By Beth Gottschling Huber

Restoring the Past, Building Hope for the Future
Johns Hopkins graduate students explore the past, present, and future of the Shrine of Nahum

In the fall of 2020, a group of Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Management graduate students took part in an experimental “Museum Projects” class. Our task was to develop interpretative plans for the Shrine of Nahum as the site transitions from a construction zone during its restoration to a cultural heritage site open to visitors.

A site’s interpretive plan defines key messages and suggests methods of conveying those messages to connect with audiences, and this semester-long project was intended to help us synthesize all of our preceding coursework and apply it to a real-life situation.

But what a situation! I have a background in international development and have worked in some fairly complex conflict and post-conflict scenarios, however, when I first heard about the Shrine of Nahum — a Jewish shrine, located in a Christian town within a Muslim country that aims to welcome all visitors, I thought wow — incredible challenge!

Throughout our course we discussed and debated many aspects of how interpretation at the site should be shaped and by whom. Question such as: “Who has the authority to define the meaning of the site? Who is it for? Who’s left out? What do visitors bring? And how do we draw them in?” are just a few aspects we discussed.

As we broke into smaller groups to dive deeper into these questions, my group was tasked with planning for an on-site exhibit. Together we explored themes around Nahum the prophet, the history of the physical structure, and its meaning within the larger Alqoshian community. We read all that we could. We talked to people of Jewish Iraqi descent who shared family stories of life in the region including the massive, festive gatherings that used to take place in Alqosh for the celebrating of Shavuot. We read Nahum’s prophecy and heard anecdotes of the miracles he performed (including the ability to heal back pain!). We explored traditions associated with the site such as tying green prayer ribbons onto the metalwork surrounding Nahum’s tomb. We listened and learned about the Christian community surrounding the Shrine, the security challenges they’ve faced, and how they’ve cared for the building even after no Jews remained in the region.

While all of these threads and conversations at first seemed quite disparate, we ultimately saw how they all connected, they were united through the idea of hope. Those who continue to faithfully pray to Nahum in search of a miracle have hope that he will answer their prayer. The fact that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all revere Nahum offers hope that people with differing views and beliefs here and elsewhere can coexist in tolerance and peace. The tenacity of the Alqoshian community and their faithful guarding of the Shrine through the centuries offers hope that places of importance can withstand the test of time and conflict. While the Shrine may not have seen many Jewish visitors in the recent time, just knowing that the site has been restored and lives on offers the Jewish community hope as a symbol of the resiliency of their faith and faith community. The efforts of the community, local and international, to restore the Shrine offers hope that the future will be better. Ultimately, we decided the Shrine of Nahum can offer a story of hope for all who visit.

While one semester did not afford sufficient time to see our plans fully actualized, as we handed off our thinking, inspirations, and design ideas to the ARCH staff, we also have hope. We hope that these collective thoughts serve as a further catalyst for ARCH and the greater Alqoshian community as they continue their work at such a meaningful site.

As for me, I hope to one day have the chance to visit Alqosh as a tourist. I would love to see my ideas and those of my classmates interwoven amongst those of the site’s many other stakeholders, continuing the long tradition of pluralistic discourse that has surrounded the Shrine of Nahum.