Unrecognized Palestine. Capital Ramallah. Ramallah: the new "Bride of Palestine" The temporary state of the eternal city

Ramallah is a city in central Palestine, 16 km north of. The name of the city comes from two Aramaic words: “ram” means hill, mountain and “alla” means god, i.e. Literally translated, “God’s exaltation.” By the way, the city is located at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level. In close proximity to Ramallah, so that the boundaries of the city are sometimes impossible to clearly establish, there is a smaller satellite city - Albir. These have their own very ancient history.

History of the city's formation

Despite the fact that the history of modern Ramallah dates back to the 16th century, amazing finds (bone tools, prehistoric stones and wood) have been made in caves located in the vicinity of the city, indicating the presence of man here already 500,000 (half a million) years ago ad. Square and rounded dwellings made of mud brick were also found here, which indicates the presence of early agricultural communes in this area.

Subsequently, this area changed hands many times. The Philistines, Jews, Syrians, Canaanites, Syrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Turks, Romans, Persians, and Arabs settled here.

According to Christian legend, Joseph and Mary stopped here to rest on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee; later the Church of the Holy Family was erected on this site.

In the 12th century AD, French crusaders built a fortress in the city. The tower of this fortress, known as Al Tire, can still be seen in the old district of Ramallah. In the 13th century, after the Ottoman Turks seized the land, most of the crusaders returned home to Europe, but some remained, intermarrying and merging with the local population.

Modern Ramallah was formed at the very beginning of the 16th century by the large Christian Haddadin family, the head of which, Rashid Haddadin, was a blacksmith (from the Arabic "haddadin" - blacksmiths). They came from the east, from the Jordan River, from Karak or Shubak. The mountainous area attracted the Haddadin because, firstly, it reminded them very much of their homeland, and secondly, the dense mountain forests supplied fuel for their forges.

One day, the head of a powerful Muslim clan, Emir Ibn Qaisum, was visiting Rashid’s brother, Sabra. At this time, Sabra's wife gave birth to his daughter. According to Muslim custom, the Emir proposed betrothing her to his young son so that when the children grew up, they could be married. Weddings between Muslims and Christians were not practiced at that time, and, thinking that the guest was simply joking, Sabra agreed.

When, after a while, the Emir reminded him of his promise, Sabra refused, which led to a bloody conflict between the two clans. The Haddadin family fled to settle on a hilltop where several small Christian and Muslim families lived at the time. And in 1596, a new village of Ramallah appeared in the Ottoman register, consisting of 71 Christian and 9 Muslim families.

By the way, today almost all the descendants of the Haddadin family, the founders of the city, live in the USA. In Ramallah, still considered a Christian city and traditionally electing a Christian mayor, Christians are a minority, making up about 5% of the city's population. And in the satellite city of Albir, which has a predominantly Muslim population, you can still see the ruins of an ancient church built by the Haddadin before the conflict and their flight to the mountains.

The role of the church in the development of Ramallah

But let's get back to history. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Ramallah grew into a large, developed agricultural village, which attracted immigrants from other places, mostly Christians. Here, one after another, churches appear, the first of which is the Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Next came the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic churches, and later the Lutheran, Protestant and Baptist churches. Services are still held there to this day. Supporting education in Palestine, churches organized secondary schools that still operate today: Catholic, Lutheran, Friends, Collier Aglier, St. Joseph's School and others.

The activities of churches and their material assistance increased the well-being of Christian families and made them think about ties with the West. So, at the very beginning of the 20th century, merchants from Ramallah and Bethlehem turned their attention to the USA and Europe, began exporting and importing, and many Christian families emigrated.

Ramallah's prosperity—American cars, radios and televisions, and mechanized farming tools—served as a magnet for residents of Lodd and Jaffa to emigrate to Ramallah. This further changed the ratio of Christians to Muslims in the city. In 1908, Ramallah officially became a city, with its own municipality and partnership with the satellite city of Albir.

20th century

From 1917 to 1948 the city was under the British Mandate. During this time, many rich two-story villas were built by Palestinian merchants and the city's landed elite, most of which can still be seen today. In 1936, the city received electricity and its own radio station, which broadcast in Arabic, Hebrew and English.

From 1948 to 1967, Ramallah was under Jordanian rule. Restrictions on freedom of speech and persecution of communists and socialists, a stagnant economy and a simultaneous influx of rural residents, reducing living standards, all caused a quarter of Ramallah's population (1,500 out of 6,000) to emigrate. Many empty houses and lands were bought up by merchants from Hebron and other Palestinian cities.

