Palestine Huma Guide

307 Pages·17.821 MB·English

1 HUMA'S TRAVEL guide to
PALE
LEBANON N
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SYRIA
Mediterranean Sea
• Nablus
West • Amman
Bank
e Beersheba
eOimona
JORDAN
Negev
EGYPT
HUMA'S TRAVEL GUIDE TO
PALESTINE
Written and researched by
ISMAIL ADAM PATEL & ARWA ABURAWA
With additional contributions by
Zeenat Ghumra, Ghazala Caratella, Bilal Badat,
Yunus Mohamed, Saleem Seedat
and Mufti Abdur-Rahman Mangera
HUMA PRESS
About the Authors
I
Ismail Patel (Editor)
Ismail Patel is an author and an activist. He founded Friends of AI-Aqsa in 1997
and is its Chairman. The work of Friends of AI-Aqsa includes encouraging
people to visit the Holy Land and Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ismail Patel
is also involved in many other organisations, aiming to build bridges between
Muslim societies and communities and the rest of the world. His other books
include Palestine Beginner's Guide, Virtues ofJ erusalem: an Islamic Perspective
and Madina to Jerusalem amongst others.
Arwa Aburawa (Researcher)
Arwa Aburawa is a freelance journalist based in the UK with a special interest
in Palestine, the environment and current affairs. As well as writing widely on
Palestine and the political implications of the occupation ofJerusalem, she is
also co-editor of a regional publication on climate change. She graduated with
a degree in Politics and Modern History and is currently pursuing a Masters
in International Journalism.
Contributing Authors
Zeenat Ghumra wrote the History chapter. Zeenat is a writer and researcher.
She previously worked at Oxford University at the Department for Education,
and has been involved in many organisations including the Islamic Human
Rights Commission, Cage Prisoners and Friends of AI-Aqsa. Zeenat graduated
with a degree in Psychology from Loughborough University and also holds a
Masters in Islamic Studies.
Ghazala Caratella is an international activist, illustrator and graphic deSigner
whose work has been exhibited in the UK and Canada. Her illustrations have
appeared in various publications such as "New Internationalist Magazine"
(UK), "From Dusk 2 Dawn" (UK), "Aqsa News" (UK) and the "Joint Advocacy
Initiative" magazine (West Bank, Palestine). Other published works include
illustrations for a set of children's books published by the UK based NGO
"Friends of AI-Aqsa".
,
Bilal Badat worked as a consultant for the art and architecture references in
the guide. Bilal is an archaeologist and artist. He has delivered lectures on
4 Islamic art in Oxford, London, and Argentina and specialises in Sufi shrine
architecture. He holds a postgraduate degree from Oxford University in Islamic
archaeology and is currently teaching and conducting fieldwork in Cyprus.
Yunus Mohamed worked on the biographies in this guide. He holds a degree in
Professional Counselling from the University of Salford and has also completed
an Alimiyyah course on Islamic Theology at Darul Uloom Bury. Until recently,
he lectured on Islamic Theology and Law at Darul Uloom Bolton. At present,
he is the Head of Year and Pastoral Lead at Eden Boys school, Bolton and is
also involved in counselling work at Bolton Council of Mosques.
Saleem Seedat also worked on the biographies in this guide. After studying
traditional Islamic sciences for seven years, Saleem Seedat was awarded a
scholarship to study a Diploma in Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership
at Cambridge Muslim College. He has been involved in many voluntary com
munity initiatives in Blackburn and also has experience of working in the
Corporate Division of the NHS. Currently he is a College Chaplain and is also
a lecturer of Islamic Studies at a local seminary.
Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera wrote the Fiqh of Travel section.
An avid traveller, his studies have taken him across three continents; having
earned his BA in Islamic Studies from the University ofJohannesburg, South
Africa, he graduated from Darul Uloom in Bury, England, with a degree and
formal authorisation in the Islamic Sciences, going on to specialise in legal
judgement (iftai at Mazahir 'Ulum Saharanpur, India and Madrasah Zakariyya,
South Africa. He has also studied and received authorisations from scholars in
Syria and holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from SOAS (University of London).
He served as an imam for over a decade in both the US and UK, has been
a research fellow at the Cambridge Muslim College and is now working on
scholarly publications through White Thread Press.
5
Contents Checklist of things you can't
I leave home without!
