Perched on a hill, between Mediterranean landscapes and arid mountains, Bethlehem has transmitted the memory of a tradition that gave birth to a promise within the body of a child. The city has become a center of Christian pilgrimage, with churches and bell towers of every obedience dominating the old city, whose vernacular architecture is the center of attention. The scene is almost romantic, but that would be without taking into account the Wall that tears it apart and isolates it from Jerusalem. As a sign of its resilience, it remains proud of its identity. The city’s heritage comes in a variety of historical sites with evocative names that are just as many pages in history.

Places to see: Church of the Nativity • Milk Grotto • Manger Square • The Walled-Off Hotel • Palestine Museum of Natural History • Solomon’s Pool • Al Khader Church • Ubeidiyya • Mar Saba monastery (Deir al Siq) • Shepherds’ Field • Herodium • Dheisheh Refugee Camp • Beit Jala • Cremisan Valley • Wadi Artas • Battir •