Acre Canvas Print

Gorgeous calligraphy canvas print by Nawaf Soliman as part of the Cities in the Heart exhibit. 

Numbered giclée on wood-stretched canvas

The city of Acre is one of the most ancient Palestinian cities. It was founded during the Bronze Age, around 2000-1550 BC, and was then called Akko, meaning hot sand. It was from this sand that they made glass and purple dyes. Since then, Acre has been continuously inhabited. Due to its importance as the oldest port town in the world, Acre has an insistent history of global conflict and invasion. 

Acre is characterized by five important historical archaeological landmarks: Khan Al-Amadan, Jazzar Mosque, the white market, the fortified citadel, in addition to the Acre Wall that protected the city from major military attacks. 

This piece is inspired by the history of the city and its location beside the sea. The three letters of the name of the Arab city (ع كّ ا) are written in a Thuluth script and repeated five times because of the number of the city's most prominent historical landmarks. Sprinkled throughout the pieces are passages from the "Mural" of the poet Mahmoud Darwish around the letters.