Image
Active
Middle East People’s Culture Conservation Collective

Against the backdrop of a mass exodus of religious minorities from the Middle East, there is an urgency to empower youth from the communities left behind to find opportunities for professional development and income generation through the preservation of their heritage. With the breakdown in social relations caused by intense minority related forms of targeting in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, this project endeavours to contribute to social cohesion through the positive power of heritage repertoires (food, music and dance in particular).

READ MORE

Against the backdrop of a mass exodus of religious minorities from the Middle East, there is an urgency to empower youth from the communities left behind to find opportunities for professional development and income generation through the preservation of their heritage.

With the breakdown in social relations caused by intense minority related forms of targeting in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, this project endeavours to contribute to social cohesion through the positive power of heritage repertoires (food, music and dance in particular).

In Syria and Iraq, ongoing war has separated religious minorities across borders, creating a desperate need for preserving heritage that has become scattered across different geographic areas. While in Egypt and Iraq, there is an official national endorsement of the importance of protecting heritage, the policy predominantly focuses on tangible forms and does not cover the minorities on the extreme margin (such as the Kakais in Iraq, or Coptic Apostolic in Egypt). This project is unique in its adaptation of participatory development and digital archiving methods, which we will seek to leverage further funding post-2025 from international development aid as well as from diaspora communities.

This project will also focus on safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities in Syria, Iraq and Egypt via capacity building in collection & digitization & dissemination skills targeting local youth.

Read less
Recent work
news
MEPCCC closing reflections: strategies for preserving heritage
On 25 February 2025, the University of Duhok hosted a conference titled ‘Preserving Cultural Heritage in Kurdistan - Iraq’. This event, organised in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, marked the end of the Middle East People’s Culture Conservation…
15 April 2025
Opinion
The evil eye and the needle: preserving cultural heritage
Deq (Arabic: دەق) or xal (Kurdish: خاڵ) are the Arabic and Kurdish words for tattoo respectively. Traditional Deq (tattoo) or Xal has long been a part of cultural heritage in Kurdistan and Iraq, it is shared by multiple ethnic and…
Harzhin Mohammed Saadi (Student, University of University of Duhok)
Hussein Jameel Ahmed (Student, University of University of Duhok)
15 April 2025
publications
The Handbook of Iraqi People’s Heritage
Iraq is a land of rich and diverse cultural heritage, shaped by thousands of years of history. As a crossroads of civilisations, the country bears the marks of many cultures, beliefs, and religions, each leaving a distinct imprint on its…
Mariz Tadros & 6 others
21 February 2025
People

Funders

Supported by
British Council
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.