Ramallah Off The Beaten Path

Even if you don't want to spend a semester it is worth the trip to visit the famous Birzeit University north of Ramallah.

Visit the campus, have a meal in the cafeteria and most of all: have a talk with the students! It is Palestines young leadership studying there, so you will have interesting conversations.

If you think about studying there yourself, visit the PAS-Office for Foreig Students in the Womens Building down the street and or get your application kit online.

Go there by bus from Ramallah's City Center (the busses leave in the street going from Al Manarah Square across the Court Building)

Go to the rooftop of the building of Prophet Samuel's tomb and admire the Judea region. For a beautiful panoramic view of most parts of Jerusalem look to the Southeast direction, and to the North you will see Ramallah.

Ein Kenya Nature Reserve is a great place for walks, picnics, and hiking in the West Bank named after its natural springs. A variety of wild plants, birds, and animals make Ein Kenya a site for a nice weekend in the West Bank.

Directions: Aprox. 7 km Northwest of Ramallah. Drive to the Old City in Ramallah along Dar Ibrahim street to the Northwest direction; that street will lead you to the road to the Nature Reserve.

Aprox. 4 km Southwest of Ramallah you will find Tel Al-Nasbeh, an important Bronze Age archeological site. Visible ruins include a gate dating back to the 9th century BC, a massive wall, the remains of a Byzantine Church, and an Ottoman Khan. Tel Al-Nasbeh is believed to be the site where Saul was crowned king as described in the first book of Samuel.

Aprox. 12 km south of Ramallah, the Arab village of Al-Jib is the site of the biblical city of Gibeon, which was a prosperous wine-producing city in the 7th century. Wine cellars and a sophisticated water system were discovered at the site.

Aprox. 5 km east of Ramallah you will find the remains of Beitin (Beth-El), that date back to the 5th century BC. An old tower, known as the tower of Beitin (Beth-El), is the site where according to tradition Abraham, on his way from Hebron to Nablus, built an altar (Genesis 12:5-9), and the site where Jacob dreamt of a ladder reaching up to heaven (Genesis 28:10-12).

Al-Bireh is the twin city of Ramallah, an ancient Canaanite city founded around 3500 BC. Traditionally, Joseph and Mary rested there on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee, when suddenly they discovered that Jesus was missing (Luke 2:41-46). A Crusader Church known as the Church of the Holy Family commemorate the event. Salah Al-din destroyed the city in 1187.

Directions: East of Ramallah

Jifna is a small scenic Christian village that was once an important Roman-Byzantine city. Previously known as Gophna of Josephus, this village today is reputated for its different outdoor restaurants, bars, and cafes. Coming from Birzeit, turn to the left at the main street and you will find a Roman Catholic Church and beside it, the ruins of a Bizantine Church. Come back to the main road (the way from Birzeit) and then go to the other side of the town to see a Greek Orthodox Church. All the way to Jifna you will notice that there are many beautiful houses with chinese architecture elements.

Directions: from the Muqata, drive along the same road 20 km to the north up to Birzeit; then take a road junction to the right aprox. 3 km.

"And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem. And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, while they communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with them." (Luke 24:13-15) The old Roman way (Via Romana) to Emmaus, scenary of what Luke described in his book, still exists and is located in Al-Qubeybe, 12 km Northwest of Jerusalem.

All the events described in Luke 24:13-32 took place in the town of Emmaus. The Gospel is not precise and therefore the exact location of this place remains unknown. However, most researchers identify Emmaus as the arab village of Al-Qubeybe, 12 km Northwest of Jerusalem. The Franciscans built a Neo-Romanesque Basilica there in 1901, beside a Via Romana. The Basilica was built on the site once occupied by a previous church of the 12th century, where the house traditionally believed to that of Cleopas was located. Today the friars take care of beautiful gardens and also grow impalas in the big backyard of this religious complex.