Middle East - Anthony Ham [264]
Abu Raed’s Temptation Restaurant & Souvenir Centre ( 232 2614; Tel as-Sultan; mains from US$8; lunch-late) Worth dining here for the name alone, there’s a delicious and extensive Middle Eastern lunch buffet (US$10) to fill up on so you won’t be led astray on the Mount of Temptation. Just across the road from the cable car station.
Green Valley Park ( 232 2349; Ein es-Sultan St; mains 40-80NIS; lunch-late) Good grilled meats and scrummy mezze at this outdoor dining location on the road north to the Mount of Temptation.
Getting There & Away
Easy to access by car on Rte 1 from Jerusalem (follow signs for Jericho and the Dead Sea), it’s possible to get here by shared taxi from Abu Dis, a southern suburb of Jerusalem. Get to Abu Dis by service taxi (7NIS) from the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, then take a shared taxi from Abu Dis (10NIS) to the checkpoint. Alternatively, take a private taxi from Jerusalem (price according to the meter), or from Ramallah or Nablus (around 70NIS to 100NIS).
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AROUND JERICHO
About 8km west of Jericho a road leads right to Nebi Musa, a small monastic complex built in 1269 and revered by Muslims as the tomb of Moses, with the Judean Desert as a dramatic backdrop.
Nearby,Wadi Qelt is a nature reserve in a steep canyon, with a natural spring where you can swim in a pool under a waterfall and hike along an aqueduct to the stunning 5th-century St George’s Monastery, built into the cliff face of a canyon on the Mount of Temptation. The starting point for the four-hour hike is the Wadi Qelt turn-off on the Jerusalem–Jericho road (get the bus driver to drop you off here) and the finishing point is Jericho: follow signs for the settlement of Mitzpe Yericho to get you going. The route’s easiest tackled, though, with a local Bedouin guide; ask around in Jericho beforehand.
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BETHLEHEM
02 / pop 29,000
Though the largely Christian town of Bethlehem has suffered in recent years from ongoing isolation caused by Israel’s ‘security wall’, no trip to the region is complete without a visit to this serene, pretty destination, where golden afternoon light dapples centuries–old stones, and where those in search of kitsch can have their fill of Jesus hologram postcards, all-year Christmas shops, and life-size carved wooden nativities. Don’t be put off by the ominous and intimidating Israeli checkpoint at the entrance to Bethlehem. Once through it, you’ll emerge to a old-fashioned, quiet town that’s struggled hard to survive as tourism here has plummeted.
Bethlehem is often visited as a daytrip from Jerusalem, but doing so would mean you miss out on its true charm. Stay a day or two at one of its pilgrims’ hotels (only full these days during Christmas and Easter), eat on the street at cheap and delicious felafel and shwarma stands, browse its atmospheric souq and peruse its manifold sights, including the Grotto of the Nativity where Jesus is said to have been born. In Bethlehem, you’ll find friendly locals eager to help you get your bearings or direct you to your destination, an unusually laid-back and parochial vibe, and an atmosphere that’s remained spiritual despite the once-bustling and now fairly forlorn tourist trappings.
Orientation & Information
Bethlehem is a relatively small town, sandwiched between the two smaller Christian villages of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala. The old city spreads out on either side of a steep hill, which makes for some leg-acheing climbs up and down cobbled streets and seemingly hundreds of steps.
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ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL Amelia Thomas
Each time I return to Bethlehem, which, despite its troubles, remains one of my favourite towns in the world, more and more artwork has appeared on Israel’s contentious ‘security wall’. It’s a stark contrast: on the Israeli side, there’s nothing but the odd scrawled slogan, but on the Palestinian side, a riot of colours, blazing murals, and towering objections,