Mohanad Salahat
Credit: Francesca Tosarelli
Credit: Ahmad Essam Alhaj
Credit: Ayed Nabaa
From the Eyes of the Samaritans
With fewer than 1,000 members worldwide, the Samaritans are one of the region’s oldest and smallest religious communities. Starting in 2024, API Senior Fellow Mohanad Salahat is teaming up with five aspiring Samaritan filmmakers to embark on a groundbreaking journey: documenting the community’s rich history, vibrant culture, and traditions from their own perspective.
Throughout March and April 2025, a series of in-person workshops were held in Jordan and Palestine to support the film’s development. Interviews are being recorded in both Arabic and English, and we’re working together to make this story accessible to a broader audience.
Titled “From the Eyes of the Samaritans, this inspiring project will offer an intimate glimpse into Samaritan life, amplify the voices of its youth, and preserve the legacy of this remarkable community for generations to come.
Stay tuned - this is just the beginning!
Jordan Trip (Amman, Petra, Wadi Musa, Aaron's Tomb)
In March 2025, Samaritan filmmakers Abood, Adam, Gazal, Ismael, and Tamer joined API Senior Fellow Mohanad Salahat for their first in-person workshops across Jordan. Together, they explored the technical side of filmmaking, the craft of storytelling, and what they want the world to understand about the Samaritan community. Traveling from Amman to Petra and Wadi Musa - by car, donkey, and on foot - they ended their journey at Aaron’s Tomb, a sacred site where they paused to pray and reflect. In the following workshop, their reflections on that moment offered a powerful reminder of the heart of this project: memory, identity, and community.
