Nablus

Say ‘Nablus’ to someone who’s not travelled around Israel, the West Bank and the Galilee and, chances are, they won’t have heard of it. Destination-wise, other places are clearly on the map. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem: these are the cities firmly rooted in the mind of those who want to bear witness to various sites of huge religious importance. The Church of the Nativity, Manger Square, the Basilica of the Annunciation, Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane: this is to name just a few of the landmarks which mean so much to those who want to stand where the birth, life and death of Jesus are said to have taken place. The buses getting everyone from Bethlehem to Nazareth and Jerusalem are big, full and constantly on the move, as are the hotels housing and feeding everyone along the way. The well-trodden path is as smooth as the olive-wood carvings being bought as souvenirs to take back from the Holy Land.