The Jenin Horse

On a roundabout at the edge of the refugee camp stands a life-sized horse welded from the wreckage of the 2002 Battle of Jenin. The hood of a car forms part of the flank, water tanks and rebar make up the legs, and torn metal sheeting becomes the mane. Up close it is grim and beautiful at the same time — a sculpture made literally of the destruction it commemorates.

The piece has become a defining image of contemporary Jenin and is one of the most-photographed objects in the city. It is easy to reach on foot from the centre and free to visit.

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A story
The horse was assembled in 2003 by German artist Thomas Kilpper together with young Palestinians, welded from scrap metal pulled out of houses and vehicles destroyed during the 2002 Israeli incursion into the camp. Each twisted fragment is a piece of a building that no longer exists.

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