Hebron is a town that lies to the south of Bethlehem in the West Bank. In Arabic it is known as Al Khalil. We went by bus and the drive from Bethlehem south was beautiful, a lot of arable land and the green vegetation was lush making a change from the arid scenery that marks the horizon elsewhere. Scattered amongst the hills there were settlements.
Hebron, Old City. Credit: Pharoah Berger
Hebron is full of hustle and bustle and in fact I was surprised to see it so lively. The last stop on the bus was Bab-iz-Zawieh. After getting off the bus we went to meet our guide for the day. Headed towards the old city, there were rows upon rows of closed metal doors – here it is common that the shops in the old cities have often green or blue iron doors that come across the whole shop front. As we walked towards the old city and the further in we went, more and more shops were bolted and closed, I wondered how long they had been closed for – months, years? From the market area of where the bus has dropped us off it felt like we were walking into another world of destitution. People were delighted to see foreigners and always shouted out “Ahlan wa sahlan” or “welcome”. We were met by a man who despite his grey hair, walking stick and slightly stooped posture was as fit as a hare. He beamed at us clearly glad to see us and said follow me in an English accent. Read the rest of this entry »
Some reminders of the unstoppable force of the human spirit might be a fitting last post for 2007. 
