Milk Grotto
Milk Grotto A short stroll from Manger Square in Bethlehem lies another sacred site – the Milk Grotto, so called as it was allegedly used by Mary to nurse the baby Jesus. Legend has it that the Holy Family hid out in the grotto during the Massacre of the Innocents, before fleeing to Egypt, and tha
Lutheran Christmas Church
Sorry, we currently have no review for this sight.
St Mary’s Syrian Orthodox Church
Sunday Mass is held in Syriac.
Crib Museum
The nativity-scene spectacle at the Crib Museum is a short walk off Manger Sq.
Samaritan Museum
At this excellent museum, an English-speaking guide will show you a video and answer any questions you have about the Samaritans.
Souq (Market)
Has a range of fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, junk, shoes and some mighty tasty snacks. Known to locals as the Green Market, the souq was established in 1929.
Manger Sq
The citys centerpiece, Manger Sq is also the hub of services - both religious and logistical. It has a post office, ATM and Open Bethlehem (x277 7993; www.openbethlehem.org; Manger Sq) - for its services.
Old Bethlehem Museum
This museum is located in a typical Palestinian home of the 19th century. See native costumes, peruse the collection of early-20th-century photos of Palestine, and purchase embroidery produced by the Bethlehem Arab Women’s Union, at the embroidery centre upstairs.
Tell Balata
Close to Josephs Well and well signposted from the main road into Nablus from Ramallah, Tell Balata is the remains of what is believed to be the first settlement in Nablus, based around a spring in the valley between two mountains. It boasts some interesting ruins and an excellent
Cave
In the International Center of Bethlehem (natives know the centre as Dar Annadwa) is housed the Cave which has extended hours for exhibits. Watch artisans at work through large windows, then go into the gallery/gift shop and bookstore. Dont miss how it gets its name - an ancient ca
Soap Factories
If cleanliness is next to godliness, then the Old City offers plenty of opportunities for both. Nablus has seven or eight functioning soap factories that produce olive-oil-based suds, carrying on an 800-year-old Nablus tradition. Mofthen Factory , on Martyrs Sq, is just one of thos
International Center of Bethlehem (Dar Annadwa)
This Lutheran-run centre puts on concerts, plays, films, English-language documentaries, workshops and lectures. There’s also a coffee shop, guesthouse, art gallery and gift shop, known as the Cave , where local artists show off their work. Attached to the gallery is a small, under
Glass & Ceramic workshops
At the northern entrance to Hebron, in the area called Ras al-Jora, several traditional blown-glass and ceramic factories are open for viewing and shopping. Al-Natsheh and Al-Salam glass factories receive visitors and shoppers, as does the smaller Tamimi Ceramics . All are open bet
St Catherine’s Church
Midnight Mass at this pink-toned church, next door to the Church of the Nativity, is broadcast across the world on Christmas Eve, but there’s nothing like being there in person for an atmospheric – if rather lengthy – Christmas experience. Access the church via the Church of the Na
Milk Grotto Chapel
A short walk from Manger Sq is the lesser-known Milk Grotto Chapel. The white rock inside this stony chapel is said to bring milk to a mother’s bosom and enhance fertility in women who swallow a morsel of the chalky substance. Legend has it that Mary and Joseph stopped here to feed
Canaan Fair Trade
Located 2km beyond Buqi’in, this newly built olive-oil factory practises fair-trade policy with its olive farmers. A tour of the factory (40NIS) includes a free bottle of olive oil and if you want to get to know the olive farmers, they can set you up with a homestay. A good time to
Great Mosque
Also known as Al-Omari Mosque or Jamaa al-Akbar, Palestinian tradition relates that the Great Mosque was built on the site of the biblical Temple of Dagon, which Sampson pulled down on the faithful Philistines and himself. Subsequently, a number of other religious buildings were bu
Arts & Crafts Village
A beautiful white-painted adobe complex, the Arts & Crafts Village is where traditional Palestinian handicrafts, such as weaving, embroidery, copper work and woodwork, are kept alive. The village runs training courses and summer camps for children and workshops for adults, and
Platform
The ancient site of the Samaritan Temple. A guard will unlock the gate to let you inside and will give a brief tour of the site. Once at the top, you’ll see the lowered floor that Samaritans say was the foundation of their Temple, which was built in the 5th century BCE. It only sur
Hammam al
The last remaining of five bathhouses in Gaza City, Hammam al-Samara is a gorgeous Mamluk-era bathhouse dating back even beyond the 14th century, when, according to a plaque in the lobby, it was restored by the governor Sangar ibn Abdullah. It has managed to retain its vaulted ceil
