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Masar Ibrahim al-Kahlil Organizes “Cultural Heritage in Hebron” Workshop

In coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, the Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil organized a two-day workshop entitled “Cultural Heritage in Hebron”. Beginning on December 21st, the workshop explored ways to develop and increase information and experiences about the cultural heritage of Hebron.

Many people are only familiar with the Ibrahimi Mosque, so the workshop aimed at increasing information and expanding the larger Palestinian narration for the local people and the guides. The workshop was attended by Dr. Ahmed Al Rajoub of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, representatives from the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC), the ministry of Awqaf, tour guides and Masar Ibrahim staff.

The first day of the workshop includes lectures about tourism, the old city, the heritage and the important sites such as presses (sesame and olive), Ibrahimi Mosque and other tourist sites. Dr. Ahmad of the Ministry talked about tourist sites such as the olive and sesame press, shrines and also about the city’s heritage and current political situation. Sheikh Abu Halawa, Director of Ibrahimi Mosque, talked about the mosque and commented that “it is the core of the city and without it, the town wouldn’t have any value”. Amira Jaber, Women and Community Development Coordinator of the Masar Ibrahim, talked about its projects, their goals and achievements. Mrs. Sarah al-Shammas also made a presentation about the Sesame Press.

On the second day of the workshop participants had a tour of the city, visiting the olive presses, the town’s market, sesame press, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, Sultan’s Pool,Tal al Rumeida, Hammam Ibrahim al Khalil (bath), Khan al Wikala, Harat Al Masharqa (neighborhood), Ibrahim Hospice, Natsheh olive press, Khan Shaheen, Bani dar neighborhood and Hebron rehabilitation committee (HRC).

21/12/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

Bethlehem, News

First in the Middle East Trekking Guides Graduate from Bethlehem University

Bethlehem, Palestine – On November 4th, 2016 The Community Trekking Tour Guide Program of Bethlehem University held its first graduation of eighteen trekking guides. The Community Trekking Tour Guide Program is the first of its kind in Palestine and the Middle East. Representatives from the Palestine Ministry of Tourism as well as Masar Ibrahim al-Khalil and its partner organizations were present at the ceremony. These organizations work to develop community based tourism in Palestine along the Masar Ibrahim.

Ten years ago, when we started to develop Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil, the first thing we thought about was to find out how to prepare guides working on the trail. Today, the dream became a reality. Together, we made it happen – we made history, said George Rishmawi, Executive Director of Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil.

Trekking guides are vital to a rich experience on Masar Ibrahim- a hiking trail that stretches through the West Bank, and runs from the area west of Jenin to the area south of Hebron- revealing the diversity of the Palestinian landscape along its way. The guides are distributed geographically along the different regions of the trail in order to create a tight-knit network of tourism professionals with the expertise to make sure hikers are fully supported along the way.

Although there are high-quality maps of some sections of the trail which ease independent travel, a guide’s ability to contextualize the experience and often bridge differences of culture and language makes for a far richer experience. It is especially recommended that first-time hikers take a guide along on their trek. The names, brief biographies and contact information of the trekking tour guides can be found on Masar Ibrahim’s website: http://masaribrahim.ps/en/plan-your-trip/local-guides .

The Trekking Guides course was made possible through the generous support of the World Bank and the expertise of Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil and other local and international organizations: Abraham Path Initiative, AFRAT, Tetraktys, Palestine Wildlife Society, Al-Rozana Association, Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies, and the Institute for Community Partnership of Bethlehem University.

08/12/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

Bethlehem, News

The Palestinian Women Hikers Club

The Palestinian Women Hikers Club has been created by Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil to encourage women to break out from their daily routines and spend time in a more relaxing way experiencing the nature of Palestine.

