5. Palestinian Heritage Center
This is a must-stop while in Bethlehem for anyone interested in Palestinian craft traditions.
This shop-museum is a great place to buy locally made craftwork and support local artisans, as well as explore the rich heritage of textile crafts in Palestine.
The museum displays exhibits of the huge variety of different embroidery patterns used in Palestinian textile work. For interested visitors, the staff here are enthusiastic about discussing the history behind local textile traditions, the meanings of individual patterns, and the struggle to keep this textile heritage alive today.
For shoppers, there is a large number of textiles, decorated in intricate embroidery, that can be bought, from small cushion covers to traditional Palestinian dresses.
Address: Manger Street, Bethlehem
6. Shepherd’s Field (Beit Sahour)
Wondering where those shepherds watched their flocks by night? The fields around the village of Beit Sahour are widely recognized by Christian believers as the site of the Shepherd’s Field in which the birth of Jesus was announced by the angels.
The field claimed to be the actual site is home to a Greek Orthodox Church where, in 1972, archaeologists excavated a 4th-century church with a beautiful mosaic pavement. There are fine views across the rolling hills from here.
Beit Sahour is three kilometers east of central Bethlehem and easily added on your sightseeing in town, or used as a stop off on your way to Mar Saba Monastery.
Address: Ash Salon Street, Beit Sahour
