Diala Al-Lahham and Sherin Shuebat, from the Department of Architecture at Al-Quds University, won first place in the International Architectural Competition for their thriving project of Revival of Displaced Palestinian Villages.

The projects presented in the contest were evaluated in the British capital, London, with the participation of a large number of Arab and Palestinian universities, while the winning project was the work of Al-Lahham and Shuaibat on reviving the ethnically-cleansed village of Al-Tantura in the Haifa District under the supervision of Dr. Ashraf Abu Hilal.

The project addressed the issues of the political situation, return, and reconstruction, by rejecting the Israeli narrative and presenting a new, optimistic design for the restoration of the land, compatible with the requirements of the new generation and matching the nature and location of the village of Tantura.

Regarding the choice of Tantora, Al-Lahham said, “We specifically chose this village to shed light on the massacre that befell it, in addition to its strategic location as it overlooks the coast, and consists of six islands and ancient Roman ruins, which makes it a tourist attraction.”

She added that the idea of the project was to commemorate the Tantura carnage that took place on May 23, 1948, and claimed the lives of 280 Palestinians”

For her turn, Shuebat noted that the Faculty of Engineering – Department of Architectural Engineering- highly supported the project in its various stages, adding: “The experience of reviving the village of Tantura is unique and has left a significant impact on us.”

It is noteworthy that The International Architectural Competition to Revitalize Displaced Palestinian Villages is organized annually, and it targets Palestinian architecture students around the world to select the best projects on the reconstruction of a Palestinian village destroyed in 1948.