Jifna village lies on a green hill overlooking a fertile
valley, 23 kms north of Jerusalem, to the west of the Jerusalem-Nablus-Nazareth
road. To the West of the village lies Birzeit, and to the south the Jalazoun
refugee camp. There are three roads leading to Jifna: the first is the
main Jerusalem-Ramallah-Nablus road, the second is through the Jalazoun
refugee camp, and the third through Birzeit village.
Jifna lies on the old Roman road connecting Jerualem
to Nablus, and it was considered at the time the second most important
city after Jerusalem. The village had a governor which is demonstrated
by the existence of a big castle in the village. Jesus Christ is said to
have passed through the village at least once in his lifetime, as did the
Virgin Mary on her way from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
As you enter the village the most prominent building
is the Latin church built in 1859 , opposite an old Byzantine church called
St. George's church, which has not been excavated so far but only cleaned
in 1970. The crusaders rebuilt this Byzantine church but it was destroyed
several times in the following years, and its stones were used 
to
build some of the village houses. Another church was also found in the
southern end of the village with mosaic flooring dating back to the Byzantine
era also. The second active church is the Greek Orthodox Church built in
1858. A winery was also found in the eastern border of the village.
There are two small citadels in the village whose origins
are attributed to the crusaders, even though Father Bagatti attributes
them to the Muslim period following the crusaders. The site also contains
the remains of a Byzantine wall.
The citadels lie on the western side of the village,
with the doors of all the rooms opening into the internal yard.
There are very few external windows on the east, which
means that these citadels were used as a fortress. Even though Jifna was,
and still is, essentially a Christian village, the relationship between
the crusaders and the locals was not friendly to say the least. The site
of the citadel was renovated and reopened for public use in the end of
April of this year. This project was initiated by the youth in the village
supported by local and international organizations and sponsors. The site,
called "Burj Jifna" or the Jifna tower, currently contains a popular restaurant,
a modern café, a multipurpose hall, headquarters for the village
youth club, a cultural activity hall, and a center for the exhibit andsale
of traditional handicrafts. The second phase of the project is planned
to include bed and breakfastfacilities. For a taste of traditional Palestinian
food and life style in a historical setting, Burj Jifna is definitely the
place to go.
For more information contact the PalestinianYouth Union
at (02)2981313/4 or fax (02)2957810, email: palyouum@p-ol.com