Online Resources for Palestine
Palestine. A place of beautiful landscapes, deep history, and rich culture. It is also a place that, for over a century, has been marked by conflict and movement. As a result, researching family history in Palestine may seem impossible, but it is far from it. FamilySearch and many other websites offer a variety of records, recordings, and other resources to Palestine researchers. Take a look at some of them below to help guide your journey:
Digital Archives
Multiple websites maintain digital archives containing historic photographs, court documents, family papers, and more. The Birzeit University Digital Palestinian Archive has been gathering and maintaining its collection since 2011. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Museum Digital Archive stores dozens of collections containing hundreds of documents and photographs from Palestinian individuals, families, and organizations.
Oral History Projects
In a region where written documentation can easily be lost or destroyed, oral histories are an essential method of preserving family stories and lineages. Many universities and other organizations have conducted extensive oral history projects in Palestine and throughout the diaspora and now maintain them as digital collections. Check out The Bethlehem University Oral History Project and Ramallah Preservation Project for two excellent examples. Additionally, Howiyya not only contains hundreds of oral history recordings, but also searchable databases of Palestinian families and towns.
Ottoman Census Records
Before 1918, Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which began taking detailed censuses of its diverse populations in the late 1800s. Check out FamilySearch's collection of indexed population registers from Nablus at Palestine, Nablus, Population Registers, 1881-1917, which contain thousands of Palestinian names and their family members. Check out this FamilySearch Wiki page for more information on how to use these records.
Church Records
For Christian Palestinians, parish records can be an invaluable resource for genealogy. Take a look at the Palestine Church Records page on the FamilySearch Wiki for more details on records for specific denominations. Microfilm of Palestinian parishes records are viewable for free at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, UT.
Online Genealogy Books
For a deeper dive into family history, check out the Palestine collection on Arabic Genealogy Books Online, a collection of open-access, primarily Arabic-language books on genealogies and local histories.
And More
If this isn't enough to get started, head over to the Palestine Genealogy page on the FamilySearch Wiki. From there you can explore dozens of pages containing a plethora of information and resources on Palestinian family history!
For those of you researching Palestine, what have been some of your favorite and most useful resources for the region?