The Municipality of Nablus held a meeting on Thursday with representatives from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities the UNESCO and al-Najah University to discuss ways of investing in the archeological sites of Nablus city.
The head of the municipal administration committee engineer Samih Tubeileh pointed to the efforts exerted by the Nablus Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism to urgently work to start an investment project in the Roman Hippodrome in the city while preserving the rights of landowners in the area.
For his part engineer Ehab Daud the representative of the Ministry of Tourism confirmed the ministry’s keenness on solving the problems of the archeological sites in all provinces.
Regarding the Roman Hippodrome Daud stressed the need for joint cooperation between the municipality the Ministry of Tourism and the UNESCO to reach a solution that satisfies all parties regardless of the nature of the investment and draws a comprehensive and integrated plan for the region.
The UNESCO representative Ahmad Juneid pointed to the importance of the archeological sites of Nablus and its Old City including Tell Balata site and the Roman Amphitheatre. He added that a joint committee including all concerned parties will be formed to launch an integrated project in the site of the Roman Hippodrome.
Dr. Zahra Zawawi from al-Najah University said that the university already has an earlier plan that includes a comprehensive study of the areas surrounding the Roman Hippodrome and ways of investing in them in partnership with the private sector.
