The Palestine Exploration Fund
The PEF was founded in 1865 and is the oldest organization in the world created specifically for the study of the Levant, the southern portion of which was conventionally known as ‘Palestine’.
PEF Office Hours: We are generally open to visitors Monday to Thursday 11am to 4pm, but please do ring 0207 935 5379 or email execsec@pef.org.uk / collections@pef.org.uk to confirm.
OUR STATEMENT REGARDING A CONFERENCE HELD IN EAST JERUSALEM FROM THE 10TH TO THE 13TH OF FEBRUARY 2025.
The Trustees of the Palestine Exploration Fund have been made aware of a conference taking place in East Jerusalem entitled “Archaeology and Site Conservation of Judea and Samaria – The First International Conference, .” A full statement expressing our concern can be downloaded here: Download Statement.
OUR STATEMENT ON THE TRAGEDY UNFOLDING IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL.
The Palestine Exploration Fund has a long history of over 150 years of engagement in the Middle East. We consider ourselves to be a non-political, non-religious, and non-sectarian organisation. Prompted by the dreadful consequences of the present war in Gaza, Israel, and now Lebanon, our thoughts are with all those whose lives are being torn apart. We deplore and unequivocally condemn the use of violence against all civilian populations and add our voice to those calling for a peaceful resolution of the present conflict. For a more detailed statement regarding Gaza’s cultural heritage and intellectual life, please click here: Download Statement.
ON THE SHORES OF LIBYA AND GAZA: NEW CULTURAL PROTECTION FUND PROJECT
We are privileged to announce that the Palestine Exploration Fund has been awarded a Cultural Protection Fund grant for our project Developing Capacities in Marine Cultural Heritage Management and Protection. Partnering with MarEA, the Alexandria Centre of Maritime Archaeology, Benghazi University and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, we will be providing training in marine archaeological survey and recording techniques through field and online training to archaeology students and heritage professionals in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Libya and Palestine. Click here https://www.pef.org.uk/cpf-pef-marea-grant-project-on-the-shores-of-gaza-and-libya/ for more on this project.
WATCH OUR VIDEOS
Watch our latest videos on our YouTube channel. Andrew Lawler’s lecture on Under Jerusalem, and Bashar Tabbah presenting Sacred Architecture: An exploration of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s complex history and landmark
Please note that views expressed at our lectures and events do not necessarily represent the views of the PEF, but are the speaker’s and/or audience’s own.
LATEST NEWS & ARTICLES
2025 – 2026 PEF-Albright Institute Fellowship Award
Lisa Randisi (UCL) Archaeological Ephemera in Historic Collections from Palestine and Israel.
Annual Research Grants 2025
This year’s grant awards went to Total Grants awarded: £5,701.36 Grants will reopen for applications in December 2025.
The Society for Palestinian Archaeology
Part 2: The Restoration and Documentation Project of the Shrine of Emad Al-Din on Mount Ebal, Nablus. By Loay Abu Alsaud Location: Mount Ebal, NablusHistorical Context: Early
The Society for Palestinian Archaeology
By Loay Abu Alsaud. Part 1. The Foundation of the Society The Society for Palestinian Archaeology was formally established on September 1, 2022, with a
The Zangaki Brothers at the Palestine Exploration Fund – A PEF Research Grant Project
Andrea Coffman, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. It was the fall of 2008, and as a 2nd year graduate student in Photographic Preservation and
Reflections on ethnographic fieldwork in rural Palestine at times of crises: tracing people and lifeways of Ottoman Beit Loya, Israel
By Roy Marom
“Read it not as a dead record of a former world or of an extinct race,” Claude R. Conder implored the readers of Tent Work in Palestine (1878), his narrative of the Survey of Western Palestine undertaken in the 1870s, “but as a living picture of manners and of a land, which can still be studied by any who will devote themselves to the task.” (vol. 1, xxi).
British Women in Palestine: Teaching in Revolt, Opportunity and Lived Experience
By Alex Worsfold I have just returned from a bumper trip of archival visits around the UK, in search of the records of British women
Prominent Palestinian Archaeologists of the 20th and 21st Centuries.
By Loay Abu Alsaud, Department of Tourism and Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. loayabualsaud@najah.edu Presenting a new collection
Congratulations to Our Newest PEF-AIAR Fellow: Dr. Madaline Harris-Schober
We’re very pleased to announce the latest recipient of the Palestine Exploration Fund-Albright Institute Fellowship, Dr. Madaline Harris-Schober from the University of Melbourne and Ludwig
