First published: 30/12/15.

Wojciech Fedoruk 1.0

Battir

Battir (Inscribed)

Battir by Wojciech Fedoruk

Battir is a small village in Palestine, easily available with a short drive from Bethlehem. Battir is known from its stone terraces, which were (and currently are) used for planting olive, vine, vegetables and fruits. When I told the taxi driver that I wanted to visit Battir he said that for him the popularity of this place among foreign tourists seemed strange, as for Palestinians this is just an ordinary village. I suspect the main reason tourists want to visit Battir is its World Heritage status, because indeed the place is not an attractive spot. This type of stone terraces is very popular in Mediterranean region and nobody claims that those other places have an outstanding universal value. Nonetheless, visiting Battir was not a complete waste of time, as we could see that very traditional farming methods are still practiced nowadays. The landscape of Battir area is also quite nice. Still, I would not recommend Battir for tourists that are not strong WHS fans as this was for me the least attractive WHS one in Israel/Palestine.

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