Talisman for Revealing the Buried and Protection from the Sultan, 2025
Wild clay sourced from Palestinian refugee camps, coal, rusty iron wires and reused fabric from the remains of Darat al Funun. 118 x 60 cm.

Hung on the wall of the cave in the Byzantine church at Darat al Funun, this talisman functions to raise questions about our relationship to archaeological sites when they are presented as spaces for visual and heritage consumption, detached from their original ritualistic practices tied to the history and spiritual experiences of the people.

Through this work, I reactivate the ecclesiastical space of the Byzantine church at Darat al Funun via a spiritual/talismanic ritual inspired by Arab heritage in magic and popular practices related to protection and revelation. This ritual sets in motion an alternative pathway for engaging with such spaces; a path that passes through memory, spirit, and collective sensibility toward the place. It unveils what is buried of a lingering and hidden colonial legacy within structures of power and questions this legacy’s role in shaping our relationship with archaeological spaces in the city.

This ritual is inspired by the "Gate for Revealing the Buried" from the book Al-Barq wal-Niran fi Tahyij ‘Afarit al-Jan, and has been modified in its spiritual and symbolic meanings, transforming the buried — from treasures, in my contemporary context — into a colonial legacy I attempt to uncover.

This work was carried out during the Summer Academy program at Darat al Funun in Amman.