Sabastiya

It was my last day in Nablus, and although I'm not much for Roman ruins, I really had a desire to see Sabastiya, an ancient city about 15 minutes away from Nablus. My roommates and I climb into an old service which will get us to the steps of the ruins for four shekels. The service driver warns us that it may be difficult to find a way out of this city, but we take our chances anyways knowing full well this is Palestine - a taxi, service or a good samaritan is not far from where you are.

Settlement

A restaurant and a gift shop that reminds me of the one used frequently by Elia Suleiman in his films is on the right hand side. We begin walking and taking photos of the ruins, like tourists do. Once we reach the amphitheatre, a young boy begins to follow us. Our "no thanks" and "leave us alone" does not work on him, he's persistent. He begins giving us a tour and showing us things we may have missed. He tells us about the new discoveries, how much of the ruins have been stolen and sold to Israelis, how the park is closed when settlers come and visit (it is a national park for settlers - their settlement is visible from Sabastiya). The boy isn't much for the history of the place, just the history of what happened recently. The ancient city seems abandoned again, until you arrive to the "downtown" of the village of Sabastiya. The kid tells me many tourists come by, just not today.

The Basilica and Forum

I have not heard much about this city, it's not advertised as much as other places with Roman ruins, nor am I familiar with its history, but after my visit, I read up on it, so I'll give you a briefing.

The theatre

Sabastiya is a city built on a hill on the ancient site of Samaria. It has been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times (sounds like Palestine to me). The early settlements date to the Early Bronze Age and the rocky summit of the hill was the centre of an extensive wine and oil production area since the Iron Age.

The Church of the Discovery

Under the rule of King Omri, a citadel on the acropolis was built. King Omri bought the hill from Shemer and moved his capital there, calling it Samaria. The city expanded its commercial and social relations with the Phoenicians when Omri's son, King Ahab, married the Phoenician Princess Jezebel.

The region has seen many conquerors including the Assyrian empire where the city was rebuilt by King Sargon II and re-populated. The town was transformed into a Hellenistic one by Alexander the Great when thousands of Macedonian soldiers settled there. The city was destroyed by the Maccabaean King John Hyrcanus in 108 BC. When Pompey conquered Jerusalem, the city was annexed to the Roman province of Syria and rebuilt in 57-55BC by Gabinius.

The columned street

In 30BC, the Roman Emperor Augustus awarded the city to Herod the Great who named it "Sebaste" in honour of Augustus (Sebaste is Augusta in Greek). The city grew to feature a temple dedicated to Augustus, a stadium, theatre and refortified the city with a larger wall.

The mosque

After Herod's death, his son Archelaus ruled the city until he was sent into exile by Augustus in AD 6. Roman Emperor Septimius Severus rebuilt the city at the end of the 2nd century when it was established as the colony of Lucia Septimia Sebaste. The current remains of present Sabastiya date from this period.

They told me this is John the Baptist's jail cell

Christianity soon spread all over the region of Samaria (in the first centuries AD), following that, an invasion by the Muslim army led to the city's submission to the army of Amr ibn al'As in 634AD. Upon the arrival of the crusades, the Byzantine church where John the Baptist's tomb lies, which was in ruins during this period, was rebuilt to be more magnificent then ever. In 1187, Sabastiya submitted to Saladin's nephew, Husam ed-Din Muhammad who transformed the cathedral into a mosque and dedicated it to Prophet Yahia (John the Baptist in Islam).

The ancient city was abandoned for many centuries and many of its monuments were never recovered.

I was disappointed to see the state in which the ruins lie. Graffiti filled the walls, garbage lined the floor of the mosque, and there was no proper lighting at night (it's no Baalbek temple). The owners of the gift shop tell me that despite this being a Palestinian town, the park is not under Palestinian control. It is run by the Israelis, and they do not maintain it. It's as if this park has been ignored, even though settlers come here all the time. It's strange...the whole time I thought this park must have been operated by the Palestinians because it is poorly maintained (the unfortunate reality that many historical places lack maintenance in the West Bank), but here these residents are telling me that because it is in Palestinian territory, it is ignored and Palestinians are forbidden for cleaning or maintaining it. Scapegoating.

As we get ready to leave, our "tour guide" invites us to his family's store. We buy water, I give him a tip, and then we are invited to a big party they are preparing for. "People from Jaffa are coming, you must join us!" The man tells us. We politely decline because we have plans for dinner, and I hesitantly leave Sabastiya. The truth is, I want to stay for the party. Maybe another time.

The Samaritan Village

When I was told we were going to visit the Samaritans, I couldn't help but shiver with excitement. A few years ago, someone told me a spell was put on me by a Samaritan, the masters of spells. Being an Arab, I believed it, that's why I was shivering, and I was curious to know at what this group of people, which, one out of their small group of 750 had "put a spell on me", was all about. Prior to my visit, I met a young Samaritan girl. Her cat like hazel eyes instilled my pre-conceived fears even more, and until my visit, I did not sleep properly.

