First published: 20/02/24.

J_Neveryes 4.0

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town (Inscribed)

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town by J_neveryes

If you spend some time to explore Hebron, you will find a city where its resident do their best to live a life of normalcy despite Israeli military control and restriction on freedom of movement and economic activities.

We visited the city of Hebron by public bus from Jerusalem - you can find the buses that go to the West Bank at a bus station near the Damascus Gate.  The bus dropped us off in the commercial centre of Hebron, near and within walking distance of the old city. Although we did get lost initially, with the help of residents and shopkeepers, we eventually found the spot where we were to meet our local guide.  Our guide was Hisham Sharabati, a Palestinian political analyst and human rights worker. As I only had passing knowledge of the historical and political context of the region, I greatly appreciated the expertise of our wonderful host. 

The old city of Hebron was both quiet and bustling.  Quiet in that good portions of the neighbourhood was closed due to military orders, but bustling in that the residents were trying to rejuvenate the portions of the city that they still had control over (the photo attached to this review is of a shopkeeper in the old city).  

We also visited the Tomb of the Patriarchs or more specifically the Ibrahimi Mosque portion of the Tomb.  The Tomb/Mosque looks more imposing from the outside.  The inside of the Mosque is more austere than one may expect for a place with such religious and historical significance.  

People often ask me about safety when they learn that I visited Palestine/West Bank (We also visited Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Wadi Qelt).  While I can't comment on the situation currently, I can confirm that we felt very safe in 2017.  People were incredibly helpful and friendly, and we did not hesitate to explore the city independently after we parted ways with our guide.  What was bitterly ironic was that I - a foreigner with absolutely no ties to the land - was able to move more freely and explore more of the city than the Palestinians who actually lived in the city.

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