The seminar was attended by Mr. Ibrahim Furqan, Cultural Attaché from the Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem and Dr. Abdul Khaliq Issa, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at An-Najah.

Both Drs Ameen Abu Baker and Abdul Qadir Staih, who are lecturers at the History Department, talked about the Ottomans role in Palestine since 1516 from different religious, economic, architectural and social aspects and their impact on diplomatic relations with the West.

Then, they talked about the Sultanate support to Jerusalem as the Ottomans built a number of walls and renovated its infrastructure. During that time, Jerusalem was named “Al-Quds Al-Sharif” meaning “The Noble Sanctuary” to draw more attention to its holiness and promote it among the world religions.

They also referred to the role of the Ottomans in reconstructing other Palestinian cities and renovating religious buildings and sanctuaries as well as preserving social solidarity, promoting education, diminishing poverty and defending Palestine against Western campaigns.