The Key

During the Nakba, many families kept the keys to their original homes they were forced to leave to symbolize that they would return. As such, the key became a prominent symbol for the Palestinian refugees as they waited for the day they were given the right to return home. Sometimes, a key is not the only symbol held in the hands of a figure in a work of art. Often, a key is in the hand to signify the waiting to return, while the rosary is held to mean the failing hope and a cigarette represents the distracted or lost refugee who has all but given up.