In 1967, during the Six Day War, Ramallah, like other cities in Palestine, was occupied by Israel. The curfew, followed by a census and the issuance of identity cards, closed the doors of home to those Palestinians who were abroad at the time of the census: from now on they became foreigners in their homeland.

In 1987, the city was engulfed in a general peaceful resistance, the so-called Intifada. Residents of the city organized into committees, staged mass protests, cleaned streets, planted trees, and educated children and youth who had lost the opportunity to learn due to closed schools and frequent curfews. Life under the State of Emergency continued until 1991.

In 1993, an agreement was signed in Oslo by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. According to it, in December 1995, Ramallah was transferred to the control of the Palestinian Authority. A new era began in the history of the city, as in all of Palestine.

Ramallah today

Today Ramallah is the administrative and cultural center of Palestine. Here is the parliament, the residence of the president and the ministry, representative offices of different countries, foreign organizations, banks and trade missions. Therefore, many residents of neighboring villages, as well as the north of the country (and their suburbs) move here in search of work. True, not only the standard of living, but also prices in Ramallah are higher than in other cities of Palestine.

The city is in a constant state of construction and is growing by leaps and bounds. According to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics, the city's population in 2013 is approximately 170.5 thousand inhabitants, 19 thousand of whom live in refugee camps. And if we talk about the Ramallah region, then this number is more than 320 thousand people.

Culture and education

The cultural life in Ramallah is quite diverse and rich. Grand Palace of Culture, cinemas, youth clubs, exhibition halls, museums and foreign cultural centers ( German-French, Spanish, British and others), sports and gyms, art and music schools, libraries, swimming pools, parks and much more - all this makes it attractive to both local residents and city visitors. International festivals are held here annually - music, cinema, modern and folk dance festivals, the now traditional Oktoberfest beer festival and many others.

Ramallah has 3 universities (Birzet, Pedagogical and Al-Quds Evening University), several institutes and many high schools. The largest of the universities Birzet University, was founded in 1924. Nine faculties provide training in 47 specialties, and in another 26 specialties you can continue your studies in a master’s program. The total number of students, including foreigners, is about eight thousand people annually. The university has an extensive media library, a museum, large assembly and conference halls and various laboratories. Training is conducted mainly in English.

Manufacturing and Agriculture

In the cities (both in Ramallah and Albir) there are industrial zones where there are small factories by Russian standards: Coca-Cola, plastic products, chips and cookies, sausages. It has its own chocolate factory, dairy and several factories producing medicines.

Residents of the villages of the region are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Olives are primarily grown here and olive oil is also produced. There are small vineyards, apricot plantations and plum orchards, and figs are harvested. Cattle breeding is dominated by sheep, from whose milk they make white cheese (brynza) and hard dried yogurt - laban kishki.

Tourism

You can see a lot of foreigners in the city. Tourists in Ramallah will receive a warm welcome. The city has many fashionable hotels and cozy cafes where you can drink coffee or smoke with friends. Numerous restaurants offer cuisine from many countries of the world: Oriental, Mexican, Italian, French, Chinese and others.

The city's attractions include the Ramallah Takhta (old city) with original stone buildings, the mausoleum of Yasser Arafat and the tomb of the famous Arab poet with a museum complex.

Below is a video from the Ramallah municipality about the city's attractions. I hope it expands your understanding of the city. To go just click on the link. And don't forget, please, leave your comments at the end of the article.

On the world map Map

Palestine is divided into three types of zones - A, B and C.

Palestine is divided into three types of areas: A, B and C.

Zone A is full Arab control, Palestinian police, etc. Zone B is joint patrolling. Zone C - complete control of the Jews.

Area A comprises territories fully under Arab control, with Palestinian police, etc. Area B has joint security patrols. Area C is fully controlled by the Jews.

For example, the capital Ramallah is zone A, so Jews do not go there.

For example, the capital, Ramallah, is Area A, so Jews don’t go there.

The road from Jerusalem to Hebron, where there is a large Jewish settlement, is zone B. That is, Arabs can drive along it, but they must wear seat belts (at home, of course, they demonstratively do not wear seat belts).

The road from Jerusalem to Hebron, which has a large Jewish settlement, is Area B. In other words, Arabs can use it, but they have to buckle up (when on their own turf, of course, they demonstratively refuse to use seatbelts) .

Arabs are not allowed to enter Jewish settlements (zone C). At school I was taught that this is called apartheid.

Jewish settlements (Area C) are off-limits to Arabs. Back in school, I was taught that this is called apartheid.

Disha

Dhisha

On the world map Map

Right next to Bethlehem is a refugee camp. I expected to see tents and the sad looks of old people, but I saw the same city, only in it all the houses are unofficial, made in shambles, and have been standing like that for fifty years.

