Yalla in Paris: Our Work in the "Heritage in Resistance" Exhibition
The Yalla Project is featured in a major exhibition on heritage and war at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, where we also joined a round table on post-conflict repair.
The Yalla Project is part of Heritage in Resistance: From Timbuktu to Odesa, an exhibition at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris, running from 20 May 2026 to 3 January 2027.
From Timbuktu and Bamiyan to Gaza and Odesa, the exhibition looks at how armed conflicts turn heritage into a target, and at the acts of resistance and repair that make it possible to imagine a future from the ruins. It is organised in three sequences, Erasing, Resisting and Restoring, and brings together the work of architects, artists, researchers, field actors and witnesses. The exhibition is curated by Élisabeth Essaïan and Mathilde Leloup, with Yves Ubelmann of Iconem as associate curator.
Our contribution presents Yalla’s work in the Old City of Nablus through texts and photographs, alongside video interviews in which Alessandra Gola and Abdalrahman Kittana reflect on repair and recovery in the context of war.
On 24 September, Alessandra and Abdalrahman also took part in the round table “Working with: Post-Conflict Repairs” in the Cité’s auditorium. The discussion asked how repair after war can remain attentive to cultural and natural heritage, respect local know-how and preserve social ties. They were joined by Howayda Al-Harithy (Beirut) and Oleh Drozdov (Lviv), with co-curator Élisabeth Essaïan moderating.
For us, being part of this exhibition is a chance to share what we have learned in Nablus: that repairing a city is not only about restoring buildings, but about rebuilding the everyday life, relationships and knowledge that keep a community together.
We thank the curators and the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine for the invitation. The exhibition is open until 3 January 2027 for anyone in Paris.
🔗 Heritage in Resistance – Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine
