This weekend, I traveled up north with Maram. She knew I had only visited Jerusalem, so she wanted to make sure I also visited other cities close to Arara.
On Friday, Hannan, Maram's best friend, offered to drive us around to visit different cities during the day. Our first stop was Barta. Barta is a very interesting place. It is a city divided into two; one part of it is in Israel and the other one is on the Palestinian territories, but there is no check point (that's why we went). The citizens of both sides are part of the same family, but some of them are Israeli citizens, the others are not. If the citizens of the Arab part are caught in the Israeli side they face fines and they might even go to jail if they don't have the necessary documents. Hannan and Maram were telling me that even though it is so close by, because that part of Barta is actually considered the West Bank, they have the price level of the Palestinian territories, which is significantly cheaper. This is why, many people go to Berta (from Israel) to buy stuff.
The contrast between the Palestinian and Israeli territory is striking. It was like crossing over to a whole new world...it's difficult to describe, and unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. When we were in the Palestinian side, Hannan asked if I owned a Kufiya (the typical Palestinian scarf), I told her I didn't. Almost immediately, she stopped the car and went to a store to buy me one, while I waited in the car. She told me "now you're a true Palestinian".
After visiting Barta, we went to Ceasaria (pronounced Qisariya). It is a town located on the Mediterranean coast. It's historically significant because of it's location, and there are Roman ruins there now. It is a beautiful place, and we were lucky enough to have an incredible sunny day in the midst of these rainy past couple of weeks.
After Caesaria, we went back home, where we met Maram's parents. Mustapha, Maram's father, is a taxi driver, and he drove us all to Haifa to spend the afternoon. We went to the Beha'i gardens and to check out the temple. The Beha'i World Center consists of a set of gardens on a mountain with stair cases leading up to the Shrine of the Bab- the second holiest place in the Beha'i faith (after the Shrine of the Beha'ullah in Acre). Unfortunately, they're remodeling the dome, so I didn't see the Beha'i World Center in its full splendor. Still, it is a pretty incredible site. We got out of the car and walked around. The guards on the bottom part were Arab, so Mustapha started explaining my story to him. They were all thrilled to have me, so they let us in (even though it was very close to 5pm- closing time). Some of the gates were closed, so we couldn't go up all the stairs to the dome. We then decided to drive up to the top of the mountain and make our way down, but by the time we got there, it was past five.
Mustapha tried to talk to the guard in Arabic, and he responded by saying, only English. Mustapha asked if we could go in, he said "No". Maram's father then tried to explain that I was visiting and it really meant a lot if he would let us go in. He refused to let us in. Another group of tourists came after us and were also talking to the guard. Because we weren't allowed in, we walked around, and started taking pictures on the other side of the gate. When we looked, we saw that the guard let the other tourists in. Nazek, Maram's mom, told me it was probably because she's wearing a headscarf, so they know she's Arab, that we weren't allowed in. It's impossible to know what the real reasons behind his decision were, but it's interesting that they automatically assumed that the fact that she's Arab is why- probably because it usually is.
After visiting the Beha'i site, we drove around a little bit more, and the sun started to set. We went to the University and saw the incredible view from there. We then went to dinner at a great restaurant with a view of the whole city- this time, at night, with all the lights. Haifa is just a gorgeous city, by day and at night. It is also a place where Muslims, Christians and Jews live side by side :)
After a delicious meal, we drove back. The day was filled with great trips and I learned so much!
On Friday, Hannan, Maram's best friend, offered to drive us around to visit different cities during the day. Our first stop was Barta. Barta is a very interesting place. It is a city divided into two; one part of it is in Israel and the other one is on the Palestinian territories, but there is no check point (that's why we went). The citizens of both sides are part of the same family, but some of them are Israeli citizens, the others are not. If the citizens of the Arab part are caught in the Israeli side they face fines and they might even go to jail if they don't have the necessary documents. Hannan and Maram were telling me that even though it is so close by, because that part of Barta is actually considered the West Bank, they have the price level of the Palestinian territories, which is significantly cheaper. This is why, many people go to Berta (from Israel) to buy stuff.
The contrast between the Palestinian and Israeli territory is striking. It was like crossing over to a whole new world...it's difficult to describe, and unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. When we were in the Palestinian side, Hannan asked if I owned a Kufiya (the typical Palestinian scarf), I told her I didn't. Almost immediately, she stopped the car and went to a store to buy me one, while I waited in the car. She told me "now you're a true Palestinian".
After visiting Barta, we went to Ceasaria (pronounced Qisariya). It is a town located on the Mediterranean coast. It's historically significant because of it's location, and there are Roman ruins there now. It is a beautiful place, and we were lucky enough to have an incredible sunny day in the midst of these rainy past couple of weeks.
After Caesaria, we went back home, where we met Maram's parents. Mustapha, Maram's father, is a taxi driver, and he drove us all to Haifa to spend the afternoon. We went to the Beha'i gardens and to check out the temple. The Beha'i World Center consists of a set of gardens on a mountain with stair cases leading up to the Shrine of the Bab- the second holiest place in the Beha'i faith (after the Shrine of the Beha'ullah in Acre). Unfortunately, they're remodeling the dome, so I didn't see the Beha'i World Center in its full splendor. Still, it is a pretty incredible site. We got out of the car and walked around. The guards on the bottom part were Arab, so Mustapha started explaining my story to him. They were all thrilled to have me, so they let us in (even though it was very close to 5pm- closing time). Some of the gates were closed, so we couldn't go up all the stairs to the dome. We then decided to drive up to the top of the mountain and make our way down, but by the time we got there, it was past five.
Mustapha tried to talk to the guard in Arabic, and he responded by saying, only English. Mustapha asked if we could go in, he said "No". Maram's father then tried to explain that I was visiting and it really meant a lot if he would let us go in. He refused to let us in. Another group of tourists came after us and were also talking to the guard. Because we weren't allowed in, we walked around, and started taking pictures on the other side of the gate. When we looked, we saw that the guard let the other tourists in. Nazek, Maram's mom, told me it was probably because she's wearing a headscarf, so they know she's Arab, that we weren't allowed in. It's impossible to know what the real reasons behind his decision were, but it's interesting that they automatically assumed that the fact that she's Arab is why- probably because it usually is.
After visiting the Beha'i site, we drove around a little bit more, and the sun started to set. We went to the University and saw the incredible view from there. We then went to dinner at a great restaurant with a view of the whole city- this time, at night, with all the lights. Haifa is just a gorgeous city, by day and at night. It is also a place where Muslims, Christians and Jews live side by side :)
After a delicious meal, we drove back. The day was filled with great trips and I learned so much!
ya habbibati, i googled the shrine of bab and wow. it is absolutely beautiful! You must get to see such interesting and beautiful things everyday!! It must be quite a contrast with the extreme poverty and poor living conditions that so many Palestinians live in. what an experience...
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