Minister Al-Hayek inspects archaeological sites in Tulkarm

Tulkarm - Ma'an - Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani al-Hayek visited Tulkarm Governorate, where he was briefed on the extent of the damage to archaeological and tourist sites as a result of the occupation's attacks. Minister Al-Hayek began the inspection tour by visiting the Governor of Tulkarm Governorate, Governor Mustafa Taqatqa, stressing the importance of working to protect Palestinian archaeological sites from the Israeli occupation and its measures, as they are an important part of the Palestinian national identity and the best witness to the history of the Palestinian people on their land. Al-Haik spoke about the ministry's work on a number of plans and programs that would revive archaeological sites by increasing the presence of citizens in them, which would contribute to protecting and preserving them. Minister Al-Hayek confirmed that Tulkarm possesses a distinguished group of archaeological sites, such as the Ottoman breach site (Balama Tunnel), which receives the attention of the Ministr y of Tourism and Antiquities. Part of it has been restored, and we will work in the future to carry out more restoration work. Governor Mustafa Taqatqa, Governor of Tulkarm, said that Tulkarm appreciates the government's interest, which was reflected on the ground through the repeated visits of Palestinian government ministers to closely examine what Tulkarm Governorate is suffering as a result of the occupation's measures. Al-Haik and the accompanying delegation visited Tulkarm Municipality, Tulkarm Museum, the Tourist Information Center, and the Ottoman Saraya building in the Old City of Tulkarm, where Tulkarm Mayor Riyad Abdul Karim spoke about the extent of the damage the city suffered as a result of the occupation's measures, stressing the municipality's readiness to cooperate with all parties to confront these challenges, praising the cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in preserving the cultural heritage and developing the tourism reality in Tulkarm. Minister Al-Hayek inspected the old town in the village of Al-Kur, which is considered a distinguished model of villages that include historical heritage buildings that must be preserved and restored as they are the identity and history of the Palestinian people. He met with the head of the municipal council of the village of Al-Kur, Farid Al-Jayousi, and members of the municipal council, and accompanied them on a tour of the old town. Al-Hayek also visited Bal'a Municipality and met with its Council Chairman Tariq Aamir and its Council members, where he listened to a detailed explanation about the town of Bal'a and its components, discussing ways to develop the partnership between the two sides to work on following up on the project to restore and rehabilitate the Ottoman archaeological burning site and to create a park to be a destination for tourist groups from various governorates of the country. The visit to the governorate concluded with an inspection of the Ottoman breach site and a look at this archaeological site. Source: M aan News Agency