Bethlehem is located in the center of the West Bank approximately 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Jerusalem. It has a population of about 32,000 people. Bethlehem is considered to be a holy site for Christians as it marks the site where Jesus was born. The Church of the Nativity was erected over this spot, and it is a site of pilgrimage for Christians worldwide.
There are different places worth visiting in Bethlehem when you come to Palestine. The city is full of amazing things that will make your journey enjoyable and exciting.
1.Nativity Church
The Church of Nativity is one of the most religious places in Palestine. The importance of this place comes from being the place of born of the Christ. The annual Christmas Midnight Mass and other religious celebrations are well-worth your visit. Bands from countries around the world come to celebrate this special occasion every year. Thousands of Christian pilgrims of all denominations fill Manger Square at Christmas time.
2. Catherine’s Church
The Catherine’s Church is is the second religious place to visit in Bethlehem. It is built in 1881 by Franciscans. There in the northern side will lead you to the cave system underneath, also you would have the chance to see the Chapel of the Holy Innocents.
In addition, there is a stone bench on the wall where is the remains of Saint Jerome rested. The remains had been transfer to Rome for burial in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
3. Milk Grotto
Milk Grotto is a chapel that been said that it is a place where the holy family went to before the family fled to Egypt. It is been believed that a visit to this place helps fertility and then this place is became a destination for women who have difficulty of conceiving.
4.Manager Square
The square is a place is surrounded by cafes, restaurant and souvenir shops. The Nativity Church is located in the eastern side of the square and the Mosque of Omar located is on the western side.
5.Mar Saba Monastery
Mar Saba is one of the oldest still occupied monasteries in the word, housing around twenty monks, who maintain many of its ancient traditions.
In fact, the manner of worshipping or monastic Typicon established by St Sabbas as the monastery developed, spreading through Constantinople throughout the Byzantine world, to became the standard throughout the Eastern Orthodox church, as well as those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite.
The continued residency by monks of Mar Saba means that women are not permitted into the monastery itself. This need not deter visits however, since the striking external structure of the building can be viewed from a nearby ridge, the hike down from which, to a small stream, is the real highlight of the site.
6. Battir
Built thousands of years ago around a natural spring in a precipitous valley in the Judean hills, Battir remains one of Palestine’s most beautiful villages. Houses stand on man-made rock terraces, lined with the olive groves. The village’s flourishing agricultural trade has been maintained, since the ottoman era, by connection to markets through the railway which runs through it, and, since the Romans, a system of sluice gates. This ancient irrigation system has provided fresh water to the village through its seven springs for over 2,000 years.
One of the few locations where such traditional methods of agriculture are still in use, the ancient village looks much as it has done for hundreds of years. Taking a look beneath the peaceful, ancient rural scenery of the village, however, reveals a diverse history.
7.The Mosque of Omar
This mosque located in the western side of the square, it built in 1860. The building of this Mosque has a story behind it, its named after the Caliph Omar Bin Al-Katab the Muslim leader who took the city from Byzantines. The Caliph prayed in an area near the church declaring that Christians are allowed to practice their faith without any restrictions .
8. Solomon’s Pools
Solomon’s Pools are three open cisterns. These three large pools were built to provide Jerusalem by water where they can accommodate about 160,000 square meters of water. In 1997 and because of the sinking of many people, these pools have been dried to be a touristic place.
