JENIN, West Bank / PNN —

In an effort to prevent traditional Palestinian games from being forgotten, Samahear Al-Roumi, director of the “Bayt Al-Dammah” centre for reviving Palestinian folk games in the town of Zababdeh in Jenin governorate, is documenting the games, introducing them to younger generations and reconnecting them with the history, culture, customs and traditions of Palestinian towns and villages.

Al-Roumi said Bayt Al-Dammah was established as a space dedicated to preserving Palestinian folk games from disappearing, explaining that the project brings together three main categories of traditional games.

The first category includes games that rely on thinking and strategy, such as Al-Dammah, Al-Sijah and Mancala.

The second consists of movement-based games, including Seven Stones, Abu Asfourah, also known as Al-Habi, Al-Hila and Hopscotch. Al-Roumi noted that some games are known by different names in different parts of Palestine.

The third category includes games that document Palestinian cities and villages that were depopulated, with each game linked to a particular city and the villages associated with it. Among them are games representing Acre and its villages, Haifa and its villages, Safed and others.

A game with a story and a lesson

Al-Roumi said every game at Bayt Al-Dammah carries information and a story connected to a particular place and to Palestinian heritage, helping visitors learn about their own villages or cities, as well as their culture and traditions.

She cited the example of the Olive Press game, which is linked to an olive press in Sebastia, known for its olive trees and traditional olive presses. Through the game, visitors first learn about the history of the place before playing it themselves.

The aim, she said, goes beyond simply playing traditional games. Instead, the project seeks to turn each game into a gateway to Palestinian history, geography and heritage.

Al-Roumi said the design and colours of Bayt Al-Dammah were inspired by the oranges of Haifa and Jaffa, adding that the centre seeks to create a space where Palestinian visitors can experience a connection with the simpler way of life that existed decades ago.

She described it as a return to a time when Palestinians relied heavily on local resources, surrounded by mulberry, fig and pomegranate trees and za'atar, as well as wells and small farms — reflecting a rural way of life built largely on self-reliance.

Shortlisted among hundreds of projects

Al-Roumi said Bayt Al-Dammah was selected from among 293 projects and reached the qualifying stage of an event in Jordan attended by Princess Dana Firas. The project was also documented in a dedicated festival catalogue.

Every Sunday afternoon, Bayt Al-Dammah welcomes children and their mothers, allowing them to play traditional games together. The centre also accepts bookings from institutions, charities, universities and other organisations wishing to organise visits or activities.

The project’s activities are not confined to the centre. Al-Roumi said the games can also be transported and used at festivals, conferences and other events.

Older generations discover games they never knew were Palestinian

The surprise is not limited to children, Al-Roumi said. Some visitors over the age of 50 have discovered for the first time that games they encounter at Bayt Al-Dammah are, in fact, longstanding Palestinian folk games.

The initiative introduces visitors to the history of the games, some of which date back to earlier historical periods. Others were introduced to the Levant during the Ottoman era. Each game has its own history and context, which the centre's management explains to visitors.

Bayt Al-Dammah also sells a number of Palestinian traditional games in an effort to keep them present in homes and among children and younger generations, rather than limiting their use to heritage events.

From traditional preservation to digital archiving

Al-Roumi said preserving Palestinian folk games requires moving towards a new stage of documentation. She highlighted the need to produce a specialised catalogue of Palestinian traditional games containing the games themselves, their rules, their history and information about the Palestinian regions with which they are associated.

She also stressed the importance of digitally archiving the games, calling on universities and specialist students — including students and graduates in artificial intelligence — to work with the project to document and preserve the games through digital tools capable of bringing Palestinian heritage to a wider audience around the world.

The project's primary goal, she said, is to prevent Palestinian folk games from disappearing because they form part of Palestinian memory, culture and identity, and to pass them from one generation to another through practice, documentation and an understanding of their history.

**This video was produced with financial support from CFI, Expertise France and the European Union. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the beneficiary and does not in any way reflect the views of CFI, Expertise France or the European Union.**