Bait al Karama is hosted in an Ottomani style Building located at the heart of the old city, just next the big Mosque.
The building is in a back yard that makes it very private and therefore ideal for a women centre. In 1927 it was partly destroyed by an earthquake that affected the all region, the rehabilitation that followed was very essential and the building collapsed again under the air strikes in 2000 during the second Intifada. Nablus has been a central flashpoint of violence between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Palestinian militant groups.
Between 2004 and 2006, the Old City Charity took care of the reconstruction of the building with international financial support and the expertise of local architects specialize in antique construction techniques. Finally, in 2006, the owner family gave the building in concession to the Charity, in order to implement a women centre. But as funding were running out for the reconstruction, and the overall situation of siege and curfews of Nablus was drowning the population in economical struggle, the building remained unused.
As we started to rehabilitate the building for Bait al Karama, we worked only with the local community and artisans. Our intention is to benefit the local as a whole. Though our target group are the women, we want the community in general to benefit from the economy that we can generate: from the floor tiles to the tables and chairs, to the decorations etc.