Amid the devastating genocide in Gaza, renowned Palestinian archaeologist and activist, Dr Abeer Zayyad, is set to visit South Africa to share her powerful story of resilience, resistance, and unwavering hope.
Hosted by Salaamedia, Zayyad will be in the country from 4 to 17 September 2025. She brings a crucial message – a call to action for the preservation of Masjid Al-Aqsa and Palestinian identity.
Her visit serves as an inspirational beacon, aiming to connect the South African public with the daily realities of life under occupation and the fight to preserve a sacred heritage against systematic erasure.
SMread: Fridays for Palestine keep struggle alive
A life intertwined with Al-Aqsa
For Zayyad, Masjid Al-Aqsa is not merely a historical site; it is the very centre of her existence. Her identity and life’s work are deeply rooted in the ancient stones and sacred courtyards of Jerusalem’s Old City.
“I grew up in the old city just a few metres from Al-Aqsa mosque next to Cotton Gate. So all my childhood it was in Al-Aqsa mosque itself,” Zayyad shared in a recent interview with Salaamedia. “The mosque is not just a mosque for us, it’s our life, our memory, our childhood.”
This profound, lifelong connection fuelled a burning passion to protect her heritage. Witnessing the constant promotion of skewed Israeli narratives by tour guides in her youth set her on a determined path to seek and amplify the Palestinian truth.
“I was feeling that what they are doing is not correct, so it was a goal for me since I was a child and I work on this goal,” she stated. “So this was a passion for me and it is still my passion till today.”
This drive propelled her to break barriers, becoming the first female Palestinian archaeologist and tour guide in Jerusalem. It was a challenging undertaking in a field heavily dominated by state-sponsored narratives designed to marginalise the indigenous history.
Zayyad explained that many local guides simply “copy the Israeli narrative without asking questions,” but her approach was fundamentally different, rooted in critical inquiry.
SMread: Turkey’s shipping ban hits Israel
Witness to injustice, champion for humanity
Zayyad’s activism is not confined to academia; it is a lived reality forged in the crucible of occupation. From a tender age, she has been a firsthand witness to the brutalities inflicted upon her community.
“I witnessed attacking of my neighbours’ home. I witnessed my neighbour [being] buried alive,” she recalled with solemnity. “This is apart from our life, all this injustice, all this attacking, all of it. This is since we were born, we feel that.”
This harrowing reality spurred her into direct humanitarian action. In 2007, she co-founded a charity dedicated to supporting women and families in Jerusalem, providing a critical lifeline to those most affected by the occupation. Her courageous work has come at a great personal cost, leading to multiple arrests, imprisonment, and even physical attacks by Israeli forces
.
“I’ve been in jail many times and of course it affects my life. They also shoot me more than once but, alhamdulillah, even with the broken bones, with the bullets, with spending time in jail and also in isolation, we’re still believing in the same thing, we’re still fighting for the same things.”
During her upcoming tour of South Africa, Zayyad aims to galvanise support and remind the world of the collective, global responsibility towards Palestine. She powerfully asserts that every single Muslim has a personal and undeniable stake in the holy site.
“Every Muslim person owns a piece of real estate in Masjid Al-Aqsa. One square millimetre of real estate is owned. If you are a believer, you are Muslim, you own one square millimetre of Masjid Al-Aqsa,” she insists. “We all have a stake in Masjid Al-Aqsa.”
Her visit is an invitation to learn, to connect, and to act in solidarity to protect this shared heritage.
Image: The Herald
