Jacir Palace: Inter-Continental Hotel

In the heart of Bethlehem, on the main Jerusalem-SOS- Bethlehem-Hebron road, the old building traditionally known as the Jacir Palace was recently transformed into a 5 star Inter Continental Hotel. The feeling of awe as you walk through the arched entrance is immediately dissipated by the warm atmosphere and the extremely friendly staff both at the reception and in the various coffee shops and terraces of the hotel. The Palace itself dates back to 1910 when it was built by Suleiman Jacir, a rich merchant of Bethlehem. Frescoes on the ceiling of the reception and lobby show a portrait of Suleiman Jacir wearing a Turkish style headdress and caftan. The frescoes themselves have been well kept and cleaned. The tiles of the original mansion have also been reserved. The new furniture was brought in from Turkey to ensure homogeneity between the original house design and the new furniture. The palace was sold to Germans after the war and became a prison house. Later on it was transformed into a boys school and then a girls school. It was a ballot center for the first Palestinian legislative council elections a few years ago. Two years back it was bought by Padico and elaborate plans to transform it into the front façade of a luxurious 5 star hotel, the first of its kind in the area, were finally implemented.

The hotel was officially o ened early last May and is not completely functional, even though around 30 rooms of the Beit Sahour wing are available, in addition to the Zaitouneh restaurant, the Riwaq courtyard, Al Makan Bar, and the Arisheh terrace. The 1000 capacity ballrooms, Ad Diwan and as Saraya, are also available for various official and social functions. The projected total room capacity is 49 rooms including 4 executive suites and 1 residential suite. Two pools are under construction, as is the business center, fitness center, and shopping arcade.

The excellent combination between the old and new, the luxurious and the traditional, is a distinct advantage to this hotel that has managed, so far, to adapt to its surroundings.

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Salaheddine Street

The busiest shopping street in East Jerusalem, it starts from Az Zahra gate and continues until just before the American Colony Hotel. It's ideal for window shopping and actual shopping, since it is full of shops offering different kinds of products that are not geared towards tourists but the local population. Before the Israeli-imposed closure of Jerusalem in the face of Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 199 , this street was a haven for shoppers from all over Palestine and the nearby villages and was difficult to set foot in particularly around the major Muslim and Christian feasts which are the major shopping seasons in Palestine. Starting with a variety of clothes shops for men and women, it also contains the best bookshops for Arabic and English books and magazines. Vegetable shops also provide the best looking (and also excellent tasting) vegetables and fruits you can find, though they are on the expensive side. A couple of music shops, as well as a few quick food restaurants selling the traditional Palestinian Shawarma, Hummous, and Falalfel are on the way to satisfy the appetite of hungry shoppers and passers

by. Jewelry shops (silver and gold) are also found on this street, as are two or three furniture and electric appliance shops. The greatest concentration in this street, however, is for Palestinian tour operators, and money changers. Az Zahra street, an exit to the right at the northern end of Salaheddin street also offers an extension of the shoping experience to more clothes, food, as well as tour operators, and hotels. Some of the best hairdressers in Jerusalem for men and women (no unisex hairdressers are available in East Jerusalem) are also located on this street and usually no a ointment is required. Towards the northern end of the street, there are two Palestinian theatre houses: The Palestinian National Theatre and Al Kasaba theatre, as well as an interesting historic-turned-cultural site known as the Tombs of the Kings (opening hours 08:30 - 17:00) which was once thought to be the burial site of the kings of Judah. Currently it is believed to be the family vault of the royal family of Adiabene, an independent state within the Babylonian Empire whose queen, Helena, along with her son Izates, converted to Judaism. Every summer for the last three years this location has been the site of the Jerusalem Festival for Arabic music organized by Yabous Productions. Even though the site is planned to undergo renovation, the festival of Arabic and World jazz music will still take lace there in the second week of August.