Archeology and cultural heritage researcher.
He graduated from Birzeit University with a bachelor's degree in archeology and from the University of Jordan with a master's degree.
In 1990, he received his Ph.D. in Middle Eastern archeology from the Institute of West Asian Archeology at the Free University of Berlin in Germany.
Between 1990 and 1992, he was a professor of archeology at Birzeit University's Institute of Archeology.
He participated as a coordinator for the antiquities team to prepare the antiquities negotiating file from 1992 to 1994, and he has spearheaded efforts to re-establish the current Palestinian Antiquities Department since 1994.
Between 1995 and 2004, he was the Director General of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities; from 2004 to 2012, he was the Assistant Undersecretary for the Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Sector; and from 2012 until the end of 2014, he was the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
He was an archaeological advisor for the UN Development Program to restore An-Nabi Musa and the Jericho Gate, a UNESCO resident, and a visiting professor at Kyoto University in Japan.
Supervised archaeological excavations and cultural heritage reconstruction projects in Palestine; represented Palestine at scientific conferences and international forums such as UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee.