“Hassan Odeh is one of the last builders of Mintar in Palestine” exclaims artist Suleiman Mansour. Mintar (also known as watchtowers) building has captivated Mansour ever since he was a child, and inspired many of his paintings since the 1980s.
Mintar building is yet another artisanship that is endangered and under the threat of disappearing from our landscapes. A mintar is made from normal stones found in the surrounding environment. No cement or other supporting materials are used in building it and the whole work depends largely on the skills of the builder. Mintar were built on farmlands as summer houses used by farmers in so-called “cropping” months, when grapes and figs were harvested for drying and making raisins and quteen (dried figs). Mintars were also used for storing wheat and barley crops.
Hassan’s story with mintar building and restoration began during the 1980s when he worked on restoring his father’s mintar in Aroura village, north of Ramallah. Since then, he has been interested in restoring and constructing traditional architecture. He used to construct stone buildings according to ancient Roman and Islamic styles. He felt very happy when he was called in 2019 to build a mintar in the garden of the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit as part of the Palestinian artist Suleiman Mansour’s vision to create a living model of the mintar, which is no longer constructed or used by farmers.
In addition to his work in building restoration and construc - tion, Hassan adopts a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature and the changing seasons of Palestine. He believes that he lives the old Palestinian way of life away from current ways of work. He managed to achieve personal self-sufficiency. He depends for his living on the harvest seasons of almond and olive, ploughing, building stonewalls, and picking and selling wild thyme to mills. In winter, he works in stone-cutting workshops, and in summer, he reclaims lands and restores old buildings. Hassan also builds traditional and modern ovens and raises livestock. Hassan Odeh is a living example of self-sufficiency and living in harmony with nature.