A Creative Family Journey Through the Spirit of Gaza

Meeting the Phoenix is a creative, family-centered event inspired by the mythology, memory, and cultural identity of Gaza. The event invites families to explore four themed stations: The Sea, The Sand, The City, and The Nest. Each designed to encourage storytelling, artistic expression, and intergenerational reflection.

Through hands-on workshops, symbolic activities, and collective art-making, children and their families uncover personal and cultural meanings linked to resilience, history, and imagination. The experience culminates in the collective revealing of the Phoenix’s nest—a shared metaphor for rebirth, unity, and hope.

Upon arrival, families receive a guide booklet, offering instructions, storytelling prompts, and reflective questions to help navigate and enrich their experience at each station.

Family Saturdays at the Jameel are suitable for all ages. All materials and step by step guides will be provided.

1. The Sea | البحر

“Send your dreams sailing.”

At this station, children and parents are invited to create origami boats, which can be as mythical and magical as their imaginations allow.

2. The Sand | الرمل

“Unearth the stories beneath.”

This station invites families to become archeologists of memory. Participants will dig through bins of clean, non-sticky sand to discover foam-board mosaics—replicas of real mosaic floors uncovered in Gaza ( Burij Mosaic)

3. The City | المدينة

“Wishes grow where roots are.”

Inspired by Palestinian folklore where a cactus is planted with every wish, this station allows children to express their wishes through creative planting or collage.

About Ahmad Nabil: 

Ahmad Nabil is a visual artist, researcher and educator based in Jerusalem. His work focuses on Arab and Islamic mythology, paranormal phenomena, and folktales, exploring their connection to land, natural resources, and their integration into intangible heritage for the preservation of land and collective memory. Through art projects and workshops, Nabil engages youth and young adults, harnessing imagination as a force for community involvement. 

In 2015, Ahmad Nabil founded The Fiction Council in Jerusalem, a non-profit dedicated to preserving and nurturing the Palestinian-Arab imagination. Through studying, exploring, and representing mythology and paranormal narratives, The Fiction Council fosters creativity across diverse groups in workshops, discussions, and presentations. The Council aims to illuminate and empower communities with Palestine’s intangible heritage, recognising a shared and expanding imaginarium as the Palestinians’ paramount catalyst for change.