Burj al-Luqluq Social Center Society: A Hidden Gem within the Old City

Tucked in the Bab Hutta neighborhood of the Old City of Jerusalem sits Burj al-Luqluq, one of the very few Palestinian cultural organizations still functioning within the ancient walls. Located in a generally confined area, it offers a space (9.5 dunums, a little over 2 acres—an area second only to the al-Haram al-Sharif compound in size) for sports, educational, and social activities, mostly for children. Its 500-square-meter garden provides an inviting space for the community to come together. From its grounds, one enjoys a spectacular view of the city.

Over the years, the center has had to contend with Israeli settler groups that have had their eyes on the valuable real estate for a settlement; the Jerusalem municipality, which has plans to establish Jewish-only housing on part of the property; and the Israeli Antiquities Association, which in 2023 blocked the organization from repairing a collapsed wall on the grounds that the site might contain historical artifacts.1 Its ability to withstand the pressure and continue to serve its community for more than three decades stands testimony to the spirit of persistence and identity preservation in the face of challenges.

Burj al-Luqluq Social Center Society was founded in the Bab Hutta neighborhood of the Old City in December 1991. At the time, Jerusalemite Palestinians were concerned that the property would be confiscated to establish a Jewish settlement. The local Palestinian community realized that maintaining an ongoing presence on the site might deter settlers from trying to take it over. The community (with the involvement of the Palestinian Legislative Council) proved that the property was owned by Palestinian families.2 Soon after, they set up a center to develop empowering activities for children and adults.

With creativity and ambition, the Palestinian team persevered: Jerusalemite youth would have a major role in setting up its now-famous football field (covering an area of 1,500 square meters), where various matches and tournaments have taken place. A major multiuse playground was also built in the same year it was founded, and the court has included other major sports including basketball.

The stated mission of Burj al-Luqluq is “Empowering the Jerusalemite community through the implementation of targeted development programs.” According to its website, close to 6,500 Jerusalemites use the facility each year. In addition to its basketball and football fields, as well as art spaces, it offers about 12 ongoing and annual programs and has more than 70 local and international donors.

Burj al-Luqluq offers programs for Jerusalem residents ranging from kindergartens and summer camps to football, basketball, handball, and taekwondo. (It offers basketball teams for women and for the disabled.) It also focuses on programs that empower and open doors for networking, connecting, and increasing job opportunities, such as life skills and youth training. Afterschool programs include arts, painting (such as ceramic art making), photography, language, mathematics, and computer classes. Dabke dancing classes are offered to the youth. It also hosts community-wide Ramadan festivities, music concerts, and exhibitions.

The center partnered with the Palestinian Welfare Association (which had a key role in renovating the field),3  the Youth Development Department, the Faisal Husseini Foundation, and Al-Quds University, all of which have helped the center add countless programs and activities—particularly for youth—that instill their leadership and enhance their skills.

In recent years, initiatives have included preparations for a podcast shedding light on historic stories from Jerusalem, mural painting for psychosocial support, circus shows, open days for learning and playing, virtual tours and virtual reality games, youth art exhibitions, life-skills training sessions, counseling, and capacity-building programs.

Examples of the online programs include the launching of audiovisual projects, such as “The Life of Farah in Jerusalem” (a 30-episode animated series for children, which is great for educating on issues related to Jerusalem in the Arabic language) and the more recent Buqjah, an educational program that features eight Palestinian villages in the Jerusalem district that were ethnically cleansed in 1948: ‘Ayn Karim, al-Qabu, Lifta, Qaluniya, al-Jura, ‘Allar, Suba, and al-Qastal.4

The center recognizes the need for legal support, providing some legal and civil aid from experts, as well as locating funding to support the residents.5 This is essential to support local communities, many of which are threatened with forced expulsion from their family homes by the state.

The term “Luqluq” is a reference to a governor by that name who ruled during the Mamluk period.6 The translation of the name Burj al-Luqluq is “the tower of the stork,” a reference to the neighborhood’s musters of storks on the hilltops of the Old City.7

In Jerusalem, Israeli policies make it impossible for Palestinians to maximize the use of their land. Over the years, the government has not allowed parts of the area to be used, and the team at Burj al-Luqluq still suffers from such tensions with the municipality. Almost 33 years after its establishment, it is clear that Israeli settlers and the Israeli government are still determined to seize Jerusalem property.

As Muntaser Idkedek, executive director of Burj al-Luqluq, explains, “Jerusalem is a constrained area. Places and houses are constricted, and there is need for breathing space.”8 In his view, Burj al-Luqluq represents a success story as it has become the space that provides the longed-after breathing space for its people: It has become full of life, as it offers opportunity to connect; to play sports; create art; and provide psychosocial support for children, youth, and adults.

Muntaser uses a spice metaphor to describe al-Luqluq: “If you mix the special spices [i.e., the Palestinian energy of youth, women, and community members] together, you get this place.”

Muntaser considers that the center has “the most beautiful sports field in the world.”^⁠ Clearly, he has an emotional bias: Jerusalem is precious to him (as it is to all Palestinians), and he is passionate about “encouraging anything that is of service for the nation. The work becomes much more powerful when one’s work physically stands at the heart of Jerusalem.”

Since October 2023, Muntaser maintains, Palestinian Jerusalemites have been functioning under “unordinary and exceptional circumstances”; nevertheless, “we persist . . . in spite of it all.”