship between place and memory, and what the landmarks associated with the Moroccan presence reflect in terms of historical and cultural significance.

The Chair of Moroccan Studies at Al-Quds University was established on March 2, 2025, at the initiative of the Al-Quds Bayt Mal Agency, in collaboration with the university and the Moroccan Cultural Center Association - Bayt Al-Maghrib.

The chair is concerned with studying and documenting the historical, cultural, and human relations between Morocco and Jerusalem and Palestine, and transforming this shared heritage into an organized field for research, education, and knowledge production.