PhD students at the Institute for European Urban Studies suggested an exchange with their home universities Alexandria and Gaza. The video conference on cultures of remembrance and current conflicts resulting from these efforts (Title: “Urban heritage in conflict areas”) in March 2011 encouraged the idea to stabilize the contact between the universities. Following an application by the chair for Social-scientific Urbanism, the DAAD approved the funds for a three-years project entitled “Urban Minorities” in the program “Academic Dialogue with the Islamic World”. In the mid-term, we aim at stabilizing this cooperation beyond the eligible period and at involving further institutions of higher education from the Near and Middle East.