Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bethlehem
6
Perched on a hill at the edge of the Judaean desert,
Bethlehem is in biblical tradition the childhood home
of David, who was named king here as he tended his
father's sheep. It is also the birthplace of Jesus Christ
and a major site of pilgrimage since the construction
of the Church of the Nativity in the 4th century AD.
The town flourished until Crusader times, but the
following centuries witnessed a great reduction in
population, reversed only after the 1948 war with the
arrival of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
Exploring Bethlehem
Since 1995 Bethlehem has
been under the control of the
Palestinian National Authority,
which has initiated a pro-
gramme of economic recovery
and tourism. Despite the huge
number of pilgrims and chaotic
urban growth, Bethlehem has
retained a certain amount of
fascination, especially in the
central area around Manger
Square and in the souk just to
the west. The souvenir shops
are filled with
kitsch religious
objects but also
sell the fine carved
olive-wood crib
scenes that local
craftsmen have pro-
duced for centuries.
No visitor should
miss the
Church
of the Nativity
(see pp194-5)
on Manger Square,
built in the fourth
century over the
supposed spot
where Jesus Christ was born
and, as such, one of the most
holy of Christian sites.
Several of the town's other
main attractions also deserve
attention. The most interest-
ing parts of Bethlehem lie
west of Manger Square, on
the streets that run up the hill,
behind the prominent
Mosque
of Omar
. Built in 1860, this is
the only Islamic place of
worship in the town centre,
despite the fact that Muslim
residents now outnumber
Christians in Bethlehem.
The hilltop Herodion with sweeping
views of the landscape
Herodion
5
Road map
B4. Route 356, 12 km
(7 miles) SE of Bethlehem.
Tel
(050)
R
St Catherine's Church
Manger Square.
Tel
(02) 274 2425.
l
l
505 007.
@
Bethlehem, then taxi.
#
8am-4pm (Fri: 3pm) daily.
& 8
on Sat but call ahead.
7
Dominating the desert land-
scape south of Bethlehem is
the volcano-like mound of
the Herodion, named for
Herod the Great. He had this
circular fortified palace built
in 24-15 BC for entertaining,
and to mark the defeat of his
rival, Antigonus. It was long
thought this might also have
been his mausoleum, but
despite extensive excavations
no tomb has been found.
During the Second Revolt
in AD 132-5 the Herodion
became the headquarters of
the Jewish leader Bar-Kokhba.
In expectation of a Roman
attack, the rebels turned its
cisterns into a network of
escape tunnels.
Around the 5th century, the
site became a monastery with
cells and a chapel, where you
can still see carved Christian
symbols. Also identifiable are
a massive round tower and
three semicircular ones, ruins
of the palace baths, the
triclinium
(dining room) and
fragments of mosaics, all
dating from Herod's time.
At the foot of the mound
are the remains of the Lower
Herodion, with the dry
imprint of a large pool that,
in Herod's day, served as a
reservoir and centrepiece for
ornamental gardens.
#
daily.
7
Connected to the Church of the
Nativity, St Catherine's faces a
heavily-restored,
Crusader-period
cloister
(see p174)
.
The church was
built by Francis-
cans in the 1880s
on the site of a
12th-century Aug-
ustinian monastery,
which had replaced
a 5th-century mon-
astery associated
with St Jerome.
On the right side
of the nave, stairs
descend to the
grottoes of the Holy Innocents,
St Joseph and St Jerome, which
connect to the Grotto of the
Nativity. These were used as
burial places by Christians as
early as the 1st century AD
and contain the tombs of St
Jerome and St Paula.
The 19th-century
St Catherine's Church
The church spires and towers of Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus Christ
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261-2 and pp278-9