Right next to Bethlehem is a migrant camp. I expected to see tents and old men with sorrowful eyes, but instead saw a regular city, only consisting entirely of shoddily built informal houses that have stood this way for fifty-odd years.

Since this is a camp, not a city, no one works here, expecting compensation and subsidies. After all, their grandfathers suffered from the Jews, so how can they continue to live? All new generations are growing up with the feeling that life will continue only after huge and well-deserved payments.

Because this is a camp and not a city, no one works here. Instead, they wait for compensation payments and subsidies. After all, their grandfathers suffered at the hands of the Jews, so how can they be expected to just move on after something like that? New generations all grew up with the feeling that normal life will resume only after enormous and well-deserved payouts.

And they sit like that among the half-empty shelves.

And so they continue to sit amidst half-empty shelves.

But with beautiful graffiti.

But with pretty graffiti, at least.

Suspiciously beautiful.

Suspiciously pretty.

Hebron

On the world map Map

Third Palestinian Conference on Modern Trends in Mathematics and Physics.

The Third Palestinian Conference on Modern Trends in Mathematics and Physics.

Fire brigade.

City trash can.

A city trash can.

Container for garbage collection.

Payphone.

Dairy store.

The sprinkler replenishes the fountain (which is not connected to the water supply) with water.

A sprinkler truck fills up the fountain (which isn’t connected to the water supply).

The young man gives change. By the way, the currency in Palestine is Israeli shekels.

A young man hands back some change. The currency used in Palestine is the Israeli shekel.

At first glance, it’s an ordinary Arab life.

At first glance, it’s just a regular Arab city.

The difference is that Hebron is one of the cities where the Jewish settlement is an exclave of Israel. It has a category B road (which can be driven directly from the main area), and is also home to the Israeli army, which protects its residents.

The difference is that Hebron is one of the cities with a Jewish settlement that’s considered an exclave of Israel. It comes with a Category B road, which connects it directly to the country’s main territory, and the Israeli army, here to protect its citizens.

It looks like this. Part of the city is simply fenced off with barbed wire.

This is what this looks like in practice. Part of the city has simply been cordoned off with barbed wire.

And metal fences.

And concrete slabs. On the left is the Israeli part.

And slabs of concrete. The Israeli side is on the left.

You want to go through an alley - and there is a blank wall (very similar to Northern Cyprus).

You try to cut through an alley—and hit a dead wall (very much like in Northern Cyprus).

Along the entire perimeter, there are additional nets on top of the buildings and a bunch of cameras hanging.

There are additional nets installed on top of the buildings all around the perimeter, and tons of security cameras.

Downstairs they bake cakes and sell fabrics, and guards keep watch from above.

People below bake bread and sell fabric, while a convoy keeps watch above.

Locals claim that Jews are throwing garbage and bricks from above, and even killed someone. That's why there is a net over the bazaar.

Locals claim that the Jews throw garbage and bricks down from the top, and that someone even got killed that way. So there’s a net stretched over the bazaar.

It’s as if a colony-settlement was crossed with a free economic zone.

It’s like a cross between a corrective labor colony and a free economic zone.

The building on the left with the soldier on the corner of the roof is Israeli territory. Everything else is Palestine.

The building on the left, with the soldier on the corner of the roof, is Israeli territory. Everything else is Palestine.

The army's combat capability is being demonstrated tirelessly. Let's say helicopters flew over.

The army's combat capabilities are demonstrated incessantly. Here we have helicopters flying by, for instance.

In Hebron, I ate the most delicious chicken heart kebab of my life.

In Hebron, I had the most delicious chicken heart kebabs I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.

Ramallah

On the world map Map

A capital full of life.

A bustling capital.

The city is actively being built.

Lots of construction going on in the city.

Sidewalks and corners of intersections are fenced with posts and chains.

The sidewalks and the corners of intersections are roped off with chain barriers.

Tea merchant.

Hot corn kernels are sold on every corner.

The sign is accompanied by a sign telling the story of who and what the street is named after.

Street signs are accompanied by a plaque explaining who or what the street is named after.

Traffic policemen.

Automatic parking payment machine.

Facebook running shoes are sold here (to keep up with Trincomalee).

A large eastern city lives its life here.

A large Middle Eastern city carries on its existence here.

The capital of a state about which almost nothing is known in the world.

The capital of a country which the rest of the world knows practically nothing about.

