Mrs. Mays Salsa’, Head of the PR and Awareness at CCHP welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of such lectures and their role in promoting a sense of responsibility and belonging to the place, providing an overview about the centre and its projects and interventions that serve the community and preserve the cultural heritage in Palestine, and its relationship to the development of tourism and its benefits to the economy.

In return, Mr. Khalil presented a PowerPoint presentation included the beginning of photography in the Middle East, especially in Bethlehem, and its evolution into a global trade. And demonstrated the changes that occurred to the region through a number of old photos for Bethlehem and the surrounding areas. Also Mr. Shokeh pointed out several topics, such as the history of the families who lived in the city centres, trade and immigration. At the end, he paid tribute to the efforts of photographers, especially the sons of Bethlehem for documenting this ancient and rich history.

Participants expressed their appreciation for organizing such important and successful lecture, where they paid tribute to the work of the CCHP and its efforts in the preservation of cultural heritage in Palestine and cultural identity, and the work of Mr. Shokeh in the field. The lecture ended with questions from the participants, regarding the development of tourism and ways of doing so.