On a bitter winter’s day along the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza, Jihad Hania was inspired to start collecting old artefacts hidden along the shoreline.
“I was around eight years old then when I saw this old man draped in a nylon raincoat walking along the beach as if searching for something. I was curious because it was winter and it was raining so I approached him and asked what he was doing,” Hania told Gulf Times.
Hania said the old man showed him some of the ancient items he found along the beach, which included ceramic pieces and glass. But what caught his eye was a coin, which, according to the old man, dates back to the Roman Empire.
A couple of days later, Hania went on his own expedition. He claimed that among the first artefacts he found was a ceramic piece from the Byzantine Empire. More than 50 years later, Hania had amassed a large collection of antiques, most of them he bought from countries in Europe.
Some items of his collection are now for sale at Meerat Ramadan, which runs until June 29 at the southern area of Katara The Cultural Village. 
His shop offers many antique pieces like toys, lamps, chests, vintage electronics, and furniture, among others.
With a degree in engineering, Hania usually spends most of his time repairing some of his antique collection. “Collecting antiques is in my blood,” said Hania, who noted that he also has more than 200 vintage cameras in his store in Budapest. “In Qatar, I was able to collect some vintage Arabic and Indian vinyl records dating back to the ‘50s and ‘60s.” 
Most of his customers in Qatar go to him for vintage media-related items like video and still cameras, television sets, radios, and recorders, as well as typewriters and antique guns. 
Hania also underscored the importance of learning about history and how the past can have an impact on the lives of a person, especially the youth. “When families come to visit my shop, they would usually leave their kids outside but I always invite them to bring their children so they can also see the pieces of history I was able to collect through the years.
“It is important to teach children about the past because learning history will benefit them once they grow up. History is for everybody and it does not belong to a specific person or country. The past brings everybody together and that is very important,” Hania emphasised.