Since its establishment in 1991, RIWAQ has remained committed to the dissemination of knowledge about Palestine’s built cultural heritage. RIWAQ considers such knowledge a key tool towards public awareness and the creation of a larger consciousness of the value and significance of Palestinian history and traditions. This process, we believe, contributes to the protection of material heritage, creates a historical record, and presents an incubator of programming and projects that support social, economic, and arts development across the region.

In addition to the Registry of Historic Buildings in Palestine, RIWAQ is proud of its archive, which consists of more than 400 computerized maps (digitalized from their original paper version), and more than 150,000 photographs of historic buildings and landscapes (while some are in the digital form, others are blue prints, negatives, and slides). Some of these images document Palestine in the 1980s. In addition, RIWAQ has been making documentary videos and film that showcase the heritage and rehabilitation process. RIWAQ’s archive is an invaluable resource that not only gathers information, but substantiates it in a collection of protected maps and photographs. RIWAQ is planning to publish a photo archive to make material accessible for researchers and Palestinians in the Diaspora.