The club is designed for women because there are few such activities for them. Many women are busy with daily responsibilities, often including motherhood and work, and rarely have a chance to leave their hometowns, which are usually noisy urban spaces. That is why, we would like to make the natural areas of Masar Ibrahim trail more accessible for women and their families. The togetherness of a group and shared cost aims to motivate the club members to take part in the excursions.

“For a long time, I have seen people joining hikes but I have never hiked. So I really wished to try it and I liked it a lot. Since today, I always want to hike and follow your events,” said Diana Hilal, the Palestinian Women Hikers Club member.

Would you like to enjoy a walk in nature with your best girlfriends or meet new people?

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PalestinianWomenHikers/

05/12/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

Community Development

Constant Strengthening of Relations with Local Communities

In order to develop sustainably, Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil works closely with the local Palestinian communities.

In October 2016, MIAK team paid visits to village councils of Al Mughayyir, Kafr Malek and Awarta and two women centres in Dura and Adahirya (new segment, south of Hebron) to discuss means of cooperation and ways of joint development.

One of the important topics of the discussion was their role in developing community-based tourism in their communities with Masar Ibrahim’s support. The meetings resulted in signing of cooperation agreements between MIAK and the local authorities and women centres.

Follow our news to learn about the mutual iinvolvement in strengthening of the community-based tourism in Palestine.

30/10/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Evaluation Meetings for the French Project

Masr Ibrahim Al-Khalil has recently held a series of evaluation meetings regarding the French project (Development of Rural Communities in Palestine) in Beit-Sahour and Jericho Municipality and in the Governorate of Hebron with the participation of Masar coordinators from different areas and village councils.

The representative of the French partners, Mr Mostafa Ouki, led the evaluation meetings where the audience provided their general and subsidiary recommendations regarding the activities of Masar Ibrahim.

In addition to that, the participants provided different suggestions for new activities that are related to workshops, women sector, accommodations and tour guides.

15/07/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Palestine Fam Trip 2016

Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil and Siraj Center for the Holy Land Studies in partnership with the French organizations, Afrat and Tetraktys, have successfully organized and implemented a Fam Trip to the French and Palestinian Tour Operators from the 18^th of March until the 24^th of March, 2016

The Fam Trip aimed at introducing the French Tour Operators to Tourism in Palestine and to the rich Palestinian nature and culture as a mean to promote the Masar and the Palestinian community afar from the stereotypical perspective of Palestine.

The program of the Fam Trip included daily visits to multiple villages and cities along Masar Ibrahim where the participants had the chance to meet with the locals and the different Palestinian communities and organizations including the Bedouins and the Women community-based organizations. It also included participating in events such as the opening Lamar Guest-house which is owned by Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil, and the opening of Masar Ibrahim photo Exhibition entitled “Palestine; The Hiking Land”. This is addition to organizing Business to business meetings between the Palestinian and the French Tour Operators to exchange knowledge and experience and to plan for future joint projects that could benefit the Palestinian community and the tourism sector in the best way possible.

25/03/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Opening of “Palestine; The Land of Hiking” Exhibition

Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil in cooperation with Bethlehem Municipality and in partnership with Tetraktys organization have successfully done the opening of the Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil Exhibition, entitled “Palestine; The Land of Hiking”.

This exhibition aimed to deliver an illustrated message to both locals and internationals about the importance of Masar Ibrahim on all levels of our life. Through hiking on the lands of Palestine, the hiker can discover its lands, its beautiful diverse nature and landscapes, and will enjoy the traditions and culture and be in touch with the different communities of this land.

The photos of the exhibition were taken by different professional local and international photographers, including the local photographer from Bethlehem, Elias Halabi, and the Dutch photographer, Frits Meyst.

The celebration took place in the hall of the Peace Center in Bethlehem last Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016, where different people of authorities and locals and internationals have attended. A welcoming of the French Tour Operators was a part of the celebration as well.

25/03/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Lamar Guesthouse Opening

Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil and Hebron Rehabilitation Committee have successfully opened the Lamar Guesthouse which has been renovated and equipped by Hebron Rehabilitation Committee to be owned by Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil.

