Bethlehem

Bethlehem appears in the Hebrew Bible as Ephrath, the burial place of Rachel and the home of David, and in the Gospels as the birthplace of Jesus. The Roman emperor Hadrian is said to have planted a grove over the cave venerated by early Christians; Constantine ordered a basilica built over it, dedicated in 339, and after that church was destroyed it was rebuilt under Justinian in the sixth century in the form that still stands. Persian and Muslim conquerors in the seventh century left the church intact, and it has been in continuous use ever since — one of the oldest churches in the world.

The Crusaders crowned Baldwin I here in 1100 and rebuilt parts of the basilica. Under Ottoman rule from 1517 the town was small and largely Christian, living off pilgrims and off olive-wood and mother-of-pearl carving, a craft long associated with the Franciscan friars and still practised in family workshops. Disputes between the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic communities over rights inside the church were a factor in the crisis that led to the Crimean War.

British Mandate rule followed the First World War. The 1948 war brought thousands of refugees, and three camps — Dheisheh, Aida and Azza — were established in and around the town, changing its balance from Christian to mostly Muslim. Jordan held the town from 1948 until the 1967 war, since when it has been under Israeli occupation; it came under Palestinian Authority administration in 1995. The basilica was besieged for thirty-nine days in 2002, the separation barrier was built along the northern edge from 2002, and the church and the pilgrimage route were inscribed by UNESCO in 2012.

The town's identity rests on the Nativity. Three churches — Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic — share the basilica under an arrangement of customary rights, and each celebrates Christmas on its own date, so the season runs from late December into January. Scout bands with bagpipes and drums lead the patriarchs' processions into Manger Square, a practice inherited from the Mandate period.

Craft is the other thread. Olive-wood carving and mother-of-pearl inlay have been made here for centuries for the pilgrim trade, and Bethlehem embroidery — the malak dress with its couched silk and its distinctive chest panel — is among the best known of the Palestinian regional styles. Bethlehem families historically formed a merchant diaspora, above all in Chile, which holds the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world, and that connection is still felt in names, remittances and returning visitors.

Bethlehem is also a town of the occupation, and its art reflects it: the wall along the northern edge has become one of the most painted surfaces in the world, with murals by local and foreign artists, and the town's cultural centres, theatre and university keep up a steady programme. Christian and Muslim neighbours share feasts and funerals, and the courtesies are the ordinary Palestinian ones — long greetings, insistent hospitality, shoes off indoors, and coffee served bitter with cardamom.

About 30,000 people live in Bethlehem itself, and roughly 200,000 in the wider governorate that includes Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and the refugee camps. The town was majority Christian within living memory and is now mostly Muslim, with a Christian minority of perhaps a tenth to a fifth, reduced by emigration. Dheisheh, Aida and Azza camps, established in 1949 and 1950, are dense urban neighbourhoods rather than tents.

The economy depends on tourism and pilgrimage to an unusual degree — hotels, guides, coach operators, restaurants and the olive-wood workshops — which makes it acutely vulnerable to closures and to periods of conflict, when arrivals stop altogether. Stone quarrying and cutting, small manufacturing, embroidery and agriculture in the surrounding villages make up much of the rest, along with Palestinian Authority employment and money sent home from abroad.

Daily rhythm is shaped by the barrier. Workers with permits queue at Checkpoint 300 long before dawn to reach jobs in Jerusalem; schools and shops open early and the afternoon is quiet; evenings bring families out to the square and the sweet shops. Land access is constrained by the barrier, settlements and bypass roads around the town, the water supply is intermittent and stored in rooftop tanks, and unemployment is high. Since the war that began in October 2023 the pilgrimage economy has been largely halted, and the public Christmas celebrations were cancelled in 2023 and 2024, leaving the religious services.

Bethlehem eats the food of the Palestinian hills. Musakhan — chicken roasted with onions, sumac and olive oil on taboon bread — is the dish most associated with the region, and maqluba, the upturned pot of rice, aubergine and meat, is the standard family meal for guests. Mezze comes first: hummus, mutabbal of smoked aubergine, tabbouleh heavy on parsley, pickles, and fresh bread from a wood-fired oven. Lamb appears in mansaf with jameed yoghurt at celebrations, and in kebabs and kofta at the grills.

Olive oil from the groves around Beit Jala and Beit Sahour is the base of almost everything, and za'atar — wild thyme with sumac and sesame — is eaten with oil and bread at breakfast. Freekeh, green wheat roasted while young, goes into soups and stuffings, and stuffed vegetables, from vine leaves to courgettes and cabbage, are a staple. Beit Jala is known for its apricots, and the surrounding hills for grapes, almonds and figs.

Sweets are a serious business: knafeh, shredded pastry or semolina over stretchy cheese soaked in syrup, is eaten hot from a tray; ma'amoul cakes filled with dates or walnuts are baked for both Eid and Easter. Coffee is Arabic, dark and spiced with cardamom, and tea comes very sweet with mint or sage. Alcohol is available in this partly Christian town: the Cremisan monastery below Beit Jala has made wine since the nineteenth century, and Palestinian beer from Taybeh is sold in restaurants and shops.