Rafah Museum
The Rafah Museum was established in December 2022 in the south of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. It was founded by Suihala Shaheen, an activist and university lecturer, who holds a doctorate in educational studies from the Arab Research Institute of the League of Arab States in Cairo, and a doctorate in arts education technology from Helwan University in Egypt. The museum was the culmination of 30 years of collecting. Openings, exhibitions, and heritage celebrations were held at the museum to commemorate Earth Day and International Women’s Day.
Collections
The museum contained thousands of artefacts relating to Palestinian heritage and reflecting the culture of Bedouins, farmers, and city dwellers. The items collected by Mrs. Suhaila Shaheen included traditional costume including women's headdresses, Palestinian embroidery, baskets, agricultural tools, legal and historical documents. The museum also exhibited rare gemstones, historic passports, postage stamps, and illustrated documents about ancient Palestine. Some of the oldest artefacts in the collection dated to the Byzantine period.Destruction
The museum was bombed in 2023 by the Israeli Air Force in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Shaheen said after the bombing:In February 2024, Suhaila was interviewed by The Art Newspaper about her museum, its destruction, and her attempts to salvage the collection. She said "the museum was a beacon of training and education for everyone, especially women, to spread the message of science, art, culture and heritage. But the dream I had for more than 30 years is lost. Destroyed in moments.”