The celebration of the opening started at 3:00pm with the speeches of people of authorities, followed by the opening of the guesthouse which took place in the Guesthouse’s garden in Ain Al-Qurna in Hebron on Tuesday, the 22nd of March, 2016 at 4:30pm, under Her Excellency, Mrs. Rula Ma’ayaa, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and with the presence of the Hebron Governor, the head of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, The General Director of the Directorate of Tourism in the South, Dr. Ahmad Rjoub, the chairperson and the executive director of Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil, and with the presence and participation of Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil’s French Partners, Afrat and Tetraktys and the French and Palestinian Tour Operators who have participated in Masar Ibrahim FamTrip from Friday, March 18th to Thursday, March 24th, 2016.

The opening was followed by a photo exhibition for Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil entitled “Palestine; the hiking land” of which its photographs were taken by professional local and international photographers.

In addition, Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil exhibited some of its women Community-based organizations’ local food products during the opening, as a mean to promote these organizations and the Palestinian local food to the internationals as well as the locals attending the opening.

It is a great success that is added to Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil accomplishments.

24/03/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Reshayda Sunrise Walk, February 12th-13th, 2016

At 4:30pm we met all together in Bethlehem and got transferred to the Bedouin tents by minibus.

When we arrived, Abu Ismael, the Bedouin tents’ owner, introduced himself, his camp and his family. After that, we had a delicious diner under the tent. In no time, people started to sympathized all together. The 14 people group was composed of two boys from Jenin, a group of 7 friends from Hebron, one couple from Holland, one man from Bangladesh, and one from France. In addition to the group, Abu Ismael received the visit from some of his friends. So, completely immerged in the Bedouin day-to-day life, we had the opportunity to share this moment with people of different ages and origins. It led to a very interesting intercultural and intergenerational exchange around a campfire, in the desert. Despite the language barrier (that we forgot very quickly), the evening was rich in exchange and social cohesion! The old Bedouin played his hand-made instrument. Then the young Palestinians sang and danced Dabke, as everyone was applauding and screaming. We had a lot of fun and went to bed late.

The next day, at 2:30am we woke up and started our 3 hour walk in the dark, in the middle of nowhere. The walk was easy and very pleasant. Then, we arrived to this amazing point of view on the Dead Sea to admire the incredible sunrise. The place was peaceful and perfect to enjoy the sky colors and the sun reflected in the sea.

After taking a lot of pictures, we went back to the tent by jeep. On our way, we stopped to observe the camels in the desert. We had a tasty breakfast before boarding our bus and arriving at Bethlehem at 9:00am with a lot of unforgettable and authentic memories.

By Gwenn Prevot

26/02/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

News

Public Meeting in Dar Salah

As part of the Public Meeting series that Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil has started conducting in order to involve the local communities more in the work of Masar Ibrahim, MIAK has conducted a new public meeting to the local community of Dar Salah last Tuesday, the 23rd of February, 2016.

24/02/2016/0 Comments/by Sandy Kheir

Masar Ibrahim al-Kahlil Organizes “Cultural Heritage in Hebron” Workshop

First in the Middle East Trekking Guides Graduate from Bethlehem University

The Palestinian Women Hikers Club

Constant Strengthening of Relations with Local Communities

Evaluation Meetings for the French Project

Palestine Fam Trip 2016

Opening of “Palestine; The Land of Hiking” Exhibition

Lamar Guesthouse Opening

Reshayda Sunrise Walk, February 12th-13th, 2016

Public Meeting in Dar Salah

Design Competition: Design a Stand for Masar Ibrahim al-Khalil Promotional Materials

Memorandum of Understanding with The Holy Land Tour Operators Association

فرصة لتنفيذ انشطة هدفها التعرف – استكشاف وترويج السياحة المجتمعية في فلسطين عبر مسار ابراهيم الخليل