By Jeanie Molyneux
If you are in Edinburgh, it is well worth including the Palestine Museum in your list of places to visit. The museum is a branch of the Palestine Museum US, the first in Europe, which opened in May 2025.
The museum is small, consisting of just 3 rooms, but great use is made of the limited space. There is a permanent exhibition of paintings, sculptures, videos, examples of Palestinian embroidery, as well as books and other items for sale, and a temporary exhibition. The current temporary exhibition displays the work of Mohammed Al-Haj, an artist living in Gaza. His paintings vividly evoke the turmoil and terror experienced by those living in Gaza over the past two years.
Amongst the other exhibits there is a painting of a peaceful rural scene by Nabil Anani, entitled “In Pursuit of Utopia”, a stark contrast to the lives of Palestinians currently living in Gaza and the West Bank. There are also two sculptures, both by a doctor, Amanda Adler. One is of Mohammed Barakat, the Palestinian footballer killed in Gaza in March 2024.
The other is of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a paediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza, who has been held in detention in Israel without charge for almost a year.
Another striking exhibit covers a large part of the floor in one room. This is a huge map of Palestine as it was in 1948, a vivid visual demonstration of the location and the huge number of towns and villages from which Palestinians were driven in the Nakba.
The museum is a place which is dedicated to preserving and protecting the history, culture and creativity of the Palestinian people and in doing so developing wider knowledge and understanding of the lives of Palestinians. I would encourage everyone to visit the museum if you can.
The Palestine Museum in Scotland, 13a, Dundas Street, Edinburgh is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–6pm. Contact: 0131 558 9872 | info@palestinemuseum.scot. There is no admission charge, but any donations are appreciated.
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