The Ramallah Municipality launched its national initiative, the Ramallah City Archive Project stemming from the need to preserve the city’s identity, history, and culture. The project aims to safeguard the city’s historical memory, heritage, and assets throughout different periods of its history as an integral part of Palestine's identity and history.
Since the launch of the project in mid-2022, several important milestones have been achieved:
- A specialized team has been established, trained, and equipped with the necessary expertise in archiving and updating municipal records. This includes the preservation and digitization of historical documents according to the municipality's archival guide and digital protocols, which align with international archival standards, such as ISO 15489 and ISAD-G.
- The team has successfully archived and digitized approximately 2.5 million documents, including both administrative and historical records dating from 1918 to the present day. Archival materials include building files, urban planning documents, industrial and trade files, court records, tender files, public service records, and local committee minutes. Additionally, the project has collected historical items and archives provided by the people of Ramallah, preserving them in digital form under a special protocol. The team also collected around 1,000 historical materials, which were either from the municipality or donated by Ramallah residents. Oral history interviews were conducted with older residents of Ramallah to enrich the city’s history, gathering first-hand knowledge and memories. The project also reached out to various long-established local institutions to assist in archiving and digitizing their materials, aiming to piece together Ramallah's diverse historical narrative. Moreover, Ottoman-era records documenting Ramallah’s population and property data are being translated into Arabic by the archive team.
- Approximately 1 million historical documents have been treated and preserved through a professional conservation process.
- The project has also invested in building the capacity of municipal staff, with around 20 employees trained to handle the digitization of records relevant to their departments.
