Star Street -
The Bethlehem Christmas Market
The oldest street in Bethlehem, Star street
is the traditional entrance to the old city. Today, it remains the route
taken by Patriarchs on Christmas Eve to the Church of Nativity. This one
kilometer-long street starts from the Catholic Action Club where recent
renovations have constructed a small square with a few steps in the center
leading to a narrow platform where a sculpture is planned to sit in the
near future. Once a center of economic life, the changing tourist routes
in the years following the Israeli occupation brought it to detriment,
causing the shops to close down.
The street has been recently renovated by the
Bethlehem 2000 authority supported by the Spanish Cooperation and it is
slowly regaining the splendor of the past. On December 15th, the Bethlehem
Christmas Market was opened in this street. Merchants from all over Palestine
are exhibiting traditional handicrafts, arts, souvenirs, and food in 20
shops along the street. Following the initiative of the Bethlehem 2000
project, many shopkeepers decided to reopen their shops for the incoming
tourists. With music and occasional live performances, the Christmas Market
which is open until the 6th of January promises life back to this marvelous
street in the heart of the Old City of Bethlehem.
Damascus Gate (Bab El Amoud)
Damascus Gate is the largest of the Old City's
seven gates. The steps leading down to the gate, renovated in recent years,
form an amphitheater where people just sit and look over the wall of the
Old City and the hundreds walking in and out of the gate every day. During
Ramadan, and the Muslim feasts in general, the gate is decorated with colorful
bright lights and the whole area is bustling until late at night. On Fridays,
the gate is packed around noontime with the thousands of Muslims coming
from all over Palestine to pray in the Al Aqsa Mosque. The gate's angled
entrance designed to break the path of potential attackers, leads into
the main north-south artery of the Old City.
Immediately inside there are a few steps after
which the road forks. To the left, Tariq Al Wad leads into the heart of
the Muslim quarter. On the right, Souk Khan al Zeit separates the Muslim
and Christian quarters and it is the busiest shopping street in the Old
City. You can find everything from clothes to food to music and gold. Women
from surrounding villages are on the sides of the street selling vegetables,
as are older men and children selling all kinds of knick knacks. To walk
through this street on a busy morning or afternoon can be an enjoyable
experience for sightseeing and a relaxed pace, but rather frustrating if
you are in a rush. At the end of this street the road forks again taking
you to the Christian quarter on the right and to Souk al Attarin (herbs
and spices market) straight on.