Help Rehabilitate DAR BARROUQ — a Historic Cultural Center in Beit Sahour, Palestine
In the old city of Biet Sahour, Palestine, Dar Barrouq stands as a historical monument with architecture that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. While the original owner is unknown, the first known owner was Metri Abu Saada, and in 1967 his sons, Saba and George, lived in Dar Barrouq until the late 1990s.
During the first Palestinian Intifada, activists and the Beit Sahour Municipality started a Local Cultural Heritage Museum on the ground floor and remained open until the mid-1990s. In the early 2000s, SOS Children's Villages Palestine used it to house young girls. In 2012, Mr. Tariq Ellyan from Beit Safafa rented the ground floor and opened Singer Café, combining coffee, art, and education.
Unfortunately, the building was vacated in November 2022 and has awaited fresh faces to continue the story. We are seeking to turn Dar Barrouq into a space that is designed as a center for cultural exchange, community empowerment, and sustainable tourism to Palestine. Located in the historic center of Beit Sahour, Palestine, Dar Barrouq will bring together international visitors and local communities to experience authentic Palestinian culture, engage in artisan workshops, and purchase handmade crafts.
Help support George's vision to bring this beautiful historic space back to life.
This is being stewarded by George Rishmawi and his organization, The Palestinian Heritage Trail (PHT). PHT is a not-for-profit community-based tourism organization that creates hiking trails in, and around, different Palestinian communities. PHT collaborates with more than 90 local communities to uplift Palestinian identity, history, and ways of living while advocating for Palestinian human and environmental rights.
