Palestine, a crossroad of religions

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The Holy Land, Palestine is the place where the three Abrahamic religions were born, diverged, and then intersected again throughout history. My trip there did not have a religious focus, but even so, I was impressed by the density of the religious landmarks and the devotion of the believers. Some of them – Palestinian residents who take pride in their rich, sacred history; some of them – pilgrims who travel from all corners of the world to walk, for just a few minutes, on the land where notable events of the Torah, Bible, or Qur’an took place.

This is far from being a comprehensive list of must-see religious places in Palestine, it is just a collection of personal experiences and the religious significance of the places I have visited.

Jericho

My first stop in Palestine was Jericho, famous for being home to the Mount of Temptation and the Monastery of Saints John and George of Choziba. The latter is an important pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians. When I arrived, one vendor was casually offering his merchandise in Romanian, calling pilgrims’ attention to his collars, scarves, dates, and whatever else he was selling. This is how I found out that the site is popular with Romanian Orthodox Christians due to Saint John, the Romanian who lived, died, and found there his last resting place. Unfortunately, the site is not trouser-friendly. Even though I had a scarf to cover my head and I was overall modest, without a long skirt, I had the door shut in my face faster than I could say ‘hello’.

The Monastery of Temptation marks the location where Jesus fasted in isolation for 40 days and where Satan tried and failed to tempt Him away from His faith
Mar Jaris, aka Saint George Monastery in Wadi Qelt was initially established by hermit monks looking to find God in the Judean desert in the 5th century AD. It is now a Greek Orthodox monastery.

Nablus

While not as dense in religious sites as other parts of Palestine, Nablus is home to St. Photina Church. The church is well known for holding Jacob’s well, where Jesus met and converted a Samaritan woman. If you have issues finding the place, ask a local for Bi’r Ya’qub, which is the Arabic name for the Church (literally, Jacob’s well).

Jacobs Well Nablus Photina Church When Jesus was sitting by this well and a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. She then started spreading the word of her encounter, converting more people to Christianism
When Jesus was sitting by this well and a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. She then started spreading the word of her encounter, converting more people to Christianity.
St. Photina Church on a rainy day

Hebron

Hebron (or Al Khalil in Arabic) is home to the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site that, just like Temple Mount in Jerusalem is important to both Jews and Muslims, being the burial site of Abraham and his wife Sarah, Abraham’s son Isaac and his wife Rebecca, their son Jacob and his wife Leah. It is also a place where Prophet Mohammed stopped during his night journey of Isra and Mi’raj to pay his respects to Abraham, establishing an important pilgrimage in Islam.
I was wearing the same trousers as in Jericho, but here I was received with Muslim hospitality and a young girl pointed out that I had to wear an abaya and came with me to show me where I can find the communal ones, so I can respectfully enjoy the site.

Abraham’s Cenotaph inside the Mosque. Muslims and Jews alike believe the grave is in the caves below the building which are blocked to the public (and probably not safe to enter due to the size of the passage).
A Muslim woman prays at the cenotaph of Sarah, Abraham’s wife

Bethlehem

The birthplace of Jesus doesn’t require any introduction, but it surprised me to see how nondescript the church is. Of course, this doesn’t take away any of the value it has to Christians.

the altar in The Church of Nativity
Inside the church, one can climb down a steep flight of stairs to reach the place of birth of Jesus

Jerusalem

I’m not sure if any other place on Earth has so many paramount landmarks for multiple religions. Which makes it understandable that it stands at the core of the disagreement between Israel and Palestine. Understandable, but not justifiable.
Within one day you can walk from the Gethsemane Garden, through the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then to the Wailing Wall and Temple Mount to see The Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem dates from the Herodian era when it was built as an extension to the Second Jewish Temple. The temple was located on the Temple Mount, it was built in the first century BC and destroyed in the first century AD. The wall became a place of mourning of the loss of the temple, hence the name of “Wailing Wall”.
Via Dolorosa is the name of the route along which Jesus carried His cross. It stretches just over half a kilometer, from the place where He was tried and convicted to the place of crucifiction and burial. The alley with the same name only partially overlaps with the religious route.
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a chapel contains the holiest place in Christianity: the Tomb of Jesus, the place of resurection
Pilgrims praying at The Stone of Anointing, the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial after the crucifixion
Dome of The Rock, built on the place some Muslims believe to be the rock from where Prophet Mohammed ascended to the heavens during the night of Isra’ wal Miraj. The same rock is where hundreds of years before, Abraham agreed to sacrifice his son Isaac when tested by God.
The (smaller) Dome of The Chain in the foreground is the place where Muslims believe the final judgment will happen when Judgement Day comes.
As Islam doesn’t allow depictions of humans or animals so to avoid idolatry, the design elements in Islamic architecture are always geometrical and calligraphic. This detail on Dome of The Rock shows the intricacy of the design but definitely doesn’t do justice to the mastership involved in creating it.
Al Aqsa Mosque, of paramount importance in Islam, originally marked the direction in which Muslims prayed (that direction was later changed to Mecca). In the night journey of Isra’ wal Miraj, the Prophet travelled from Mecca to Al Aqsa Mosque to pray. Some scholars believe it is from here that Prophet Mohammed ascended to the heavens (rather than The Dome of The Rock – situated 100m away).
Just outside of the old town and next to the Gethsemane Garden is The Church of All Nations. A relatively new church (only one century old) that owes it's construction to the donations from over 15 countries, hence the name.
Just outside of the old town and next to the Gethsemane Garden is The Church of All Nations. A relatively new church (only one century old) that owes it’s construction to the donations from over 15 countries, hence the name.
The Church of All Nations is also known as the Basilica of The Agony as it is built on the rock where Jesus prayed in agony before being arrested.

Visiting the religious sites in Palestine is a humbling experience independently of one’s religious views. Walking the same land where Prophets walked hundreds and thousands of years ago puts things into a new perspective and invites one to revisit their beliefs. Hopefully, it will also plant some curiosity and new understanding of how these religions evolved, shaped history, and left an imprint on the way that more than half of the world’s population lives their lives.

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