A leading Palestinian archaeologist and historian, Dr Abeer Zayyad, is embarking on a national tour of South Africa from 4 to 17 September to raise awareness about what she and Palestinian authorities describe as the systematic destruction of Islamic heritage at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
Her visit, hosted by Salaamedia, comes amid reports from the Palestinian Authority (PA) that Israel is conducting secret excavations and demolitions of ancient Islamic antiquities beneath the holy site.
The tour aims to counter the “Zionist propagation and their narrative” by presenting historical and archaeological evidence of the area’s deep-rooted Islamic history. Mariam Mia, the tour’s coordinator, emphasised that the visit is about “connecting hearts, connecting souls, connecting spirits to Al-Aqsa.”
The core message is a call to action for Muslims globally, particularly South Africans, to visit the holy site as a form of “Jihad” and a way to protect their heritage. This call to defend heritage is a central theme of Dr Zayyad’s mission.
SMread: Afghanistan earthquake crisis deepens as death toll rises
Excavations threaten ancient Islamic history
Recent statements from the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate, based on leaked footage, accuse Israeli authorities of deliberately targeting and destroying Islamic antiquities from the Umayyad period (661-750 AD) under the Al-Aqsa compound. The PA claims these actions are part of a “Judaisation” drive to erase the mosque’s historical identity and “distort the facts in favour of the alleged Temple narrative.”
These excavations are reportedly being conducted without international oversight, which the PA has labelled “a crime and a blatant violation of international laws.” Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Trustees Council, has stated that the tunnelling directly threatens the foundations of the southwestern side of the mosque.
The PA has urged international bodies like the UN and UNESCO to intervene to protect the World Heritage site. This urgent situation underscores the importance of Dr Zayyad’s work to defend heritage.
Dr Zayyad, who grew up just metres from Al-Aqsa, became the first female Palestinian archaeologist and tour guide in Jerusalem, driven by a passion to “dispel all the myths, all the Zionist, unfactual statements and give people the true account.” Her life’s work has been dedicated to this cause, linking Quranic verses and hadith to physical archaeological evidence.
The tour encourages South Africans to undertake the journey to Jerusalem despite the difficulties. Mia acknowledged the challenges, stating, “They made it difficult to deter us [from] going. You will be questioned… You might be treated inhumanely… But remember, for every difficulty you get, think of the reward.”
This perspective frames the act of visiting as a profound act of resistance. Dr Zayyad asserts that every Muslim “owns one square millimetre of Al-Aqsa,” and visiting is a way of taking responsibility for that ownership. By being physically present, visitors can help defend heritage and affirm the site’s global Islamic significance.
Dr Zayyad’s tour will cover multiple cities across South Africa, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Newcastle, Nelspruit, and Lydenburg, offering South Africans an opportunity to engage directly with her research and hear first-hand accounts of the situation in Jerusalem.
Image: International Quran News Agency.
