One of the oldest and holiest Palestinian cities. It is a Canaanite city dating back to 3 thousand years BC. Some accounts say that it witnessed the birth of King David and then Christ, peace be upon him. It is located in the West Bank, about 10 km south of Jerusalem. It contains many tourist and religious attractions, making it a center for culture and tourism in Palestine.
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The city was known by the name “Bethlehem”, and it was said that this name was derived from the phrase “Beit Lahama” (or Beit Lahama), which is a Canaanite phrase meaning the house of the goddess “Lahama” (or Lahama), the goddess of sustenance and food among the ancient Canaanites.
Other accounts say that its name during the Arameans era was “House of Bread,” and it also has an ancient name, “Efrat” or “Efratah,” which is an Aramaic word meaning fertility and fruits.
Location and space
The city of Bethlehem is located between the cities of Hebron and Jerusalem. It extends over two plateaus, the highest of which reaches 750 meters above sea level. It is part of the central mountains and plateaus in Palestine that spread parallel to the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.
It is bordered by the town of Beit Safafa and the city of Jerusalem to the north, the town of Beit Jala to the northwest, Husan to the west, Al-Khader and Artas to the southwest, and Beit Sahour to the east. Together with the cities of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, it forms a triangular urban cluster, as each is not more than 3 km away from the other.
The city is also located 73 kilometers northeast of the Gaza Strip and the Mediterranean Sea, and 75 kilometers west of Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The area of Bethlehem Governorate is 575 square kilometers, and includes five major cities, seventy villages, and three Palestinian refugee camps. As for the area of the city of Bethlehem, which is located within the boundaries of the city’s structural plan, it amounts to eight thousand dunums (a dunum is equivalent to a thousand square metres), and the city is divided into many neighborhoods and commercial markets.
Throughout its history, Bethlehem has witnessed a boom in education due to its religious character and value. Many schools were established there more than 200 years ago, most of which belonged to monasteries and religious temples, and private schools were also established there a long time ago. The number of schools in the city in 1978 reached 31 schools, both private and governmental.
The city also has a university named “Bethlehem,” which includes a number of colleges that teach sciences, arts, nursing, educational sciences, hotel sciences, and others, in addition to private colleges, namely the Ummah College, the Bethlehem Islamic Book College, and the College of Islamic Sciences.
On the health front, there are four hospitals in the city, including a mental hospital and the Caritas Children’s Hospital, and it has many public clinics (16 clinics), community clinics, three UNRWA clinics, and several pharmacies.
Population
Bethlehem Governorate includes 45 communities, including 3 refugee camps. Its population reached 6,658 people according to the 1922 census, and then the number rose to 7,320 people according to the 1931 census. Then the population was estimated at 9,780 people in 1948 AD, and it rose to 14,860 people in 1949 AD after large numbers of Palestinian refugees took refuge there.
The city’s population began to increase later, then decreased in 1967 AD. In 1997, it reached 21,673 people, then it rose to 25,266 people in 2007, and the population in 2024 reached approximately 250,000 people, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
History of the city
The Canaanites lived in Bethlehem in the year 2000 BC. It is said that the Prophet Jacob, peace be upon him, came to this city on his way to Hebron, and his wife Rachel died in a place near Bethlehem known today as Rachel’s Dome.
It was also in Bethlehem that King David was born, according to what some historical accounts confirm. The first historical reference to the city appears in the Amarna Letters (about 1400 BC) when the King of Jerusalem asked the King of Egypt to help him regain control of Bethlehem in the wake of the unrest it witnessed. That period.
During the Byzantine era and Roman rule, it was within the province of Jerusalem, and some historical accounts mention that Christ, peace be upon him, was born there during this period, so it gained great importance for Christians.
The city remained the focus of attention of kings, emperors, and nobles, and at the forefront of them was Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine I, where the Church of the Nativity was built in the year 326 AD. It was later demolished and Emperor Justinian rebuilt it in its current form.
The Persians invaded Palestine in the year 614 AD and caused great destruction, from which the Church of the Nativity was spared. Then, in the year 637 AD, the Muslims conquered the city during the reign of Omar bin Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, and he ordered the construction of a mosque opposite the Church of the Nativity, which was named after him.
The Crusaders continued to rule it, and then Sultan Saladin al-Ayyubi liberated it in the year 1187 AD. With the coming of the Mamluks in 1250, the city walls were demolished and later rebuilt during the rule of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 AD. Christians continued to enjoy their religious freedom.
