A new Middle East Galleries at the University of Pennsylvania offers authentic insight into the lives of those from that region.
It may not be home, but it sure feels like it.
This past weekend, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, at 3260 South St, officially opened its new Middle East Galleries.
From household appliances to jewelry from royalty, this exhibition gives observers the opportunity to view artifacts thousands of years old and learn about this region of the world in the process.
This exhibit also offers authentic insight into the life of refugees and immigrants from the Middle East through its Global Guides. These guides — three of whom currently reside in Northeast Philadelphia — are responsible for sharing their own personal experiences of the region while discussing the historical context in each gallery.
Abdulhadi Al-Karfawi, a refugee from Iraq, arrived to the United States with his family last year. While residing in his native country, Al-Karfawi was employed by the United Nations mission, giving him the chance to help others. He was approached by a friend last summer regarding an opportunity to educate people about the Middle East through a gallery at Penn.
And the rest is history.
“I came from the country that has most of the objects here, so to me, I’ve seen a lot of stuff back home,” said Al-Karfawi, adding that one of his favorite pieces in the gallery is a large dish used for sharing meals.
Al-Karfawi comes from a large family — 12 sisters and three brothers, to be exact. He reminisced of spending weekends with his siblings and sharing many laughs and meals. When the family came together to eat, they specifically shared meals eaten out of a very large bowl. Al-Karfawi explained how commonplace these large dishes are in Iraq and is looking forward to sharing those family traditions on the tour.
“I feel like I’m still living in my country, so it’s just an awesome experience that I have working as a global guide and being close with my personal history and heritage,” Al-Karfawi said.
Ali Arif also recently relocated to the United States with his family from Iraq. Before coming to the U.S., Arif spent eight years working as a regulatory and governmental affairs manager for Fanoos Telecom, the biggest wireless operator in Iraq. His background in communication doesn’t stop there. He also spent time serving as a translator and language teacher for the United States military in Iraq.
“I love to talk to people,” said Arif. “And what I love more is to talk about my people to people.”
Arif took time to detail a very important place on the properties back in his native land — the roof. Yes, the roof, Arif explained, was where people placed clay ovens to prepare food for their families. He talked about the process in which tomato paste and other products were prepared from atop of houses.
Arif is extremely proud of where he comes from and wants people to know more about his birthplace.
“Iraq is filled with history,” said Arif. “I need to tell the people the other part or other side from Iraq, not the bad things like the stereotypes shown in the media…”
Although Iraq does play a vital role in the exhibit, there are other nations included as well, including Syria. Another Global Guide, Moumena Saradar, came to the United States two years ago from Syria. She works for several interpreting agencies in Philadelphia as a professional medical interpreter in Arabic.
While the two previous guides shared household items, Saradar wanted to detail some family traditions and jewelry. She talked in-depth about jewelry that was cased-off and the role it has played in her life. She proudly showed off the bracelet she was wearing that was given to her on her wedding day by her spouse. She explained how culturally significant the gift was and how much it still means to her to this day. Jewelry is passed down from generation to generation in their families. Saradar still treasures jewelry from her grandmother and has already saved sentimental pieces to be given to her children.
Although the possessions that each Global Guide shared were personally significant, they also shared one common theme — a cultural bond. This gallery will continue to further the dialogue and bridge the gap from different cultures, Saradar believes.
“I’m so interested in sharing this type because you know people living in the United States, some don’t know anything about it and some only know a little bit,” Saradar said about her culture. “It will be a great chance to meet these people, to meet the public to share the cultural heritage and share the customs and traditions that we came from in the Middle East because we all are humans and we all belong to one father.” ••
For more information, visit penn.museum/visit/tours
John Cole can be reached at [email protected]