1 INTRODUCING 1.6 WHEN YOU GO (DIREC-
PALESTINE TORY) (So)
Directory of useful numbers
n 1.1 WHY GO (35)
0 and addresses
::J
rt 1.2 WHEN TO GO (35)
r/:':1J)t Climate 1.7 WHEN YOU RETURN (So)
(J) Prices I.S A BRIEF HISTORY OF
PALESTINE (Sl)
1.3 HOW TO GO (37)
Getting there 1.9 ENVIRONMENT (SS)
Visas
Insurance 2 THE GUIDE
Health matters
2.1 JERUSALEM (95)
Costs, money and banks
The Virtues ofJerusalem
Travelling with disabilities
Jerusalem Sites
and! or pre-existing illnesses
Orientation and Vital Infor-
Travelling alone
mation
Women travelling
Walls and Gates
Travelling with children and!
The Muslim Quarter
or seniors
AI-Masjid AI-Aqsa
Major tour operators
Dome of the Rock (Qubbat
1.4 WHERE TO GO (57) as-Sakhra)
Must -see sites Gates, Fountains and
Getting around Domes in AI-Haram
Supporting people and the Ash-Sharif
local economy Souks ofJ erusalem
Visiting neighbouring Madrasas ofJ erusalem
countries Muslim sites within Other
Communication Quarters
Accommodation The Christian Quarter and
Crime and personal safety main sites
1.5 BEFORE YOU GO (CUL- The Jewish Quarter and
TURE) (67) Main Sites
Religion Accommodation in Jerusa-
Architecture lem
Celebrations and special oc- Eating Out
6
casions (including festivals) Organisations in Jerusalem
2.2 THE WEST BANK (143) 2·3 THE GAZA STRIP (205)
Bethlehem (147) Information
Orientation Orientation
Information Historical Background
Sites in Bethlehem Sites to Visit
Accommodation Accommodation
Eating out Eating Out
Organisations in Bethlehem Organisations
Ramallah (165) 2·4 ISRAEL (HISTORICAL
Orientation PALESTINE) (217)
Background & History Acre (219)
Sites Orientation
Accommodation Historical background
Eating out Sites
Organisations in Ramallah Accommodation
Eating Out
Hebron (173)
Orientation Nazareth (227)
Historical background Orientation
Hebron Information and Historical background
Sites Sites
Accommodation Accommodation
Eating out Eating Out
Organisations Organisations
Nablus (183) Haifa (235)
Orientation
Orientation
Historical background
Historical background
Sites
Sites
Accommodation Accommodation
Eating Out
Eating out
Tours & Organisations
Jaffa (243)
Orientation
Jericho and the Dead Sea (191)
Historical background
Historical background
Sites
Sites in Jericho
Accommodation
Sites around Jericho
Accommodation Eating Out
Eating out 7
Beersheba (247) 3·4 GLOSSARY (283)
I Orientation 3·5 BIBLIOGRAPHY (287)
Historical background
Books
Sites
Web sites
Accommodation and Eating
n 3·6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Out
0::J (288)
M Organisations & Tours
(1)
::J 3·7 INDEX (289)
M
[j)
3 TRAVELWISE 3·8 NOTES/ITINERARY/
PLANNER (304)
3.1 LANGUAGE GUIDE (254)
BIOGRAPHIES
Basic Phrases (in Palestinian
1: Sayf ai-Din Tankiz (115)
Arabic dialect)
2: Prophet Sulayman (Solo-
Communicating with locals
mon) (peace be upon him)
Hotel Booking
(117)
Buying Food & Souvenirs
3: Prophet Dawud (David)
Asking for Directions and
(peace be upon him) (123)
Transportation
4: Prophet Yahya (John)
Numbers, Days and Time
(peace be upon him) (127)
3.2 PALESTINIAN FOOD AND 5: Maryam (Mary) (peace be
FOOD PHRASES (257) upon her) (131)
Key Terms and Phrases at a
6: Prophet Zakariyya (Zecha-
Restaurant
riah) (peace be upon him)
Drinks
(133)
3·3 FIQH OF TRAVEL (260) 7: Prophet Isa (Jesus) (peace
Seeking the true destination be upon him) (150)
(learning how to travel) 8: Mahmoud Darwish
Gaining from one's travels (1941-2008) (168)
Travel in the Qur'an and 9: Prophet Ibrahim
Sunna (Abraham) (peace be upon
The Journeys of the Prophet him) (176)
(peace be upon him) 10: Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)
Types of Travel (peace be upon him) (176)
Visiting mosques and the 11: Prophet Yunus (Jonah)
graves of the righteous (peace be upon him) (179)
Etiquette of Travel 12: Prophet Musa (Moses)
Other general advice (peace be upon him) (196)
8 Prayer while travelling
IA
Med iterra nea n
Sea
JORDAN
EGYPT
9
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