There are terrible traffic jams in Ramallah. It took three hours to leave. We reached Bethlehem. A car with Israeli license plates is waiting there. I change into it. I cross the border post - the soldier just looked at the cover of the passport, didn’t even open it. No one checks the bag, although one could easily put a hundred kilograms of anything in there. I was in enemy territory. This absolutely does not fit in with the complexity of departure from Ben Gurion Airport, where the passenger is turned inside out.

Ramallah has horrible traffic jams. It took about three hours to get out. We finally got to Bethlehem, where a car with Israeli plates was waiting. I transfer to the new car and cross the border. The soldier at the border post glances at my passport cover, but doesn’t even bother to look inside. No one checks my bag, even though I could have easily put a hundred kilos of just about anything in there. I was coming from enemy territory, after all. This makes absolutely no sense when you think about the difficulty of flying out of Ben Gurion Airport, where every passenger is practically turned inside-out.

I'm in Israel again. I return to the hotel. There is a picturesque rooftop restaurant that serves a rather mediocre steak overlooking the old town.

I'm back in Israel. I return to my hotel. There’s a scenic restaurant on the roof, with views of the Old City and rather mediocre steak.

Two capitals in one city is a political absurdity, so the international community does not recognize either the Palestinian or Israeli opinion, but proposes to divide the city into two parts: the eastern one as the capital of Palestine and the western one as the capital of Israel. Just like Berlin during the Soviet occupation, only without a wall...

Bus number 19 departs from the eastern part of Jerusalem to Ramallah. Travel time is half an hour. There are only 15 kilometers between the cities.

The bus travels most of the way as usual. Only somewhere in the middle does it start to meander. It gradually becomes clear that the bus is zigzagging for a reason, but to go around a three-meter concrete wall, which strangely passes through fields and vacant lots, then almost through residential buildings.

Gradually the road gets closer to the wall, and now it can already be seen very close.

There are no checks when entering Palestinian territory: the bus does not even seem to stop at the checkpoint. When you are here for the first time, without preparation or advice from friends, you have absolutely no idea what to expect. It seems that it is better to hide the camera in your bag and keep a low profile until you reach the city.

You don’t notice the most interesting shots with a wall covered with political graffiti from the ground to the ceiling upon entering: you have to guess to turn your head and look behind you. Or get off at the stop before reaching the wall - but who would dare to do this for the first time? What if they shoot you?

On the way back the same situation. There is a stop not far from the wall, where some suspicious Arabs get in and out. There are scribbled on the walls all around, which you dare to quietly remove from the bus window.

The impression is that I ended up straight in the headquarters of terrorists.

Stop. Who wants to go out?

Eventually the bus reaches the wall at the checkpoint, and, remembering the hassle-free entry into Palestine, you dare to take one shot with this terrible beauty.

And then you put your camera in your bag because the guard seems to have noticed you hanging out of the window. Now he is already waving for the bus to stop. A dozen people appear in bulletproof vests and helmets, armed with M16 rifles. The bus stops and opens the front doors. In a hurry, you hide the camera deeper in your bag, cover it with a bag and a cap, and close it with a zipper. You take out your passport and Israeli visa, issued on a separate piece of paper, from your inner pocket. You hold them facing up and sit still.

A military man in full gear enters the bus, with a rifle, which he does not explicitly point at the passengers, but keeps at the ready. The second one comes in behind him and remains standing in the only doors while the first one slowly begins to walk around the cabin and check the documents of each passenger on the Arab minibus. Here are the first suspects: two women and one man are detained and quickly taken off the bus. You start to worry: what did he find with them? Where will they take them now? What if they take you out the same way, look at pictures of the wall, and arrest you?

Problems are inevitable. The military man finally reaches the end of the cabin, where the author sits in the very last seats, pressed into the seat, holding an unfolded passport and visa, with a smile stretched from ear to ear. After taking a second glance, the military man wearily turns around and gets off the bus, without even looking at the documents.

As it turns out later, only Jews and Arabs have problems crossing the wall, but not foreigners. Palestine is divided into three zones with different rules for Palestinians and Israelis. For example, Israeli citizens are generally not allowed to be in Palestinian cities without a special pass, and Palestinians are only allowed to travel through Jewish territories.

Fortunately, tourists can travel freely throughout the unrecognized state, and Ramallah is a good place to start exploring Palestine. This is now a completely peaceful city, where there are embassies, police, good restaurants with polite waiters, and even business relations with Israeli partners.

Ramallah greets with mild chaos.

The key to any Arab city is garbage and trade.

Street food: rolls, coffee, cotton candy.

Fruits vegetables.

The main street of Ramallah is the dirtiest and busiest.

There are very few pedestrian crossings even in the center, but there are safety islands.

