Family and Mourners Honor Renowned Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour in Birzeit

Sliman Mansour, celebrated as one of Palestine's greatest artists and a pillar of Arab art, was laid to rest yesterday in his hometown of Birzeit. Family, friends, cultural figures, and senior officials gathered to pay their final respects.

The artist's passing at the age of 79 was announced on Monday, with funeral services held at St Peter’s Church in Birzeit. Condolences were subsequently received at the town's Grand Hall. As the hearse processed toward the church, a large crowd of mourners followed, led by church leaders and uniformed bagpipe players.

The open casket was draped in olive branches, a powerful motif featured prominently in many of his most famous works. Outside the church, speakers were set up to accommodate the overflow of mourners spilling into the streets.

During the service, Imad Haddad, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, remarked that many came to know Palestine through the artist's eyes and brush. Artist Khaled Hourani shared that the loss is deeply felt across Palestine, marking the end of an era for local culture.

Additional condolence gatherings were scheduled at The Palestinian Museum in Birzeit and at the Terra Sancta Pastoral Centre in Beit Hanina, Jerusalem.

Mansour's family announced his death on his verified Instagram account after previously sharing that he was in critical condition. No cause of death was disclosed. In a statement, the family reflected on his lasting legacy of beauty and memory.

Born in Birzeit near Ramallah in 1947, Mansour spent over five decades shaping a visual language for Palestinian identity. A graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, his work frequently explored themes of displacement, occupation, landscape, and traditional symbols such as olive trees and embroidery.