Jericho
If the heat puts you off by day check out
Jericho by night
Endless attractions and exciting thing
to do
Jericho might be a winter resort, but in the
summer nights it provides vast entertainment option that you can only begin
to explore this summer.
You might want to get a suntan during the
day, but at night you can also swim in the warm waters of the swimming
pools available in town, and let the warm breeze caress you as you relax
by the poolside. For swimming facilities check out The Jericho Resort Village,
Ash Shallal, The Papaya Park, and the Amara Park. The last three are usually
open until midnight.
Another option is to take the cable care to
the mount of temptation and watch Jericho from the mountaintop.
You can also laze around in one of the many
restaurants in the city, with Argeeleh, good food, and excellent music,
particularly at the newly opened Spanish Park off Amman Road. Check out
live music nights in some of the restaurants in the Ein Sultan road.
Cycling by night is also a recommended sport,
as is taking a stroll in the beautiful streets of the city. There are children's
games at the Papaya Park as well as the Spanish Park.
That, and much more, awaits… so don't waste
your time planning what to do, be spontaneous and drive down to Jericho
and enjoy the warm beautiful summer nights in the oldest city in the world.
Shepherd's Fields
Just
south east of Bethlehem is the Palestinian village of Beit Sahour, and
the scene of terraced fields of olives, known as the Shepherd's Fields.
According to tradition this is the place where the angels appeared to the
shepherds heard the angels sing "Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth,
Peace and good Will to Men". A church was found here dating from AD 4 with
a colored mosaic floor, one of the earliest in Palestine. The present Greek
Church near the traditional site of the Grotto of the Shepherds replaced
a monastery dating from AD 670. The modern, tent-shaped Franciscan Church
of the Angels is built over a cave in which the shepherds are supposed
to have lived. Nearby are the remains of a watchtower known as the Tower
of Edar or Tower of the Flocks. This is believed to be the tower mentioned
in Genesis.Al Qattanin Market
Al-Qattanin market is a fifteen meter long
commercial center containing 50 shops on each side. It originally had all
kinds of cloth in the market, but now is a basic "suk". The Suk extends
from Al Qatanin Door (one of the western Doors of the Dome of the Rock)
joining Al-Wad street to the west. The suk also contains "Hammam Al-Ein"
or "Al-Ein public bath" which is situated at the southern end of the market.
To the east there is "Khan Tankaz" which is
now used as offices for the Islamic Waqf department. Opposite the Khan
Tankaz there is another Khan called Al-Ghadiriyyeh which was used during
the Maluk and Ottoman times as a Khan and now hosts a youth club. At the
end of the market, towards the Dome of the Rock, there is another public
bath called "Hammam Al-Shifa". Prince Seif Uldin Tankaz, governor of Damascus
rebuilt the market during the reign of Sultan Al-Naser Muhammad. There
are two inscriptions to verify this, the first is on the doors of the market,
which are covered with bronze plaques. The inscription states the name
of the founder and the date, 1336. The second inscription is on a store
situated above the Khan Tankaz entrance. The suk has been neglected for
a very long period. The Doors were renovated in 1890, but the suk remained
derelict until 1974 when it was renovated and let by the Jerusalem Waqf
Department.
At
the bottom of the valley, as one descends the Mount of Olives towards Gethsemane,
there is a church that dates back to the early 5th century,
which is said to contain the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. The present entrance
and façade is from the 12 century.