In 1917, Britain wrested control of the city from the Ottomans during World War I and it was supposed to be annexed to the international zone under the 1947 United Nations partition plan for Palestine.
The city was annexed to Jordan after the Palestinian Nakba in 1948. It was occupied by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Since 1995, in accordance with the Oslo Accords, civil and security authorities in the city have been transferred to the Palestinian National Authority.
The most prominent tourist and religious attractions
One of the most prominent religious tourist attractions in Bethlehem is the Church of the Nativity, whose construction was completed in the year 339 AD and which is considered the oldest church in the world. The “Cave of Milk” and “The Wells of the Prophet David” contain a group of monasteries, including the “Mar Saba” Monastery, the “Mar Elias” Monastery, and the “Closed Paradise” Monastery.
Bethlehem also contains a group of archaeological and historical palaces, such as the ancient Herodion Palace, Jacir Palace, Hermas Palace, Markos Palace and Shahwan Palace (Dar Salah Palace). It also has several pools that attract tourists, such as Sihan Pools (Al-Marje’ Pools), “Solomon’s Pools,” “Ain Artas,” Al-Furaidis Hill (also called Mount Herodion), and Wadi Kharetoun.
There is also a shepherds’ field in the town of Beit Sahour, located two kilometers east of Bethlehem. It also contains the Bilal Mosque (Rachel’s Dome), which was built in the Ottoman era and built next to the tomb of Mrs. Rachel, wife of the Prophet Jacob, peace be upon him.
Settlement policy in Bethlehem
Following Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967, and like other Palestinian territories, Bethlehem Governorate was subjected to an expansionist settlement attack. Tens of thousands of dunams of land were confiscated, and dozens of Israeli settlements and outposts were established.
These settlements surrounded Palestinian cities and villages, prevented their development and changed their nature. In addition to the apartheid wall and Israeli army camps, which increased the suffering of the people.
Until the year 2022, Israel has built 16 settlements in the Bethlehem Governorate, in addition to the presence of parts of settlements located in the administrative lands of other Palestinian governorates, and parts of these settlements are located on the administrative lands of the Bethlehem Governorate, such as: the Har Homa settlement and the Gilo settlement, which are located in the Jerusalem Governorate, And the Kfar Etzion settlement in Hebron Governorate.
The total area occupied by these settlements in the Bethlehem Governorate was about 10,307 dunums, and the number of settlers inhabiting them was about 78,938.
On the lands of the Bethlehem Governorate, there are two industrial zones established by the Israeli occupation: the “Beitar Illit” area, which has an area of 24 dunums; The Efrat area, which has an area of 20 dunums; Their total area is 44 dunums. Two military sites belonging to the Israeli occupation army were established on the lands of the Bethlehem Governorate. These sites occupy an area estimated at approximately 133 dunums.
In general, the area of land controlled by settlements, settlement outposts, military sites, and industrial areas in the Bethlehem Governorate amounted to about 11,574 dunums.
Economy
Tourism is considered the backbone of Bethlehem’s economy, as tourists visit it throughout the year, especially Christians who come as pilgrims to the Church of the Nativity. About 28% of the population works in this sector.
The religious and historical importance of Bethlehem has a great impact on increasing and activating tourism activity, as there are more than 30 hotels and tourist resorts, and more than 138 restaurants, and tourism is one of the main sources of national income. Because of the presence of religious and archaeological sites in the governorate, such as the Church of the Nativity.
Traditional architecture in Bethlehem constitutes an essential part of the city’s cultural heritage, and it is also one of the important tributaries in supporting tourism, especially after the city was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.
Architecture in Bethlehem can be classified into several different sections: simple buildings, longitudinal buildings, courtyards, regular buildings, buildings that combine courtyards and regular buildings, palaces and large buildings. These divisions reflect the form of Bethlehem’s architecture and its development over the past two centuries.
Bethlehem is famous for its wooden and shell artefacts, souvenirs, and embroidery items sold to tourists and pilgrims, in addition to the stone, marble, and metal industries.
The city is also known for its textile industry, and the number of textile factories in it reaches 27, and it contains a factory for the production of television antennas, a factory for metal wires, and others.
As for the agricultural sector, it has a secondary role in the city’s economy due to the mountainous nature of the land, and the most important agricultural products are: olives, grapes, almonds, some types of summer vegetables, grains, wheat, barley, and some legumes.
Source : Palestinian press + Websites
