This exhibition came as a result of the continued cooperation between Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University (FSMVU) in Istanbul and the International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC) in Jerusalem. It brought a holistic image of Al-Quds to the Turkish audience; its past, present and future. This exhibition was made possible by the generous sponsorship of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Jerusalem, or Al-Quds as it is known in...
This exhibition came as a result of the continued cooperation between Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University (FSMVU) in Istanbul and the International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC) in Jerusalem. It brought a holistic image of Al-Quds to the Turkish audience; its past, present and future. This exhibition was made possible by the generous sponsorship of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Jerusalem, or Al-Quds as it is known in Arabic, is an ancient city, holy to the three monotheistic faiths: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Its monuments, the Dome of the Rock and the Holy Sepulcher, are recognized the world over. Al-Quds has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times; the legacy of this history is apparent in the city’s stones, in layers of Canaanite, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman construction standing side by side.
Beyond the pilgrimage sites, iconic skylines and vistas there lies a real city, where people carry out their daily lives, going to school, driving to work and visiting family. However, Jerusalem is not an open city, and these journeys are interrupted every day by the separation wall, snaking through neighborhoods, dividing them, and by checkpoints and road blocks, both permanent and temporary.
“Jerusalem at the Crossroads” is an exhibition which showed life in Jerusalem from a Palestinian point of view, depicting the daily suffering but also the culture and history of the great city. It showed part of the Ottoman influence through the architecture and monuments of the Old City, as well as Al Haram al Sharif, where the Dome of the Rock stands.
This exhibition sought to present two faces of the city to the Turkish and Muslim world, the historic and holy, as well as the present and partisan. Jerusalem’s urban composition of architecture and archaeology were presented alongside the systems of partisan planning and discrimination which are leading to the deterioration of the urban and economic environment. As well as raising awareness of the existing state of affairs, this exhibition demonstrated some of the potential options to overcome this.
It showcased some of the innovative urban planning proposals developed by IPCC, which build towards a future where East Jerusalem will be the capital of a Palestinian state. The exhibition intended to promote knowledge of, interest in, and the realities of daily life in Jerusalem for its Palestinian residents; it created an opportunity for academics and professionals to engage with it; and to stimulate partnerships between Istanbul and Jerusalem, in business, academia and social enterprise.
