SAN DIEGO – The House of Palestine is now open in Balboa Park to share their culture with everyone after joining the international cottages in 2003.  

The first cottage with Arabic Culture in Balboa Park’s House of Pacific Relations, which represents 32 international cultures, broke ground in 2016.

“It’s important to tell the narrative of the Palestinian people,” said Suzan Hamideh, Cultural Committee Chair for the House of Palestine.

Inside the cottage, visitors will find artifacts, pictures and cultural items before 1948.

“You have license, you have passports, and if we can open this passport, you can see how much they traveled before 1948,” Hamideh said.

Board members recently were able to get the keys from the contractors that worked on the cottage, giving the Palestinian community a home.

“There is no other house like this where people can come together in one site and practice Palestinian culture,” said Ojeni Touma, of the House of Palestine.

Visitors will find the home to be unique, because once they step inside and look up, they see a picture of Jerusalem.

“It’s up in the ceiling because we look up to our capital and it’s something people can look up and see,” Touma said.

The plan is to have several events in the future, including brunch, cooking classes and much more, according to Touma.

“We are extremely hospitable people, so we love when people talk to us and visit, and we are just extremely excited to start hosting every weekend,” Touma said.

The House of Palestine will now be open every weekend from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For upcoming events and how to get involved, visit their website.