We got on the bus and up the mountain in Nablus. After a few arguments with Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) followed by persistent reasoning with said forces by members of the Samaritan community, we were allowed through. My visit to Mount Gerizim changed every idea I had of this community. The Samaritans (hence Judea and Samaria) live on top of Mount Gerizim in Nablus (right beside Mounib El-Masri's house). They are a small group - 350 live on this mountain and 400 in a locality near Tel Aviv. They speak Arabic, resemble each other (in-breeding to keep the Samaritan faith alive), attend the university in Nablus, and call themselves "Nabulsies."

Samaritans celebrating passover

Unfortunately, many people inside and outside of Palestine are un-informed about the faith and/or and do not understand it. I don't blame them. The discourse often presents only Judaism, and the Samaritans are silenced. One has to personally seek out the information for themselves. The Samaritans have various differences between them and followers of Judaism, mainly the location of the original holy place: the Samaritans regard Mount Gerizim as the chosen location for the temple, rather than Jerusalem's Temple Mount. It is considered to be the location where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Zarb, cooked underground for a few hours

...and the final delicious product

After a little history courtesy of our guide, we were shown our meal in its final underground stage (zarb). We explored the mountain, met members of the community and then headed towards the dining hall to find the tables filled with plates of zarb, hummus and bread and members of the Samaritan community joining us for dinner.

Hebron

My first visit to Hebron was in 2002 and back then I thought that after Gaza, this was the saddest place on earth. After experiencing Hebron again, I think it's safe to say that, in my opinion, this place is sadder than Gaza. Gazans are indeed under siege and live inhumane conditions, but the situation in the Khalil (Hebron) is unique, and has to be seen to be believed.

Checkpoint

The red mark represents "by military order"

Many Palestinians and visitors to the West Bank do not visit this historical old city located in the South (historical "Judea"). Hebron is the burial site of prophet Abraham, Sarah, prophet Isaac, Rebecca, prophet Jacob and Leah, making it holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews alike.

The first checkpoint to enter Al-Ibrahimi mosque

Prophet Ibrahim's burial site

The IDF does not allow repairs on certain heritage buildings so when they crumble, they occupy them and use them as a base.

The Ayyubids, the Mamluks and the Ottomans have all left their mark on the old city of Hebron. 800 years later, their homes continue to line the streets.

Unlike most old cities in Palestine, Hebron isn't a city of walls and gates. Its homes are all adjacent to each other, accessible if one were to jump roof to roof.

Apartheid has also left its mark here. 400 settlers, 1,500 soldiers and 5,500 Palestinians live together in the old city, unsegregated and discordantly. If you've ever wanted to visit a ghost town, this is it...Palestine's prison.

Below the homes of settlers nets have been installed to prevent the dangerous objects from reaching the Palestinians below. Sometimes settlers piss on them, throw acid and other chemicals.

Shuhada Street

Shuhada street, a former busy street for Palestinian residents and businesses in the old city that now runs through a settlement is now closed to Palestinian movement. Only Israelis and tourists may access it. The street is lined with 512 shops closed since 1994 due to military order and voluntarily due to the violence faced from settlers. Palestinians that continue to live on this street must enter and exit via their back doors or climb the roofs of the old city.

Under the Hebron agreement (1997), the city has been divided into two sectors: H1 (Palestinian Authority controlled) and H2 (inhabited by approximately 30,000 Palestinians is under Israeli military control to protect the settlers). The city has hundreds of checkpoints placed all over, limiting the mobility of Palestinians.

This is the house of an active Jewish Defense League member. He continously shouted "liar liar" at his Palestinian neighbour when he was showing us his home.

His neighbour has had the entrance to his home blocked and therefore has to climb and go through a few obstacles to get to his home.

Bethlehem

In 2002, I lived in Bethlehem for two weeks. The city had just undergone a siege, you know when Israeli's surrounded the Church of Nativity? Bullet holes graced the old walls of the church where Jesus was born and this holy site usually filled with pilgrims was almost empty.

Look closely at the bullet holes that fill the outside walls of the church

My my time flies. Eight years later I stand in the middle of the agora of sorts in front of the church. The siege is gone and the Eastern European pilgrims, probably the crowd from the church of Holy Sepulchre I saw in Jerusalem, are lined up waiting for their turn to enter to the grotto where Jesus was born and pray. It's a different time.

Bethlehem always reminds me of the first time I ever stepped foot in Palestine. It was in 2000 during Christmas that I came here. The crowds were out and the lights were shining - it was after all, Christmas in the city where Christianity started.

The rent for these shops used to cost thousands of shekels, but since the wall came up rent is probably around 1NIS. So everyone's closed up shop.

The entrance to Aida refugee camp

The wall in Aida refugee camp

Bethlehem is the perfect example of Palestinian co-existence. A church stands near a mosque, veiled muslim women shop beside non-veiled women with crosses dangling from their necks and alongside the many tourists.

The old gate in front of Dheisheh refugee camp which was demolished recently (as it was still there in 2002). This was installed during the 1st intifada and of course soldiers were guarding the entrance.

The view from Dheisheh Refugee Camp's roof

A visit to my old "home" of sorts is not complete without returning to the place where I stayed, Ibdaa Cultural Centre in the Dheisheh refugee camp.