Typical Arabic shopping center.

Typical Arabic traffic jam.

Typical Arab shops in houses.

Typical Arab sidewalk.

There is a Palestinian flag in the central square, and on the flagpole hangs a bronze man planting it - symbolizing the battle for independence from Israel.

Once you move away from the city center, quite neat streets begin.

In any case, the houses on this street are very good.

But there cannot be normal transport in any Arab country. Palestinians ride yellow minibuses, which are painfully reminiscent of Russian ones.

In Israel, such minibuses are called “sherut”, in Palestine they are called “service”. They say that if you mix up the names and say “sherut” to a Palestinian, the driver will shudder slightly.

On the roofs of Arab houses there are the same water tanks, only black. This is a very characteristic difference: poor Palestinians do not have the money to install solar heaters. Therefore, the water pumped into the tanks is heated only by the sun itself, and the black color contributes to this better. Although this rule is gradually disappearing, and many Arab roofs already have the same heaters.

In Ramallah, many women wear abayas. After all, this is a Muslim city, Islam is the state religion of Palestine. At the same time, Ramallah is trying to be a tolerant city. There are no strict religious rules here; women can wear knee-length dresses or jeans. and a few years ago the mayor of the city was a Christian woman.

There is exactly one attraction in Ramallah - the mausoleum of Yasser Arafat. Oh, how overused this name is in the news of the nineties! Even those who know nothing about this man must have heard his name, or at least the name of the headdress - arafatka - that is, a simple Arab keffiyeh, which Arafat tied on his head in a special way.

Politically neutral articles say that Yasser Arafat's life will always receive conflicting assessments, and for some he is a fighter for independence, while for others he is a bitter enemy and a terrorist. Oh yeah. The life of any killer with powerful political weight will always be perceived as controversial.

However, for Palestinians, Arafat is practically the father of the nation, who created the Palestinian National Authority - at least a remote semblance of statehood in this occupied territory.

Arafat's Mausoleum is a faceless stone cube in the architectural traditions of the Middle East.

Inside there is a tombstone with two soldiers, who even react a little to what is happening around them and bow in response.

Apart from this mausoleum, there is nothing to see in Ramallah.

This city is exclusively for getting to know Palestine from afar.

Well, look at the views. Although there is plenty of this everywhere in Israel.

So, a sharp transition - after yesterday’s imposing, so to speak, visit to the park named after. Ariel Sharon in the center of Israel, with a mainstream view of Tel Aviv skyscrapers, today I happened to visit a slightly more action-packed place, namely Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority.

There are many ways to get to Ramallah. We drove through the infamous Kalandia checkpoint.

Right after the checkpoint there is also a very famous graffiti

The views are essentially typical of Arab towns and villages.

Village of Kafr Aqab

And this is Al-Ram. It is noteworthy that in Ramallah itself (at least the one we were able to spot) there are practically no mosques. It seems that the majority in the city are secular.

These are new buildings in the city. I would like to apologize in advance for the quality of the photographs - most of them were taken on the move from the bus, so the creator should be shown due leniency. A little more about new buildings.

Cool architecture. Formally, Ramallah belongs to the Jerusalem municipality, but naturally no one even thinks about obtaining any construction permits. Therefore, they build as they want, what they want, and as much as they want. Arnon (municipal tax) is supposedly paid, although it is not entirely clear how this happens. It’s hard to believe that an Israeli official comes to Ramallah and collects fines.

The Palestinians themselves call such neighborhoods “refugee camps.” Personally, when I looked at this, I got the feeling that this is our camp here (walk around Kiryat Menachem in Jerusalem in the evening), and they have the UAE there.

This is the Red Cross building in Ramallah. It looks like the architect smoked a little (or maybe not a little) before he designed this building.

Approaching the Palestinian Parliament building

One of the representatives of the Palestinian government. The surname is absolutely unpronounceable.

Dr. Nabil Shaath. He really doesn't need any introduction.

There is even a helicopter landing point near the parliament

Just a frame.

Naturally we were shown Mukata

And the mausoleum of Yasser Arafat. And here is the grave itself.

The grave is supposedly temporary, because Arafat bequeathed to bury his mortal remains in Jerusalem, and the Palestinians believe that someday they will be able to do this and rebury the rais. In the meantime, next to the mausoleum there is an obelisk of Arafat, the tip of which points to Jerusalem.

It is noteworthy that the street below is called Brazil. Nearby I found Chili Street, and so on. In my native Jerusalem, Kiryat Menachem, the streets are also named after the countries that voted for the creation of Israel at the UN. Is it really the same issue in Ramallah?) It’s hard to believe.